Call Number with American Libraries Podcast

In Episode 62, Call Number with American Libraries looks at law librarianship through conversations with law librarians representing two different areas of the profession. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Emily Florio, senior research services manager at international law firm Hogan Lovells and president of the American Association of Law Libraries, who provides a glimpse into the life and work of a law librarian. Next, Morehart talks with Anne Lucke, librarian at the National Indian Law Library in Boulder, Colorado, about why it’s important to have a library dedicated entirely to tribal law, the library’s materials, and other topics.

In this special bonus episode, Call Number with American Libraries celebrates Preservation Week (April 25–May 1) by looking at the 1619 Project, a collection of historical records, essays, photos, and audio that aims to reframe the consequences of slavery in the US and highlight the contributions of Black people to the American experience. American Libraries senior editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project and honorary chair of Preservation Week, about the project’s origins, her team’s research, and why community archives are vital to preserving history.

In Episode 61, Call Number with American Libraries talks with school librarians about how they changed their work and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with three school library media specialists for Goochland County Public Schools in Virginia about how they bootstrapped a bookmobile to provide free books to kids learning remotely. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart talks with Melissa Jacobs, director of New York City Schools’ Library System and the New York Department of Education’s Department of Library Services, about how librarians in the largest school district in the US operated during the pandemic.

With libraries closed or operating at reduced hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, outreach is essential to let the community know that the library is still there for them and providing essential services. That outreach is particularly important for senior citizens who rely on the library not just for books, but often as a lifeline to others. On Episode 60, Call Number with American Libraries looks at library outreach to seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. First American Libraries associate editor Sallyann Price speaks with David Kelsey, outreach coordinator at St. Charles (Ill.) Public Library in St. Charles, Illinois, and president of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, about the importance of outreach to seniors, especially during the pandemic. Next Call Number host and American Libraries senior editor Phil Morehart talks with Kim Huntley, manager of Toronto Public Library’s North York Central Library, about the library’s project of telephoning more than 20,000 of its senior patrons for wellness checks.

All eyes are on Washington D.C., this week with the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act on March 10. The relief checks for Americans, money for state and local governments, child tax credits, and vaccine funding contained within the bill make headlines, but the bill also affects much more of American life, including libraries. But how did that happen? How are libraries represented in US government? On this special bonus episode of Call Number with American Libraries, we look at library legislation and more at this particular moment in history. Shawnda Hines, assistant director, communications, at the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office, speaks with Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.), a tireless library supporter, about his work on library legislation, including the Build America’s Libraries Act that was introduced in the House on March 3. They also discuss how best to advocate for your library at the state and national level and more.

In Episode 59, Call Number with American Libraries looks at efforts to move forward conversations about race and racism in the United States. First, American Libraries managing editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Emmanuel Acho, former NFL linebacker and current sports analyst for Fox Sports, about his YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man and book of the same name. Next, American Libraries senior editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Jessica Bratt, youth services manager at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Public Library, about the Let’s Talk About Race toolkit that she created for librarians.

In Episode 58, Call Number with American Libraries looks at library efforts to prevent COVID-19 contamination. First, American Libraries Editorial and Advertising Associate Carrie Smith speaks with OCLC's Sharon Streams, director of the REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) project. A collaboration between OCLC, IMLS, and science and technology development nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute, REALM is studying how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on materials common to libraries, archives, and museums. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart talks with Stephen Territo, head of library operations at Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire, Illinois, about how the library installed UV lights and enhanced HVAC filtration solutions in its air handling units to kill airborne pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.

In Episode 57, Call Number looks back on author interviews conducted by American Libraries staffers throughout 2020. Author, poet, and essayist Julia Alvarez, writer and artist Chanel Miller, chef Jeff Henderson, ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, and writers Echo Brown and Yaa Gyasi discuss their work and reveal the important role that libraries and books have played in their lives.

