Call Number with American Libraries Podcast

Five years ago this week, the city of Baltimore was upended by protests and riots following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old unarmed black man who died while in Baltimore Police Department custody. Wes Moore, a Baltimore native and author of The Other Wes Moore and The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters, looks at Gray’s death and its aftereffects in his upcoming book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City, cowritten with former Baltimore Sun reporter Erica L. Green and available August 18 (One World/Penguin Random House). In this special bonus episode of the Dewey Decibel podcast, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart talks with Moore about his book, socioeconomic conditions in Baltimore, and how Enoch Pratt Free Library was the bedrock of the city during the riots.

In Episode 49, Dewey Decibel looks at the library world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Felton Thomas, Jr., CEO of Cleveland Public Library, about the library’s use of 3D printers to make personal protective equipment for emergency workers. Then Morehart talks with Evan Knight, preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, about how to safely sanitize and clean collections to prevent spread of the virus.

It’s Women’s History Month, and librarians looking to supplement lesson plans and readings for students can find a wealth of resources in Gale’s Women’s Studies Archive, an online repository of primary sources and other materials that examine the social, political, and professional aspects of women’s lives and the experiences and achievements of women throughout history. In this special bonus episode of the Dewey Decibel podcast, sponsored by Gale, a Cengage Company, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with a librarian doing just that. Kimberly M. Gay, head of reference and information services and academic reference and instruction librarian at Prairie View (Tex.) A&M University, shares how she uses the Women’s Studies Archive to shape programming and enhance students’ understanding of women’s roles, particularly in the areas of of agriculture, architecture, engineering, and more.

In Episode 48, Dewey Decibel celebrates women's history with conversations about feminism, the importance of oral histories in social justice movements and in telling women’s stories, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with authors Mikki Kendall (Hood Feminism), Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Hunger), and Marilyn Harhai, professor of library science at Clarion University.

On February 24, Tracie D. Hall took the reins at the American Library Association as the new executive director. In this special bonus episode of the Dewey Decibel podcast, Hall sits down with American Libraries Editor and Publisher Sanhita SinhaRoy to discuss the changing face of the Association, the future of librarianship, library work with social justice issues, her favorite music, and more.

Presidential libraries have changed significantly since President Franklin D. Roosevelt conceived the system as a means to preserve evidence of the presidency for future generations to study and appreciate. In Episode 47, Dewey Decibel celebrates Presidents’ Day through conversations with directors of two presidential libraries about those changes and more. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Paul Sparrow, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, about the beginnings of the presidential library system and how Roosevelt's library has changed since it opened in 1941. Next, Morehart talks with Brooke Clement, deputy director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, about why the library decided to eschew a physical building and become the first all-digital presidential library.

On Thursday, January 23, thousands of librarians and library workers will being to descend on Philadelphia for the American Library Association’s 2020 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits. And they’ll be searching for the best places to eat and things to do while visiting the City of Brotherly Love. In Episode 46, Dewey Decibel explores what to see and where to eat during Midwinter. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Linda August, reference librarian and curator of art and artifacts at the Library Company of Philadelphia, the oldest independent research library in the US that was cofounded by Benjamin Franklin in 1791, about Philadelphia’s must-see cultural sights. Next, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski talks with Sarah Levitsky, marketing director at Reading Terminal Market, about where to find the best meals and hidden treasures at one of the largest public markets in the US.

In Episode 45, Dewey Decibel looks back at interviews conducted with speakers at the American Library Association’s 2019 Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference. NBC's Today co-host Hoda Kotb, journalist Mariana Atencio, actor and activist George Takei, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA Sylvia Acevedo, journalist and activist Isha Sesay, writer and CBS Sunday Morning contributor Mo Rocca, and philanthropist Melinda Gates reveal the important role that libraries and books have played in their lives.

In Episode 44, Dewey Decibel looks at the importance of library advocacy and offers tips on how to get involved. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Denis Cotter, chair of Loudon County (Va.) Public Library Board of Trustees, about how the board successfully lobbied the county board of supervisors for the elimination of fines at the library. Next, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price talks to John Windmueller, work organizational training manager at Washington Improv Theater in Washington, D.C., about how learning improv comedy skills can help you become better at advocacy.

Everyone loves a good mystery, especially during the Halloween season. In Episode 43, Dewey Decibel talks with library workers who were involved in three very different cases. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Rebekah Heath, a research librarian and amateur sleuth who helped uncover the identities of the victims of the Bear Brook Murders in Allenstown, New Hampshire. Next, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski and Sarah Ostman, communications manager in the American Library Association's Public Programs Office, talk with library workers from La Porte County (Ind.) Public Library and Derry (N.H.) Public Library about two unsolved mysteries that listeners can help unravel.

In Episode 42, Dewey Decibel looks at new and renovated libraries featured in American Libraries’ September/October 2019 library design and architecture issue. First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Gretchen Caserotti, director of Meridian (Idaho) Library District, about its 320-square-foot Tiny Library. Next, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski discusses the construction of Austin (Texas) Public Library’s $125 million Central Library with its project manager, Cynthia Jordan. Finally, Morehart speaks with Rachel Schipper, director of the Gioconda and Joseph King Library at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Florida, about the artistic renovations completed on the library’s 80-year-old exterior murals.

In Episode 41, Dewey Decibel features conversations that stretch beyond US borders. First, American Libraries Senior Editor George Eberhart speaks with Nigerian-American science-fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death, The Book of Phoenix) about how her heritage influences her work. Then, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart speaks with librarians from Toronto Public Library and Milton (Ont.) Public Library about initiatives that earned the libraries ALA Presidential Citations for Innovative International Library Projects.

The Coretta Scott King (CSK) Book Awards, which honors African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To commemorate the occasion, Dewey Decibel invited five past winners and honorees to discuss the awards at a panel discussion at the American Library Association's 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. Episode 40 revisits that panel, joining American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart as he talks with authors Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (As Brave As You), and Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give); author and illustrator Christopher Myers (Firebird); and illustrator Ekua Holmes (The Stuff of Stars) about the history and importance of the awards.

On Thursday, June 20, Washington, D.C. will become the capitol of the library world as thousands of librarians, library workers, students, scholars, and vendors descend upon the district for the American Library Association’s 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition. In Episode 39, Dewey Decibel explores where to eat and see live music during Annual. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Meredith Prattt, author of Frommer’s EasyGuide to Washington, D.C. 2020, about the best places to dine in the district. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart talks with Maggie Gilmore, librarian at Washington, D.C. Public Library (DCPL), and Bobbie Dougherty, manager of DCPL’s Northwest One branch, about DCPL’s Punk Archive and their favorite places to see live music.

Spring has sprung, and people are outside tending to their gardens and outdoor spaces—and the library is no different. Libraries across the country have repurposed spaces into gardens that are used to educate patrons about plant life and sustainability—and are helping to feed communities along the way. In Episode 38, Dewey Decibel examines how libraries are using outdoor spaces for gardening and food production. First, ALA Editions Acquisitions Editor Rachel Chance speaks with Kathy Lane, programming, events, and outreach coordinator at Boulder (Colo.) Public Library (BPL), and the BeeChicas of Boulder, beekeepers who advocate for sustainable pollination and beekeeping, about BPL’s rooftop beehives. Then, ALA Editions Acquisitions Editor Jamie Santoro discusses the Cellcom Children’s Edible Library at Brown County (Wisc.) Public Library (BCPL) in Green Bay, with Leah Liebergen, library services associate at BCPL.