OVERDUE: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries

In this episode, Dr. Raymond (Ray) Pun (academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education) shares insights on effective library advocacy through collaboration and community building, advice for aspiring librarians of color, and the value of involvement in the American Library Association and committee work.

We hear about Ray's career transition from public to academic libraries, delve into the...

In this episode, we hear from Ayn Reyes Frazee and Mai Takahashi, co-chairs of the newly formed EDI Committee of ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children, a division of ALA). Frazee, who serves as current president of the Oregon Association of School Libraries, is a high school librarian in Portland and was a 2019 ALSC Equity and Diversity Fellow. Takahashi is a youth services librarian at the Seattle Public Library, worki...

We are joined in this episode by Nichelle M. Hayes, MPA, MLS, founding director of the Center for Black Literature & Culture, and former CEO (Interim) of the Indianapolis Public Library, and current President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). 

Hayes shares her background in human resources with us as she discusses ways that HR departments can help library organizations become more inclusive, divers...

In this episode, we have the absolute honor of speaking with Jamia Williams (Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine(NNLM) Training Office) and Jamillah Gabriel (Critical Pedagogy Research Librarian in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and a PhD student in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). 

Before Overdue: Weeding o...

This is a re-release of an episode recorded on September 20, 2022 and published on November 30, 2022:

In this episode, we talk with Loida Garcia-Febo – a Puerto Rican American librarian, International Library Consultant expert in library services to diverse populations and human rights and the 2018-2019 President of the American Library Association – about the importance of getting out of the library and into communities, ...

In this episode we talk with Dr. Sandy Littletree (Navajo/Eastern Shoshone), Assistant Professor at the Information School at the University of Washington, whose work focuses on Native North American Indigenous Knowledge. 

Dr. Littletree shares background about Indigenous systems of knowledge, and practical application as it pertains to Indigenous information science, Indigenous librarianship and the intersections of triba...

*There were technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions*

In this episode of Overdue, we talk with Jody Redifer, Program Specialist at Multnomah County Library; Enrique Rivera, Library Outreach Specialist at Multnomah County Library*, and Trevor Walraven, Associate Director of Policy and Prison Outreach for the Oregon Justice Resource Center, about their work with patrons ex...

In light of the continued fight against book banning and censorship, we are re-releasing a conversation from last fall with the 2022 School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, K.C. Boyd, and the two 2022 School Librarian of the Year finalists, Pia Alliende and Andy Spinks.

Amid book challenges, political and cultural attempts to staunch access to books that reflect the history and lives of our youth, and funding ...

In this episode, we talk with Chantel Walker, Director of the Marin County Library Foundation and change management consultant with the County of Marin and other government organizations, and Patricia “Patty” Wong, City Librarian for the Santa Clara City Library and immediate past president of the American Library Association.

These two dynamic leaders share challenges and successes from their own lived-experiences, as we...

In honor of Tracie D. Hall having been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2023, we are excited to re-release this conversation with Tracie from last spring.  This is a recognition very well deserved, and we are so very thankful for the effort and passion Tracie exhibits daily to make libraries a welcoming and safe place for everyone. 

In this episode, we talk with Tracie D. Hall, Executive Di...

On this episode of Overdue, we speak with filmmaker and owner of JJML Productions, Jon Osaki; State Law Librarian and Access to Justice Coordinator for the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, Jenny Silbiger; and Professor Emerita and Director Emerita of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at Seattle University School of Law, Lorraine Bannai, about Osaki’s documentary Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066, and how r...

In this episode, we talk with Sherry Antoine (Executive Director of AfroCROWD), Laurie Bridges (Instruction and Outreach librarian at Oregon State University), and Diana Park (Science Librarian at Oregon State University) about their work to RIGHT history by writing Black history into Wikipedia. 

Learn about what is happening in libraries and partner organizations to further representation of Black folx (and all Black, Indigenous, a...

In part 2 of this two-part episode, we talk to the creative team behind the Librarians with Spines  book series calling for radical librarianship, Yago Cura, Max Macias and Autumn Anglin. This trio of "information agitators" share the origins of this series, the need for necessary boundary-pushing in the library profession, and the importance of having a strong support system when doing antiracism work.

Hear abou...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, we talk to the creative team behind the Librarians with Spines  book series calling for radical librarianship, Yago Cura, Max Macias and Autumn Anglin. This trio of "information agitators" share the origins of this series, the need for necessary boundary-pushing in the library profession, and the importance of having a strong support system when doing antiracism work.

Hear abo...

*There were technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions*

In this episode, we talk with leadership from REFORMA Oregon about centering equity work as the foundation of library work, how to begin shifting Oregon library culture to better serve diverse communities as well as how a culture shift can support library workers of color. We also talk about how REFORMA Oregon support...

In this episode, we talk with Loida Garcia-Febo – a Puerto Rican American librarian, International Library Consultant expert in library services to diverse populations and human rights and the 2018-2019 President of the American Library Association – about the importance of getting out of the library and into communities, mentoring staff, in particular nurturing Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), and equipping all with e...

In this special episode, we talk with the School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, K.C. Boyd, and the two  School Librarian of the Year finalists, Pia Alliende and Andy Spinks.

Amid book challenges, political and cultural attempts to staunch access to books that reflect the history and lives of our youth, and funding cuts to school libraries, these courageous library heroes talk about their grit and determinat...

In this episode, we talk with Roland Barksdale-Hall, Branch Manager at the Stey-Nevant Branch Library in Farrell, PA and an author, activist, historian, and griot. Our conversation touches on forging deep community connections, confronting biases, being true to oneself, active listening and making people feel seen, and the huge impact we can have on others. Roland shares his own inspiring story and the active work it took to truly ...

In this episode, we talk with librarians Nicole Rawlinson, Priya Charry & Leah Larson about the intricacies of navigating conversations around equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The trio emphasizes the importance of holding space for these conversations, the challenges of doing so as marginalized individuals, and why libraries should be working on the retention, not just hiring, of BIPOC employees. 

This...