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This is the second episode of the podcast in April, because... well, we just couldn’t stop ourselves! Spring is here and it’s time for many of us to start working on our gardens, if we haven’t already. To give us all some tips and ideas, Ryan talked to two Master Gardeners who are also Master Composters, Diane Dynia and Wes Meeker. In addition, Matt spoke with Theresa McCabe, President of the Spring Glen Gardening Club and Lyn Baumgartner, the Beautification Coordinator for the Town of Hamden. Whether you’re a new gardener or someone with more experience, we hope this episode inspires you and makes you curious to try some new things in your vegetable or flower garden, both this season and beyond.

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This month we are celebrating National Poetry Month. In addition to our staff reading some of their favorite poems and our interview with Franz Douskey, the Hamden poet laureate, one of our patrons was kind enough to call in and read two of her original poems. 

 We also have a fun little quiz segment entitled “Taylor or Edgar” in which Kacie read me a series of short excerpts and I had to guess whether it was written by Taylor Swift or Edgar Allan Poe.  

This has been a real labor of love for me and has turned out to be, I think, possibly my favorite episode that we’ve ever done. Of course, I was an English major so I’m a little biased, but I hope you enjoy it as well! - Mike

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This episode is centered on winter. Our roving correspondent, Matt, asked our staff to tell us their favorite things about the season. Then Dave reads a poem by Robert Frost. And finally we wrap things up by talking about our favorite books, movies and anything else from 2024. Matt also discusses seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition that can affect many people at this time of year.

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Four librarians, one table, lots of horror books (and movies)! Find out what Ryan, Jenny, Matt, and Mike think will scare your socks off this Halloween season.

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Banned Books Week was established by the American Library Association in 1982 to reaffirm the freedom to read and to highlight the harms of censorship, and is usually held in the last week of September. 

On this episode, Ryan talks to Sam Lee, co-chair of the Connecticut Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, about censorship, the First Amendment and the history and current state of book challenges. 

After that, Hamden Library Board of Trustees member Amber Woodward and I discuss her background, balancing community benefit with individual rights and her role in helping the library ensure all users benefit from the ALA's Bill of Rights, among other topics. 

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This month our roving reporters Kacie and Matt asked staff and younger patrons "What have you been reading this summer and how did you feel about it?" You will hear their honest answers in this episode. Enjoy... and let us know what you've been reading!

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What books would you want with you on a desert island? What book do you think deserves to be thrown into the fires of Mt. Doom? What movies are better than the books they're based on? The podcast team tackles these tricky questions and lots more in this month's episode.

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It's June and we are all about summer reading! Starting June 17, patrons of all ages can participate in our summer reading programs. Learn all about them in this episode featuring comprehensive interviews with our staff!

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Ryan talks to Luis Arata and Mick Martucci of the Sleeping Giant Park Association as well as Hamden Arts & Recreation Administrative Assistant Abdul Bunyaminu. The history of the Giant as well as upcoming festivities are discussed.

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Awareness month or acceptance month? Either way, April is all about autism. In this episode, staff member Rebecca Coates takes the mic to spotlight books and podcasts about autism's history and social experience, with an emphasis on autistic self-advocates. 

Later, she talks to Jennifer Cretella, Kaitlyn Fenner, and Marilena Mademtzi, three representatives from Clifford Beers Community Care Center, about Clifford Beers' services for families with autistic kids, Autism Services & Resources Connecticut (ASRC), and the annual Walk for Autism and Resource Fair.

We hope you enjoy!  

Further Reading

• Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity - Steve Silberman 
• Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - Devon Price 
• Spectrum | The Transmitter 

• Connecticut State Department of Social Services - Autism 
• Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (USA) | Direct link to Resources Page 

• The ARC 
• Autism Self Advocacy Network 
• Autistic Women’s & Nonbinary Network 
• The Color of Autism Foundation 

• The Reason I Jump and Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 –Naoki Higashida 
• Thinking In Pictures – Temple Grandin 
• Look Me In The Eye - John Elder Robison 
• Autism In Heels – Jennifer Cook 
• Sincerely, Your Autistic Child - Various authors
• Neuroclastic 
• The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism 

See our blog page for April 2024's episode for links to other podcasts and links to authors mentioned in the podcast

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This episode features interviews with Geena Clonan, founding president of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, and Colette Anderson, executive director of the Connecticut Women’s Consortium, which provides gender-informed and trauma-responsive training to behavior health professionals. In March we celebrate the women who have helped build a fairer, more just society. After you listen to this episode, we encourage you to read the Proclamation on Women's History Month, 2024 put out by the White House on whitehouse.gov and spend time on the website womenshistorymonth.gov which is hosted by the Library of Congress and their partners.

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In honor of Black History Month, Teen Librarian Jenny Nicolelli interviewed two of her former colleagues from the New Haven Free Public Library to talk about their careers as librarians. First you'll hear Jenny talk with Marian Huggins, branch manager of the Mitchell Library. Then you will hear her interview with Diane X. Brown, branch manager of Stetson Library. These are great talks – especially if you have ever considered entering the field of librarianship and want to get a sense of what it’s really like.

