Libraries Lead!

Libraries aspire to be a place where everyone belongs — and in Episode 50, we explore what that commitment looks like in today's world. Far from simply reaffirming tradition, libraries are actively expanding their roles, From welcoming undocumented community members without fear, to opening their doors to neighbors experiencing homelessness, to providing access and safe spaces for student well-being in schools, libraries are f...

America's obsession with crime, from Serial to Investigation Discovery marathons, runs deep, and libraries are right there with our patrons, stocking the thrillers and hosting the book clubs. 

 But in Episode 49, Dave, Beth, and Mike ask a harder question: what lies beneath every cold case, wrongful conviction, and uninvestigated crime? The answer, again and again, is an information failure. Witness statements that never get di...

Some say it’s theft, some call Generative AI a collaborator, many see the underpinnings of AI as simply remixing what is. Yet, the ideas of theft, remixing, and collaboration are all firmly founded in the arts. From pop art to hip hop, the idea of creation through imitation and derivation has a long tradition. Renaissance painters learned and made a living from copying their masters. Song covers like Luke Comb’s Fast Car and, yes, ...

Let’s stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and look around at the world that we humans have created and that we inhabit. Here’s a  snapshot of what it's like to live day to day in 2026 with smartphones, the Internet, Web, AI, social media, augmented reality, and all the other digital systems that we rely on in various aspects of our lives - work, social relationships, entertainment, politics, communications & information...

In this groundbreaking crossover episode, two podcasts (with Syracuse roots) – Libraries Lead and Infoversity – unite to explore the future of library education. Dr. Beth Patin, Associate Professor and newly appointed Program Director for the MS in Library and Information Science program, sits down with Dean Jeff Hemsley for an in-depth conversation about preparing the next generation of information professionals for an uncertain a...

In case we don't have enough to worry about, in May 2025, a Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge dismissed free speech claims in a public library book removal case in Texas. The Court ruled that library collection decisions are “government speech” and therefore not protected by the First Amendment. 

 This is a very very serious ruling. If it stands, there are far-reaching control issues and effects on all types of libra...

Saskia Scheltjens is the model of the curious information guru. She has worked in the university and museum world in Belgium and the Netherlands, and is currently Head of Research Services at the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands. Her work at the Rijksmuseum has set the standard for accessibility, data management, and creating truly hybrid cultural heritage institutions. In this episode she talks to David about how AI is another tool to...

From natural disasters to social unrest to ongoing political and cultural attacks, libraries have consistently stepped up as safe havens, hubs for reliable information, and anchors of resilience. 
 
 Yes, communities turn to libraries in moments of crisis. But, libraries too face crises – especially right now when our very mission is threatened. There’s a rising tide of book bans, ideological attacks on intellectual freedom...

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s near and dear to us: the pathways into librarianship and the broader information professions—the credentials, the professional development, and, honestly, the things we didn’t learn in library school. 

Right now, higher education is being squeezed from every direction. Financial pressures are mounting with cuts to research and development funding, and uncertainty around international student e...

This semester (Autumn 2025), Dave is teaching a course off AI in Cultural Heritage Institutions. For that he is talking with global experts in libraries and museums about AI and its impact. 

We offer some of these conversations as bonus episodes, and here’s the first: 

 Aaron Chaote is Director of Research & Strategy at the University of Texas Libraries. He focuses, “on research and innovation in libraries, archives, and museums ...

There has been an assault on knowledge institutions in the past 8 months. Added to attacks on libraries are attempts to shape and control universities, museums, and federal agencies like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the National Institutes of Health. Besides executive actions, there have been important judicial decisions that have massive implications for libraries, such as defining libraries as government sp...

 Aughhhh!!! We knew this was coming, but it still hurts – even more. As part of the chain-saw destruction of much of the US federal government, the Institute for Museum and Library Services has been eliminated to the maximum extend of the law and ordered to reduce services and personnel to the minimum required by law. All budget requests from IMLS are rejected except those to shut down the agencies. And yes, the Executive Order usu...

With Dave on vacation, Beth & Mike also take a break from the challenges and issues facing the library & information field. Since both are both avid sports fans and since it’s “March Madness” (college basketball’s post-season extravaganza) time, they build on last month’s “information perspective” by taking a look at the entire phenomenon while wearing their library & information-colored glasses. So, fill out your brack...

 All three of us are hopelessly biased. We look at the world through “information-colored glasses.” This means that when we engage in any and all aspects of human life – work, play, learning – we can’t help but consider what’s going on from an information perspective. In any situation or in relation to any “person, place, or thing,” we almost unconsciously begin to identify and ponder the nature and influence of all things informat...

From the Libraries Lead Podcast - February 2025, AI Watch Segment. 

In this 12 minute video, Dave Lankes explains why DeepSeek is such a big deal. Then, he blows our minds by demonstrating how DeepSeek works and maybe even ... thinks(?) because DeepSeek includes its "chain of thought reasoning and prompting" as it answers questions. Take a look and listen for "under-the-hood" insights into DeepSeek and ...

Library & information science for decades has focused on the “user” perspective in systems and services. This includes HCI (human-computer interaction), interfaces, features in search and catalog systems, and ways of improving services (e.g., online/chat reference, maker spaces, events). We provide systems, resources, and services and users use them. Furthermore, "users (or customers) know best," so we should develop...

In the beginning … of our dot com digital age (roughly from the late 1970s) … there was a expectation that information and computer technology (ICT) would be a boon to society. Technology could be liberating rather than oppressing. The hope was that new products and services (e.g., personal computers, the Internet, the WWW, search engines, smart phones, social media)  would lead to a more equitable, open, and free society. Sadly, t...

The election is over, and the reactions are emotional and raw. Some people are cheering; others crying. America is still as divided politically and socially as the day before. Putting those things aside, let’s look ahead from an information & library perspective. What’s in store for us as individuals, families and communities? Are there lessons learned from the campaigns and result from an information perspective? What might th...