From defunct recording technology to vinyl’s comeback, we've been through a lot of media changes over the last 125 years. And we're still not done changing! We talk about audio's next great frontier with the world's first two podcast librarian

Rebroadcast: Secret Lives of Librarians

16 days ago 18m 58s

We revisit an episode from January 2021 in honor of National Library Workers Day, and ask: what do librarians do all day? When they're not planning programs or working the reference desk, these librarians are also obscure trivia players, birder

Bridging the Gap

Mar 21st, 2024 14m 37s

Teens and older adults are perhaps the two age groups you might think have the least in common. But a new program at BPL seeks to bring the two generations together ... by having them debate.Read a transcript of this episode on our web page.Res

Browse the Branches

Mar 14th, 2024 16m 32s

Brooklyn has 62 neighborhood libraries, each with a distinct architecture, culture, and soul. To kick off the new season and to celebrate our audio stories coming home to Brooklyn, we'll take a tour of the borough with the help of our neighborh

The Challenge

Dec 14th, 2023 31m 56s

Student activists in York, Pennsylvania organized a silent protest when hundreds of books were banned from their classrooms, paving the way for lasting change in their community. In this final episode of the series, we tackle the challenge head

On the Frontlines

Dec 7th, 2023 28m 29s

Library workers often risk their livelihoods when they speak out against censorship, spurring community members to pick up the fight for intellectual freedom. We tell the story of how one Louisiana parish came together to defend their library a

An Interview with Maia Kobabe

Nov 30th, 2023 21m 15s

Maia Kobabe's debut memoir, Gender Queer, was the most frequently banned book in 2021 and 2022. We talked with em about what it's like to be on the recieving end of so many challenges, and the importance of public libraries.Read the transcript

Beloved Blues

Nov 22nd, 2023 26m 14s

Despite being one of the most frequently banned authors, Toni Morrison’s work has inspired countless others to tell stories outside the mainstream. We take a closer look at Morisson's writing, her legacy, and her impact on the anti-censorship m

An Interview with George M. Johnson

Nov 16th, 2023 18m 41s

George M. Johnson talks about their debut Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren't Blue, the support of their family, their love of Toni Morrison, and the importance of standing against book bans. Read the transcript here.Resources:Check out All Boys

Battle of the Classics

Nov 9th, 2023 22m 54s

Our call to action for this episode:Talk about the books that are important to you, even if they aren’t challenged.Stay informed about what books are being challenged in your area by subscribing to Book Riot's Literary Activism Newsletter. Each

An Interview with Mike Curato

Nov 2nd, 2023 20m 4s

Mike Curato talks about his award-winning graphic novel Flamer, his writing practice, and how it feels to have his story vaulted into national headlines as parents, politicians, and school boards campaign to remove his book from school and libr

Of Parents and School Boards

Oct 26th, 2023 30m 20s

Over the past few years, school board races have become more heated and more political — and books have become the center of that political storm. We look at what happened in Keller, Texas when an ultra-conservative group took over the school b

This Day in Esoteric Political History: United States vs One Book Called Ulysses (1933)

Oct 19th, 2023 20m 53s

It’s an off-week for Borrowed and Banned, but we do have something special to share. We’re doing a collaboration with PRX’s Radiotopia, and they sent along an episode from one of their shows that is really relevant to our series. This D

Seen and Obscene

Oct 12th, 2023 29m 25s

The birth of obscenity laws in the 1870s provides a cautionary tale for the present moment, when far-right conservatives incorrectly label books “sexually explicit” as a way to provoke outrage in communities nationwide. This episode, we delve i

All for a Library Card

Sep 28th, 2023 29m 54s

When a high school teacher in Norman, Oklahoma shared a QR code with her students that would grant them access to BPL’s digital collection, she took a stand against a restrictive state law. That act of resistance made her first day of school ..

Introducing: Borrowed and Banned

Sep 18th, 2023 5m 54s

Last year, over 2,500 unique titles were challenged in libraries across the country. That’s the highest number in over 20 years. On Borrowed and Banned, we tell the story of America’s ideological war with its bookshelves by talking with the peo

An Episode from Grown: Culture and Identity

Sep 8th, 2023 29m 53s

We’re doing something a little bit different today and sharing an episode from a totally different podcast we love … it’s called Grown, and it’s from the Moth. Grown is all about the experience of growing up. There's conversations, true sto

Jay-Z at the Library

Sep 1st, 2023 9m 57s

Over 14,000 patrons have signed up for their first library card since Jay-Z's exhibit came to Central Library in mid-July. We talk to Brooklynites traveling around the borough to collect all 13 Jay-Z library cards, and ask what The Book of HOV

Pathways to Leadership

Jul 5th, 2023 15m 56s

Kesha Powell and Amen Emile have been working at BPL for over 20 years in various roles, from public safety to circulation manager. Thanks to BPL's Pathways to Leadership program—a scholarship and mentorship initiative designed to diversify the

Meet Our (Almost) Six-Year-Old Librarian

Jun 14th, 2023 11m 23s

If you ask Hannah Jean what would be her greatest wish, she will say running Brooklyn Public Library. Last month, she got to do just that. Read the transcript and check out our book list: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/meet-our-almost-s

The Teens are Offline

May 30th, 2023 16m 5s

Meet the Luddite Club, a group of library-loving, flip-phone-toting teenagers in Brooklyn who come together every week out of a shared sense that social media and smart phones just aren't working for them. Read the transcript and check ou

Seeking Asylum

May 17th, 2023 26m 36s

Asylum seekers continue to arrive in New York City. We look at how one faith-based organization is responding to the continuing crisis in the hope that these personal narratives offer a window into the experience of migrants in Brooklyn today

Buscando Asilo

May 17th, 2023 27m 4s

Este episodio es sobre los solicitantes de asilo en la ciudad de Nueva York. Estamos compartiendo estas narrativas personales con la esperanza de que escucharlas devuelva la humanidad a esta crisis. Para leer el episodio en inglés y más recurs

A Place of Refuge

Apr 18th, 2023 19m 27s

Last year, New York City began to see an increase in the number of migrants seeking asylum. The library is a small part of the city-wide response to help those seeking refuge. This episode, we'll talk about library and city efforts with Manue

What's Your Library Worth?

Mar 30th, 2023 11m 57s

Did you know there are some public libraries that loan out snowshoes? And cement mixers? And Santa suits? This episode, we try to calculate what your public library is worth, and ask how you can give back to support public libraries. Read