Circulating Ideas

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Gwenda Bond about her career journey, her fascination with heist stories, her experiences with licensed content, including writing for Lois Lane and Stranger Things, her approach to magic in storytelling, and the vibrant writing community she’s fostering in Lexington, Kentucky. And on The Circ Desk, … Continue reading 267: The...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Andy Runton, creator of the graphic novel series Owly, about how libraries influenced his work and life, the origins of Owly, the process of converting the series from black and white to color, and advice for educators and librarians on how to use Owly in … Continue reading 266: Owly by Andy Runton – Summer Reading Specta...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Jessie Rosen, author of the new book, The Heirloom, about the profound impact libraries have had on her life, the inspiration behind her novel, and how her personal experiences and superstitions shaped her writing. At the Circ Desk Rebecca and Yaika discuss how “women’s fiction” … Continue reading 265: The Heirloom...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Constitutionally, about his fascinating, immersive journey of living strictly by the U. S. Constitution, delve into the contrasts between originalism and living constitutionalism, and provides insightful commentary on how the founding document shapes modern-day America. And … Continue readi...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Kirsten Miller, author of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, about her deep love for libraries, the real-life banned books that inspired her book, and how she tackled book banning, censorship, and the power of literature, all while retaining a humorous and engaging tone. … Continue reading 263: Lula Dean’s Littl...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Amita Murray, author of Unladylike Rules of Attraction, the second novel in her Marleigh Sisters series, about her experiences with libraries, the inspiration behind her writing, and why incorporating diverse elements into her Regency romances is so crucial. At the Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika … Continue reading 262: Unladylike Rule...

As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Cory Doctorow, author of The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, about the concept of enshittification, Cory’s creative process and prolific writing during the lockdown, his strategies for managing information intake, and much more. And stay tuned for the debut of The Circ Desk … Continue reading 261: The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow &...

Steve chats with Audrey Barbakoff and Noah Lenstra, authors of The 12 Steps to a Community-Led Library, about the motivations behind writing the book, the principles of community-led library work, emphasizing equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice, and practical advice for librarians interested in adopting this model. Read the transcript! Audrey Barbakoff is the CEO of … Conti...

Steve chats with Tom Bober and Rebecca Newland, authors of Literature and Primary Sources: The Perfect Pairing for Student Learning, about their time working at the Library of Congress, why primary sources are important, how librarians and teachers can better collaborate, and how today’s digital media will become tomorrow’s shoeboxes full of photos. Read the … Continue reading 25...

Steve chats with Max Brallier, author of The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains, the second book in the Last Comics graphic novel series spun off from his bestselling Last Kids on Earth series. They chat about balancing an apocalyptic background with a light-hearted tone, the differences between the Last Kids and Last Comics … Continue reading 258: The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Vil...

Steve chats with Sylvie Golod and Thomas Maluck from Richland Library about why financial literacy is an important topic for libraries to cover, the programs and services Richland offers in its Business, Careers, and Resources Center, how to make the subject appealing to teens and adults, and the importance of community partners. Plus, a Secret … Continue reading 257: Financial Literacy with...

Steve chats with Elizabeth A. Wahler and Sarah C. Johnson, authors of the book, Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons, about how they came to work with libraries, what a person-centered approach to library work looks like, why it’s important for both library staff and administration to buy in to the … Continue reading 256: Creating a Perso...

Steve chats with Sam Helmick and Ray Pun, the 2024 candidates for the President of the American Library Association, about why they want the role, how the profession can live up to its diversity goals, how they would help make the organization more attractive to new and prospective members, and whether libraries are (or ever … Continue reading 255: ALA Presidential Candidates (2024)

Steve welcomes C. J. Box, author of the new book Three-Inch Teeth, the newest entry in his Joe Pickett series, back to the show. They chat about how Box keeps the series fresh after 24 novels, the world of Joe Pickett, the research Box has done on grizzly bears and falconers, and the return of … Continue reading 254: Three-Inch Teeth by C. J. Box

Steve chats with James LaRue, author of the book On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US, about his path to librarianship, the four main reasons people seek to censor books, his biggest challenges when he led the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, how to deal with politically-motivated censorship, and his theory … Continue reading 253: On Censorship by Ja...

Steve chats with Janette Derucki and Grant Halter from RAILS: Reaching Across Illinois Library System about how they got interested in the library and data science fields, what RAILS does for libraries in Illinois, how they work to gather and present data via dashboards and other methods, statewide initiatives like the SLIDE and SLATE projects,. … Continue reading 252: RAILS – Reaching...

Guest host Thomas Maluck from the late, lamented Secret Stacks podcast chats with Ashley from Bookish Realm, about reviewing books online, navigating book challenges, how publishing has changed young adult literature, and the positives and negatives of social media. Read the transcript! Ashley is an avid reader who pretty much has an interest in all … Continue reading 251: Bookish Realm

Steve chats with Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, Director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, about her path to librarianship, her experience of joining the Smithsonian, how they support equity, diversity, and inclusion, some favorite hidden gems held by the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, and her plans for the future. Read the transcript! Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is the director &#82...

In June 2021, Steve chatted with Tracie D. Hall, then-Executive Director of the American Library Association, about her path to librarianship, her role as ALA’s Executive Director, what ALA has done and can do for library workers, libraries working for social justice, and accepting ourselves as members of the human race. Hall resigned from the … Continue reading Recirculated: Tracie D. ...

Steve chats with Kerri Maher, author of All You Have to Do Is Call, about her personal experiences with libraries, how she researched the Jane Collective, why she decided to feature original characters rather than real, historical people, and how her stories reveal themselves in the writing. Read the transcript! Kerri Maher is the USA Today bestselling author … Continue readin...

Steve chats with Susan D. Ballard and Sara Kelly Johns, authors of Elevating the School Library, about why developing a brand is important for school libraries, how to separate your personal brand from your organizational brand (including who does it right), and why it’s important to do this work proactively. Read the transcript! What is … Continue reading 248: Elevating the School&#16...

Steve chats with Alyssa Wees, author of Nocturne and The Waking Forest, about her youth services work in libraries, writing Beanie Babies fan fiction, her love of ballet, the appeal of fairy tales and the dark fantasy genre, and why she probably won’t ever write your next beach read. Read the transcript! Alyssa Wees is the … Continue reading 247: Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

Steve chats with Emily J. M. Knox, author of Book Banning in 21st Century America and Foundations of Intellectual Freedom, about her path to the library field, understanding the reasons behind book banning and challenges, the fight for public services, and the power of the book. Read the transcript! Emily Knox is an associate professor … Continue reading 246: Book Banning in 21st Century Ame...

Steve chats with Steve Albrecht, author of The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, about how he transitioned from working with law enforcement to libraries, the importance of having a security plan, learning to why assertiveness is the key to maintaining a safe environment, and the culture of cops that librarians need to … Continue reading 245: The Safe Library

Steve chats with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The First Ladies, about their thoughts on libraries as professional writers, why readers are fascinated by Marie’s and Victoria’s friendship and writing partnership, how the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune developed, and what Marie and Victoria have learned from each other … C...