What happens to intellectual freedom when libraries come under attack? What happens to curiosity?

Librarian and director of the Department of Libraries in Arlington, VA, Diane Kresh joins me to explore the long and storied history of bad-ass librarians, book bans and book sanctuaries, the "curiosity paradox" of such bans, what makes libraries a center for community, and how curiosity is like an insatiable puppy.

"The library can be a great refuge, if you will, for people who are questioning." ~ Diane Kresh

Theme music by Sean Balick; "4 Point Path" by The Bulwark, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #286: Curiosity, Book Bans & Bad-Ass Librarians, with Diane Kresh

My Vibes by FluffyAudio is available here: fluffyaudio.com/shop/silk-and-lotus/

Luca Rizzo - The Rise of the Immortal Dragon - Dressed

Olmo Chittò - Kashi

Olmo Chittò - Whisper of the bamboo groove - Esecutivo

Luca Rizzo - The Rise of the Immortal Dragon - Naked

Paolo Ingraito - Silken Lotus

Paolo Ingraito - Zam Teevriin Osol

A sonic cross-section of the Seattle Central Library by Rem Koolhaas/ OMA. Begin at a lively "community and coffee" gathering on the main floor and ride escalators up to levels experiencing different atmospheres of quietude. Should libraries even be quiet?

Seattle Central Library

Join Valeria, Reader Development and Stock Librarian at Camden Libraries, Haleema Ali, and host Barra Fitzgibbon from Bloomsbury Radio for a brand-new episode of Let’s Talk Camden — the podcast where stories, community, and creativity come together.

This month, we’re welcoming Valeria to the mic. She brings a unique perspective from Abruzzo, Italy — the greenest region in Europe, known for its incredible biodiversity. Her background beautifully ties into this year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme: Story Garden.

We’ll also be tackling a national issue: children’s reading is in decline, with only 1 in 3 young people enjoying reading and 1 in 4 unable to read well by age 11 (Clark et al., 2024). But there’s a way to turn the page — and it starts with the Summer Reading Challenge ( Summer Reading Challenge - Camden Council) . Children are encouraged to read six books over the summer, collecting tokens and entering a prize draw to win theatre tickets, LEGO sets, and more. To sign up please follow this link : Summer Reading Challenge 2025

Plus, Barra and Valeria dive into some brilliant reads, including Conclave by Peter Straughan. Valeria also shares her love of languages and her growing interest in Korean and Japanese literature, especially slice-of-life stories that offer a window into everyday experiences across cultures.

Tune in for book chat, summer inspiration, and a celebration of the power of reading.


Lets talk Camden with Valeria the Reader Development and Stock Librarian in Camden Libraries

Chris and Jane (copyrightliteracy.org) talk to upcoming Icepops keynote Monica Westin about her journey from library school, through to Google, Manchester Metropolitan University and now to Cambridge University Press. We discuss how big tech companies deal with copyright takedown requests, what the legal and ethnical implications of new technologies are on finding and accessing information and finally what her favourite cake is.

With thanks to Aiden Clark for his editing support on this episode.

Monica's blog: https://www.monicawestin.com/ 
Monica will be our keynote at Icepops 2025: https://copyrightliteracy.org/2025/07/17/icepops-2025-draft-programme-now-available/

California Digital Library: https://cdlib.org/
Google Scholar co-founder Anurag Acharya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anurag_Acharya
DMCA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act
Google transparency reports: https://transparencyreport.google.com/?hl=en_GB
Project Lumen: https://cyber.harvard.edu/research/lumen
Internet Archive Scholar: https://scholar.archive.org/
Mark Graham: https://blog.archive.org/author/mark/ 


Copyright heroes
Alyce Scott: https://ischool.sjsu.edu/post/alyce-scott  
Katie Fortney https://cdlib.org/contact/staff_directory/katie-fortney-staff-profile/ and Rachael Samberg: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/help/staff-directory/rachael-samberg 
TorrentFreak: https://torrentfreak.com/ 
Creative Commons team: https://creativecommons.org/mission/team/ 
Google Scholar co-founder Anurag Acharya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anurag_Acharya
Louise Koch at MMU

Cake
NYT Plum Torte recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte or: https://coleycooks.com/plum-torte/ 
20th Century Cafe Honey Cake: https://www.thebutterlab.com/blog/honeycake

Copyright Waffle Episode 28 with Monica Westin

Choose to be Curious is a show all about curiosity. We talk about research and theory, but mostly it's conversations about how curiosity shows up in work and life.  

Now syndicated and available via Pacifica RadioNetwork.

Timbre Architecture & Sound works with developers, community stakeholders, business owners, artists, and designers to imagine the future of the built environment. Founded by architect Nicolas Sowers, Timbre is based in Seattle and works along the Pacific coast on a wide range of project types and scales.

Decoding copyright and bringing you enlightenment. Find out what we're up to at https://copyrightliteracy.org and follow us at @UKCopyrightLit or send an email via UKCopyrightLit@gmail.com

New tracks tagged #Libraries