Circulating Ideas - 1 June 2021
Circulation Status
Ten years ago, I started the Circulating Ideas podcast because I was looking to find the best way I could contribute to the library profession's discourse. I liked podcasts, particularly interview podcasts, and thought a show like Fresh Air, but focused on the library profession, would be neat, and since no one else was doing it…
(Read a longer version of this story here).
Now here we are with Episode 200! Everyone who has been on the show has been inspiring to me, and they have been so gracious to lend their time and knowledge, which helped me continue to learn and grow professionally (and some have become friends!).
I have spoken with hundreds of library workers doing the innovative work to keep libraries thriving, in addition to library supporters, people I never would've had the opportunity to speak with otherwise, like thought leaders (David Weinberger, Howard Feingold), writers (Cory Doctorow, Gwenda Bond, Imbolo Mbue, Susan Elia McNeal, Clive Thompson), people in the tech world (Glenn Fleishman, Andy Ihnatko, Merlin Mann), and all the candidates for ALA President 8 of the 10 years the show has been going.
I would also like to thank all the people who have guest-hosted for me over the years when I was getting behind, or just because they enjoyed doing it! A big round of applause for Troy Swanson (award for Most Episodes Guest Hosted), Thomas Maluck, David Lankes, Leah White, Charlie Bennett, Heather Moorefield-Lang, Sarah Clark, Amanda L. Goodman, Michael Schofield, Elizabeth Ferguson Keathley, Jenny Rothschild, Lisa Rabey, Brett Bonfield, Kate Sheehan, Kate Kosturski, and Matthew Murray (and special thanks to Allison Tran for being a podcast partner on our “Librarians Are Rockstars!” series early on).
And, finally, thanks to you, the podcast listeners and the readers of this newsletter, for listening into and reading these things and supporting the show! I hope you all have learned as much as I have over the past decade.
Please let me know if you have suggestions for upcoming guests or for additions or changes to this newsletter. I'd love your feedback! Drop me a line at steve@circideas.com.
Keep circulating your ideas!
Episode 200
200: Tracie D. Hall – Circulating Ideas — circulatingideas.com
I was pleased to welcome American Library Association Executive Director Tracie D. Hall as my guest for the 200th episode of the show. Soon after she was hired in early 2020, I had already added her to my shortlist.
100: Keith Michael Fiels – Circulating Ideas — circulatingideas.com
There was some symmetry that appealed to me; the previous ALA ED Keith Michael Fiels had been my guest for the 100th episode.
Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services | About ALA
Before accepting the Executive Director position, Tracie had previously served as Director of ALA's Office for Diversity. Tracie was an early recipient of the Spectrum Scholarship.
Spectrum Scholarship Program — www.ala.org The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA.
The Joyce Foundation — www.joycefdn.org
Over the years she has worked at the Seattle Public Library, the New Haven Free Public Library, Hartford Public Library, and Queens Library, and at a number of civic and arts organizations, inside and outside of the government, including the Joyce Foundation.
Public Libraries and the Pandemic — www.newamerica.org
Shortly after starting as Executive Director, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and along with the rest of the world, the library world was forced to deal with a chaotic situation and quickly adapt. Tracie spoke as part of a penel to discuss New America’s Public Libraries and the Pandemic: Digital Shifts and Disparities to Overcome report, which explores the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on public libraries and the ways people access information online.
PW Talks with ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall — www.publishersweekly.com
In the podcast, you'll hear me ask about an interview Tracie did where she reacts to the concept of "Big ALA". You can read the entire interview by Sari Feldman here in Publishers Weekly.
Tracie D. Hall Archives | American Libraries Magazine — americanlibrariesmagazine.org
Many of Tracie's recent columns in American Libraries magazine have focused on the relationship between the justice system, incarceration inequities, and information disparity, and how libraries can help disrupt the school-to-incarceration pipeline.
Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem Conference Series | School of the Art Institute of Chicago — www.saic.edu
Tracie participated in a panel of some of Chicago’s art and design leaders to discuss the impact of segregation; bright spots in anti-racist work that can serve as guiding lights; and how we can work together to remove barriers to entry for Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Some Inspirational Figures for Tracie
E. J. Josey - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
Elonnie J. Josey (January 20, 1924 – July 3, 2009) was an African-American activist and librarian and one of the first African American librarian in the Georgia Library Association.
Carla Hayden | Librarian of Congress — www.loc.gov Carla Hayden was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016. Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library, was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama on February 24, 2016, and her nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 13.
Elizabeth Martinez - Wikipedia
Elizabeth Martinez (born April 14, 1943) is a librarian whose career has focused on bringing diversity, multiculturalism and equality to public libraries and information policy. In 1966 she was the first Mexican American librarian to serve in the state of California.
Betty J. Turock - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
Betty J. Turock is an American librarian and educator who served as president of the American Library Association from 1995 to 1996.
Kathleen de la Peña McCook - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
Kathleen de la Peña McCook is a library scholar, librarian, and activist. Much of her work centers around social justice, human rights, First Amendment issues, and the freedom of information.
Vartan Gregorian, Savior of the New York Public Library, Dies at 87 - The New York Times — www.nytimes.com A scholar, a university leader and a believer in libraries, he almost single-handedly rescued a grand but broken one in a time of municipal austerity.
Learn More About Tracie D. Hall
Librarian. Artist. Activist. Executive Director of the American Library Association fighting for social justice, access to information, and universal broadband
Tracie D. Hall is an American librarian, author, curator, and advocate for the arts who has served as the Executive Director of the American Library Association since 2020, succeeding Mary Ghikas. Hall was the first African American woman to lead the association since its founding in 1876.
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