Call Number with American Libraries Podcast

While American Libraries is busy searching for its new podcast host, we thought we’d dip into the vault and re-air some of our most popular episodes. Today we’re replaying Episode 35, “Fostering New Businesses,” which originally aired in February 2019. Three years ago, we released this installment to coincide with National Entrepreneurship Week, which this year is being observed February 12–19. The advice in this episode is relevant to trends libraries have been seeing during the pandemic: small businesses are looking for assistance, libraries are pivoting their business resources to the online environment, and many people who lost or quit jobs are turning to entrepreneurship for the first time. In this episode, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski interviews Amy Fisher, information and reader services manager, and Morgan Perry, business outreach specialist, both from Mid-Continent Public Library in Missouri. They talk about the how the library’s Square One Business Services program helps the community, including a growing food business sector. Next, former Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Roosevelt Weeks, director of Austin Public Library in Texas. They discuss how the library’s entrepreneurship programs complement the city’s vibrant start-up scene.

While we’re busy searching for our new Call Number host, we thought we’d dip into the vault and re-air some of our most popular episodes. Today we’re replaying our sixth episode, “Banned Books,” which originally aired in October 2016. In 2021, libraries across the country saw a record number of book challenges, and the wisdom of this episode from five years ago is—unfortunately—just as applicable today. In this episode, former host Phil Morehart first interviews James LaRue, the then-executive director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. They discuss book challenges and bans—why they happen and what libraries can do to protect themselves. Next he talks to Sara Stevenson, a librarian at O. Henry Middle School in Austin, Texas, who faced a book challenge over the John Green YA novel Looking for Alaska. And finally, he talks to Marjane Satrapi, author of the award-winning graphic novel Persepolis, about how her book was being briefly banned at a Chicago high school and the nature of censorship.

In Episode 69, Call Number with American Libraries looks back on interviews—with authors and ALA conference speakers—conducted by American Libraries staffers during 2021. Featured in this episode are never-before-released clips from conversations with Fox Sports analyst and former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho; acclaimed writer Isabel Allende; reggae musician and philanthropist Ziggy Marley; TV host and producer Padma Lakshmi; bestselling horror author Max Brooks; Dance Theatre of Harlem alumni Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel; and lawyer and speaker Savala Nolan.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an American institution, instilling the importance of literacy and learning—and a love of words—in generations of children since its founding more than 95 years ago. Beyond word lists, the Bee provides reading lists, a book club, and additional resources, creating a rich ecosystem that helps spellers contextualize the words they are studying and educators get involved. On this bonus episode of Call Number with American Libraries, sponsored by the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Phil Morehart, communications manager for the American Library Association, talks with J. Michael Durnil, executive director of the Bee. They discuss how the Scripps National Spelling Bee has changed over time, the benefits of participating, how libraries can support the Bee, and more.

As November draws to a close, thoughts naturally turn toward food. It brings people together, bridges cultures and divides, and can be used as a teaching tool, providing insights into everything from history and politics to mathematics and problem-solving. On Episode 68, Call Number with American Libraries looks at the wonderful world of food. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with model, author, and Top Chef host and producer Padma Lakshmi about the intersection of cooking and family and the value of creating space for everyone’s food story. Next, American Libraries Editor and Publisher Sanhita SinhaRoy speaks with Hannah Appleby-Wineberg, library intern at America’s Test Kitchen, about working on the popular television show and how its library is used to develop recipes. Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price talks with author Mayukh Sen about his book Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America.

For more than a year, educators, school librarians, and administrators have been responding and adapting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last spring, Gale, a Cengage Company, and the American Library Association (ALA) partnered to rejuvenate Gale’s guide to best practices for school librarians. For this Agents of Change 2.0 paper, ALA spoke with educators and administrators working through the crisis and surveyed more than 500 school librarians about their processes and perspectives. On this bonus episode of Call Number with American Libraries, sponsored by Gale, Maggie Reagan, senior editor of books for youth at Booklist, talks with Jessica Klinker, head librarian at Franklin Heights High School in Columbus, Ohio—one of the librarians whose feedback helped shape the Agents of Change 2.0 paper. They discuss Klinker's experiences working during the pandemic, the pandemic’s effects on students, the importance of social-emotional learning, and more.

In his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero unleashed the modern zombie upon the world. These reanimated corpses with a hunger for human flesh have taken many forms over the years, from slow, shambling ghouls to fast, menacing creatures. But why do they endure? What is it about zombies that fascinates and frightens us? And how have libraries gotten into the action? In Episode 67, Call Number with American Libraries celebrates Halloween with a look at libraries and the living dead. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Ben Rubin, horror studies collection coordinator at University of Pittsburgh Library System, about the George A. Romero Archival Collection, which was gifted to the school after the filmmaker’s death in 2017. Next American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski talks with Amy Dennis, programming and public relations librarian at Tom Green County (Texas) Library System, about the library’s zombie doll program for youth. And finally, Morehart speaks with Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant), author of the Newsflesh trilogy of zombie novels, about the books’ inspiration and legacy.

In Episode 66, Call Number with American Libraries looks at two libraries featured in American Libraries magazine’s 2021 Library Design Showcase. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Heather Hart, manager of Salt Lake City Public Library’s Sprague branch, about renovations that were made to the 93-year-old, English Tudor–style library after a flood destroyed much of the building in 2017. Next, Morehart talks with Sean Ngo from architecture firm DLR Group about constructing the Cybrarium, a new technology-focused library in Homestead, Florida.

Librarians in the US serve different populations, each with a distinct set of needs. Among those are veterans, who often face unique challenges when returning to civilian life after their military service ends. Many of them turn to the library for help and resources, so it’s essential for library workers to know more about this community to better serve its members. On Episode 65 of Call Number with American Libraries, we look at library services to veterans. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Angela Maranville, a US Air Force veteran and director of knowledge access and resource management at West Virginia University (WVU) Libraries in Morgantown. They talk about her experiences as a veteran in the library profession as well as services that WVU Libraries offers for the university’s student veterans. Next, Morehart speaks with Michael Steinmacher, director of Barr Memorial Library in Fort Knox, Kentucky, about libraries on military bases and the services they provide for vets and enlisted members.

Since its emergence in New York City in the late 1970s, hip-hop has grown to become a musical, cultural, and economic force around the world. And it’s been embraced by libraries, which are using the art form for community outreach, teaching, preservation, and more. In Episode 64, Call Number with American Libraries looks at libraries and hip-hop. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Ralph McDaniels, the hip-hop luminary who created the influential Video Music Box show in the early 1980s and who now serves as hip-hop coordinator at Queens (N.Y.) Public Library. Next, Morehart talks with Joquetta Johnson, a specialist in the department of equity and cultural proficiency at Baltimore County (Md.) Public Schools, about her work using hip-hop as a teaching tool.