Call Number with American Libraries Podcast
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.
Episodes
April 15, 2024 • 38 mins
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 Preservat...
Mark as Played
March 11, 2024 • 23 mins
From chatbots to image generators to robot companions, artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic across many industries right now. In Episode 93, Call Number explores how AI is emerging in libraries.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Cheryl Eberly and Larry Singer, both from Santa Ana Public Library in California. They discuss the library’s AStounD initiative, which provides neurodivergent yout...
Mark as Played
February 12, 2024 • 33 mins
Still reeling from Super Bowl excitement? In Episode 92, Call Number features conversations with librarian athletes who represent three sports: wheelchair racing, pickleball, and powerlifting.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Paralympian and librarian Amanda McGrory. McGrory, a seven-time medalist, has competed in wheelchair racing in four Paralympic games. Now retired from racing, she oversees ...
Mark as Played
January 16, 2024 • 30 mins
In Episode 91, Call Number explores Baltimore, where ALA will hold its 2024 LibLearnX conference, January 19–22.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with David Thomas and Tonya Thomas, both chefs and food historians. The husband-and-wife duo is behind Baltimore’s H3irloom Food Group, a culinary organization with a mission of uplifting the Black food narrative through catering and...
Mark as Played
December 11, 2023 • 18 mins
As we say farewell to 2023, we look back at another year of unprecedented book challenges, efforts to defund libraries, and other threats to the profession. But one silver lining has been the authors who have voiced their support for librarians, books, and democracy.
In Episode 90, Call Number presents its “2023 Author Chats.” Hear never-before-released clips from conversations with Idina Menzel and Cara Mentzel, James Patterson, ...
Mark as Played
November 13, 2023 • 31 mins
Libraries can be a lifeline for incarcerated or detained individuals and their families. In Episode 89, Call Number discusses creative programs in prison libraries.
First, poets and prison reform activists Reginald Dwayne Betts and Randall Horton talked with former ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall back in an interview conducted last July. Betts and Horton, who were formerly incarcerated, now spearhead respective literary prog...
Mark as Played
October 16, 2023 • 30 mins
Grab your spell books, get those cauldrons bubbling, and ready your broomsticks. In Episode 88, Call Number delves into the world of witchcraft.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Dan Lipcan, of Phillips Library at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. The two discuss the library’s vast collection of materials related to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and debunk common myths and misconception...
Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 • 38 mins
The recent wave of book bans and other censorship attempts have threatened democracy, restricting access and the rights of many readers.
In Episode 87, Call Number looks at how libraries and library workers are on the front lines defending intellectual freedom.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Peter Coyl, immediate past president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF)...
Mark as Played
August 14, 2023 • 33 mins
It’s that time of the year again: School is back in session, including for students working toward their master’s degrees in library and information science.
In Episode 86, Call Number looks at what’s new in library school.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial explores iBlackCaucus, a student organization formed by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA).
She chats ...
Mark as Played
July 17, 2023 • 29 mins
Episode 85 of Call Number dives into the colorful world of comics, graphic novels, and manga.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Jenny Robb, head curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at Ohio State University in Columbus, which houses the world’s largest collection of print cartoon art.
Then, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial hits the halls...
Mark as Played
June 12, 2023 • 34 mins
The American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition will take place in its hometown: Chicago!
In Episode 84 of Call Number, find out where to go, what to see, and what to eat during your visit to the Second City.
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Steve Dolinsky, author of The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide: A History of Squares and Slices in the Windy Ci...
Mark as Played
May 15, 2023 • 28 mins
Small businesses are a big part of every community, and libraries offer a wealth of resources to support them. From research assistance to specialized programs and grants, libraries help entrepreneurs of all kinds flourish.
In Episode 83, Call Number highlights how libraries and librarians are supporting small business owners—particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
First, American Libraries Associate E...
Mark as Played
April 21, 2023 • 19 mins
Providing programs and services that are both enriching and entertaining is a major goal of most librarians. In this bonus episode, sponsored by Kanopy, Call Number looks at how one librarian is using the video streaming service’s platform to bring movies, television shows, and instructional programs to patrons at home while staying within her library’s budget.
American Libraries associate editor and Call Number host Diana Panunci...
Mark as Played
April 17, 2023 • 32 mins
When we discuss access to information, that includes information about our bodies and our health. Libraries have long been a lifeline to patrons looking to connect with health care resources, dispel misinformation, and find answers discreetly—even when our institutions are under attack.
In Episode 82, Call Number explores sexual and reproductive health information at the library.
First, ALA Editions Senior Editor Jamie Santoro ch...
Mark as Played
March 13, 2023 • 34 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played
February 13, 2023 • 28 mins
Love is always in season at the library. Whether helping readers find their next fictional crush or offering couples space on their wedding day, the library is a perfect place to pair up.
In Episode 80, Call Number is head-over-heels for romance.
First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Jill Maneikis, deputy director of special events at Boston Public Library, where more than 100 couples have rented t...
Mark as Played
January 17, 2023 • 35 mins
New Orleans is famous for many things—its sights, bites, sounds, and culture. And this January, it’s where the American Library Association’s LibLearnX conference will make an in-person debut with a vibrant array of speakers, educational sessions, and more. So, let the good times roll—or, as the locals say, Laissez les bons temps rouler!
In episode 79, Call Number highlights two beloved aspects of New Orleans: its music and its fo...
Mark as Played
December 12, 2022 • 24 mins
And just like that, 2022 is coming to an end. It’s been a tumultuous time for the profession: We’re on course for another record-breaking year of book challenges, politically driven groups are working to pass laws that censor materials and measures that defund libraries, and library workers continue to experience burnout. But one source of hope and inspiration has been the authors who have stepped up to advocate for—and sing the pr...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2022 • 35 mins
In Episode 77 of Call Number, we explore the work of medical librarians by highlighting two initiatives presented at the 2022 Medical Library Association Annual Conference.
First, American Libraries associate editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Jennifer Davis, Gail Kouame, and Lachelle Smith. The three collaborated on virtual reality programs that teach health science concepts in a new and engaging way at the G...
Mark as Played
October 17, 2022 • 34 mins
Halloween is nearly here. And leading up to the holiday, many of us do all sorts of things to put ourselves in a spooky mood—take haunted hayrides, watch horror movies, carve pumpkins. Sometimes we dust off that shelf of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, and Anne Rice books, and sink our teeth into a terrifying story that keeps us up at night.
In Episode 76 of Call Number with American Libraries, we examine what it is about the horro...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.