This year has seen an increase in activism and community engagement from people across the country—especially teens. Whether working in-person or virtually because of the pandemic, the youth of today are energized to change the world. And librarians are helping. On Episode 56, Call Number looks at library efforts to support and engage teen activism. First, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with Donnell Washington, senior library assistant at Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library, about the Better Hope for Tomorrow virtual summit for teens that he helped organize. Next, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowksi talks with Candice Wing-Yee Mack, senior librarian for young adult services at Los Angeles Public Library, about the library’s Teenagers Leading Change program.

Halloween is one of our favorite times of the year here at the podcast, because we get to indulge our love of all things spooky and scary, particularly in the realm of literature and libraries. On Episode 55 of Call Number with American Libraries, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Matt Ruff, author of Lovecraft Country, the bestselling horror/fantasy novel that’s been adapted into a hit series on HBO. Next, American Libraries staffers reveal what frightens them the most, everything from existential concerns to those very fitting for the Halloween season. Finally, American Libraries Managing Editor Tera Dankowski talks with Elizabeth Campbell Denlinger, curator of the Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and his Circle at New York Public Library, about the collection’s materials on Mary Shelley, author of the 1818 classic, Frankenstein, or a Modern Prometheus.

This past summer, American Library Association (ALA) President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. toured the US—virtually—to spotlight issues affecting libraries across the country, in particular small and rural libraries. In Episode 54, Dewey Decibel speaks with Jefferson, as well as two librarians whose work was showcased on his tour. First, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart discusses small-library concerns with Corey Christians, director of Yavapai County (Ariz.) Free Library District. Next, Morehart talks with Stacey Russell, interim executive director of Muskingum County (Ohio) Library System, about her library’s efforts to bridge the digital divide in the rural county.

In Episode 53, Dewey Decibel explores new ideas and issues in library architecture and design. First, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart speaks with Wardell Ross Jr., director of Houston operations for architectural firm Moody Nolan, who was project manager for Texas Southern University’s new Library Learning Center. Morehart and Ross discuss the library’s features and how its design reflects and showcases the heritage of the historically Black university. Next, Morehart talks with Susan Nemitz, director of Santa Cruz (Calif.) Public Libraries, about how the library shifted its remodeling and rebuilding plans to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, the American Library Association (ALA) added sustainability as one of the core values of librarianship, and libraries across the US are working to reduce their environmental footprint and raise awareness about resilience, climate change, and a sustainable future. In Episode 52, Dewey Decibel talks with librarians who are implementing sustainable practices in both their libraries and their lives. First American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with Gabrielle Griffis, assistant youth services librarian at Brewster (Mass.) Ladies Library, about the Blue Marble Librarians, a group that helped promote Climate Prep Week across the state last year. Next, ALA Editions Acquisitions Editor Jamie Santoro speaks with René Tanner, associate liaison librarian for the humanities division at Arizona State University (ASU) and Susan Norton, program manager for ASU's University Sustainability Practices, about sustainability programs they implemented at the university. Finally, American Libraries Editorial and Advertising Associate Carrie Smith speaks with three library workers from Queens (N.Y.) Public Library—Library Manager Kacper Jarecki, Youth and Family Counselor Desmond Bonhomme, and Assistant Community Library Manager Sarah Gluck—who biked from New York City to the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia last winter to raise awareness about sustainability.

In Episode 51, Dewey Decibel welcomes two winners of 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards for illustration to discuss their work in the lead up to the American Library Association's Book Award Celebration on June 28. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with James E. Ransome, author and illustrator of The Bell Rang, a 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Honor Illustrator Book. Next Morehart talks with April Harrison, whose illustrations in What Is Given from the Heart by the late Patricia McKissack earned her a 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent for illustration.

In Episode 50, Dewey Decibel looks at privacy issues in libraries, including how COVID-19 is affecting privacy for both patrons and librarians alike. First, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart speaks with Becky Yoose, a library data privacy consultant with LDH Consulting Services, about Zoombombing—what it is, who it targets, and how to stop it. Next, Morehart talks with Peter McCracken, electronic resources librarian at Cornell University, about a privacy-services program instituted by the library to protect patron data and how the pandemic is affecting those services.