It’s been three years since COVID-19 brought the country to a standstill. In March 2020, the pandemic shuttered library buildings and prompted staffers to shift programming and priorities for a changing world.

In Episode 81, Call Number hears from three libraries that expanded, pivoted, and reimagined their offerings to reach community members who needed their services most.

First, American Libraries Editor and Publisher Sanhita SinhaRoy talks with John Schaffer, the voice behind Curbside Larry, the character who went viral in 2020 for his infomercial-style videos advertising curbside services at Harris County (Tex.) Public Library.

Then, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Ray Baker, director of Miami-Dade Public Library System in Florida, about the Drive-Up Wi-Fi initiative the library started in the early days of the pandemic.

Finally, American Libraries associate editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial chats with Julie Curry, principal of John K. Hubbard Elementary School in Noble, Oklahoma, and Courtney Gerow, signature services coordinator of Shawnee (Okla.) Public Library. The two are behind Sunday Stars, a tutoring program helping elementary school students across several counties recover from COVID-19 learning loss.

Is there a story or topic you’d like us to cover? Let us know at callnumber@ala.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and SoundCloud and leave a review on iTunes. We welcome feedback and hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for listening.

Episode 81: Pandemic Pivots

Hear about disability pride, doing business in Melbourne, businesses, new toy libraries, city-shaping projects, arts, events and more in this edition of the City of Melbourne's ratepayer newsletter, Melbourne Magazine.

This audio magazine has been recorded by Vision Australia on behalf of the City of Melbourne in the interests of information accessibility.

Your narrator is Jenny Seedsman.

Visit news.melbourne.vic.gov.au and subscribe to receive the latest stories direct to your inbox. You can also find PDFs of our print magazine at news.melbourne.vic.gov.au/melbourne-magazine.

Guide to doing business in Melbourne

Events calendar: March to May 2024

What's new in capital works

Clean team and garden gurus on patrol across the city

Message from Lord Mayor Sally Capp AO

Introduction

In Episode 94, Call Number celebrates Preservation Week, this year held April 28–May 4. With the theme of “Preserving Identities,” the week’s events aim to raise awareness of the role libraries and cultural institutions play in protecting historic and culturally significant collections. 

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Indigenous author Traci Sorell, the honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week. Sorell, a former attorney who worked on Native Nations policy, discusses preservation’s part in telling stories. 

Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kathleen Monahan, special collections public services supervisor at Boston Public Library, about the importance of security in preservation. Monahan, who cochairs the Security Committee of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries, provides insight into the committee’s recently updated Guidelines Regarding the Security of Special Collections Materials.

Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Rosie Grayburn and Melissa Tedone, cofounders of the Poison Book Project, a joint initiative of Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library (WMGL), and the University of Delaware (UD) in Newark. Grayburn is head of the scientific research and analysis laboratory at WMGL and an affiliated associate professor in the Winterthur–UD program in art conservation. Tedone is assistant professor for library and archives conservation at UD and associate director of the Winterthur–UD program in art conservation. They discuss their research on potentially toxic bookbinding materials from the 19th century. 

Is there a story or topic you’d like us to cover? Let us know at callnumber@ala.org. You can also follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter), SoundCloud, or Spotify and leave a review on iTunes. We welcome your feedback.

Episode 94: Preserving History

Episode 32: Brew up a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join the crew for this month’s discussion of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. We’ll discuss potential jobs for retired orcs, technological inventions we’d introduce to fantasy worlds, and names for our alternate universe coffee shop fan fiction. Bonus topics include the Durias’s racial identity, Pendry’s creation of Norwegian death metal, and Mary Elizabeth’s desire for her very own Amity the dire cat.

Join the discussion with Escape the Earth:
email: saplescapetheearth@gmail.com
goodreads: www.goodreads.com/group/show/10939…escape-the-earth
libguide: guides.mysapl.org/ETE

Escape the Earth

The Prologue Is the Epilogue

In Episode 95, Call Number highlights ways libraries are practicing and promoting sustainability. 

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski pays a visit to the Sulzer Regional branch of Chicago Public Library, which hosts a repair café every month. At these events, participants bring household items in need of mending to the library. Volunteers with toolkits fix the items, sparing them from the landfill. 

Next, members of ALA’s Sustainability Round Table share what their libraries do to help the environment. 

Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Dan Wilson, deputy director of Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at University of Virginia in Charlottesville. They discuss one-page disaster plans—what they are and why your library might need one. 

Is there a story or topic you’d like us to cover? Let us know at callnumber@ala.org. You can also follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter), SoundCloud, or Spotify and leave a review on iTunes. We welcome your feedback.

Episode 95: Sustainability Strategies

Call Number is the popular podcast series from American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association. Each month, your host and American Libraries Associate Editor Diana Panuncial will be your guide to conversations with librarians, authors, thinkers, and scholars about topics from the library world and beyond.

Episode 81: Pandemic Pivots

Call Number with American Libraries Podcast

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