Additional resources:

Recommended Reading Lists (Inspired by Marian Huggins & Diane X. Brown)
All CT Reads

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This month we are focusing on health literacy, or the ability to find, access, understand and use health-related information. First up, Ryan talks to Kate Nyhan, the founder of Community Access to Ventilation Information, about her mission to make air quality monitors available to the public through libraries. Then Ariana interviews Yale medical librarians and Hamden residents, Kayla del Biondo and Alexandria Brackett, on the importance of health literacy, how it informs their work and what we can do to make sure the health and medical information we are getting is accurate.

Additional resources:

• CAVI website
• CRAAP Test
• NewsGuard
• MedlinePlus
• MedlinePlus Magazine
• Network of the National Library of Medicine
• PubMed Central
• clinicaltrials.gov
• The Model Health Show
• The Huberman Lab Podcast
• @thatgaydoctor (Instagram)

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To celebrate the end of the year, we asked our staff to talk about something they loved in 2023: a book, an album, an event - anything that stood out as superlative. Here are their picks. 

What did you like best in 2023? Email us at hamdenlibrarypodcast@gmail.com and we'll read the best submissions in a future episode!

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This month we are recognizing Native American Heritage month with two interviews. Ryan spoke to David Eichelberg, a member of the Mohegan tribe who specializes in outreach and is also doing a special program with the library later this month (check our website for more details). Ariana talked with Matthew Makomenaw, enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Assistant Dean of Yale College and Director of Yale’s Native American Cultural Center.

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Have you ever wondered about the history of Hamden? I interviewed town historian Dave Johnson about town origins, trolleys, the Leatherman's cave, and more. Also in this episode, hear from a 102-year-old woman who grew up in Hamden, rode the trolleys, and went into the Nurse Corps during World War II. Plus, Ryan and I talk books and a new kind of library program!

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In this special bonus episode, Ariana talks to Kayla Del Biondo about mindful journaling. Look for Kayla's 3-part program series this summer at the Library!

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It's a very busy month in Hamden and at the library. In this episode, we talk to Jacky Forcucci, a co-founder of Hamden Pride Fest (which takes place on June 10th) and Emida Roller, the artist who created the MLK39 mural that will be unveiled before the  Hamden Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom on the 17th. Our head of technical services Jessica returns to tell us all about our new Library of Things. And Michael Wheatley spirits us away in an overview of the animated film creations of director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

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This month on the podcast, we talk with Connecticut-based artist Adam Wallenta and his son Makana about creating their graphic novel "Punk Taco." We've also got a roundtable discussion with three musicians on the library staff about how they think about their own creative practices and an interview with the heads of Hamden's Arts Commission and the Department of Arts, Culture, Recreation and Wellness. And lest we forget, in May we celebrate another kind of creativity - motherhood! Mike Wheatley talks about his favorite cinema moms.

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On our special Earth Day mini-episode, Ryan talks with Lynn Stoddard, the founder and executive director of Sustainable CT about helping the towns of Connecticut become cleaner, greener and more equitable for everyone.

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Earth Day is on April 22nd so this month we're talking about sustainability, reducing waste and recycling. Guest interviews include Joe DiRisi, Hamden's recycling coordinator; Rebekah Smith-Aldrich, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System; and Lorrice Grant of Haven's Harvest. We also have updates from the Seed Library and more!

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Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a public library? 

On this episode, the first of an occasional series, we'll take a peek at some things that the technical services department does, including everything that needs to happen to get books and other items on our shelves.

We also talk to reference librarian David Scanlon about digital preservation, an important topic in our field that has assumed enormous relevance now that so much of our lives are online.

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For this episode, we wanted to explore how Black history is being taught in Connecticut and in the Hamden and New Haven area. A new state law made Connecticut the first in the nation to compel all its secondary schools to offer elective courses in African-American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies.

Ryan Keeler talked to Paquita Jarman-Smith of SERC, the State Education Resource Center, who helped create the curriculum being used in these courses.

Ariana Davis spoke with Jennifer Vienneau, Director of Social Studies for Hamden public schools, along with history teacher Greg Trifone and his student Ashlynn, who gave us their perspectives on how this curriculum is being used in Hamden schools.

Finally, Mike Wheatley talked with Joy Burns, a researcher for the Witness Stones Project, an educational initiative that helps “restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved who helped build our communities.”

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What is library advocacy and why is it necessary? What makes libraries important beyond being a place to borrow books and engage in quiet study? In this episode, we interview Maureen Sullivan, former ALA President and current interim Director of New Haven Free Public Library, about being a champion for the library, why we need the library and other "palaces for the people," how the role of the public library has shifted, and more.

Also in this episode, the first in a new "behind the scenes" segment interviewing staff members about their work in the library. This month we speak with Sandy Bartell, branch manager of Brundage Community Branch library, as well as Danielle Helenski, library media specialist at Shepherd Glen Elementary School. And Mike Wheatley reviews the librarian as portrayed in cinema.

Links:
Palaces for the People
Aspen Institute Report
Shepherd Glen Library Media Center
Brundage Community Branch Library
Louise A. Brundage Obituary