Libraries Lead Podcast

Libraries aspire to be a place where everyone belongs — but what does that commitment look like today when it is being both tested and expanded? In this episode, we explore how libraries are redefining sanctuary: partnering with nonprofits and social service agencies, navigating uncertain immigration policy, and balancing the needs of the most vulnerable with maintaining a welcoming and safe space for families and the broader community.

We consider crime and crime stories through an information lens. From the Serial podcast to seventeen copies of James Patterson on our shelves, we all love a good mystery. But, lying beneath every cold case, wrongful conviction, and uninvestigated crime is an information failure. Buckle up, because we're about to ruin your next true crime binge.

Art by AI? In this episode we look at AI filling our playlists, our literary magazines, and gulp, even our library shelves. Does an embrace of AI alienate institutions like libraries from their communities, or is it an embrace of a new creative medium? How do you draw the line between AI slop and AI assist?

Art by AI? In this episode we look at AI filling our playlists, our literary magazines, and gulp, even our library shelves. Does an embrace of AI alienate institutions like libraries from their communities, or is it an embrace of a new creative medium? How do you draw the line between AI slop and AI assist?

In this episode, we consider the nature, joy and despair and the challenges and opportunities that we deal with every day in the digital age. Are we in control? Are we merely pawns in their game?

Crossover episode for 2 podcasts—Libraries Lead and Infoversity –explores 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 and rapidly changing world.

The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (May 2025) that library collection decisions are not protected by the First Amendment, they are “government speech” and therefore under the control of public officials. This is a very serious ruling that, if it stands, would have far-reaching effects. In this episode, we dive deep into the issues and implications for all types of libraries, education institutions, and communities.

Saskia Scheltjens talks about how AI is another tool to manage information, and how a dedication to open access might need to be rethought in an era of generative AI.

In this live podcast episode at the Library Journal 2025 Directors’ Summit we focus on the relationship between libraries and the communities they serve, especially during troubling times. Beth leads the discussion with specifics related to her work on the critical role public libraries play as trusted information infrastructures during disasters and emergencies.