Send us a text In this episode, we welcome Kendra Morris-Jacobson with the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC), and Lisa MM Butler, a Black, biracial, transracial, domestic adoptee working in libraries in Washington State. Kendra and Lisa discuss the vital role that libraries, books and educational resources play in the lives of children in care and adoptees. From fostering a sense of identity and belonging to providing comfort, escapism, representation and essential learning opportuni...
Feb 28, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Send us a text In this episode, the hosts welcome back Jamia Williams , co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices , which amplifies the voices of Black, indigenous, and people of color who work in archives and libraries. This time around, Williams, a Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Training Office , discusses health literacy, resources and advocacy. In addition, she touches upon the topic of barriers to recruitment, retention a...
Jan 31, 2025•35 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Send us a text In this episode we welcome We Need Diverse Books ( WNDB) board members and authors Caroline Richmond (Executive Director) and Dhonielle Clayton (COO) to discuss why it is more important than ever to ensure diverse books are available and accessible to youth. Since its creation in 2014, WNDB has championed diverse publishing and diverse creators, and has pushed back against the lack of diverse representation in youth literature, publishing and collections. Their advocacy efforts in...
Dec 31, 2024•56 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Send us a text In this episode, Dr. Emily Knox , a professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, explores the intersection of intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and social justice, as well as power, neutrality, and the rise in book challenges and bans in the United States. Hosts : Ericka Brunson-Rochette and Gene Iparraguirre Record Date : October 9, 2024* *Please note episode was recorded prior to the 2024 election Mentioned in this ep...
Nov 27, 2024•35 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Send us a text In this episode*, we have the absolute honor of conversing with Donna Barba Higuera, Middle Grade and Picture Book Author, Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Award Winner and New York Times Best Seller. Donna shares from where and whom she draws her stories, and how she went from an imaginative child to inspiring readers of all ages. In a time where book challenges are on the rise, Donna discusses the importance and power of sharing stories, owning the stories you hear and having acces...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Send us a text In this episode we are joined in conversation by Shannon LaRance (Dine'/Hopi/Assiniboine). Founder of Indigenous Empowerment, Indigenous Empowerment's mission is to ensure culturally sensitive counselors and social service agents are accessible to those in need. Their goal is to train human service organizations across the nation on the complexities, nuances, and beauty of Indigenous people. Social Worker, Counselor, So’oh Story Time. So'oh, meaning "Grandmothe...
Sep 30, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Send us a text In this episode we are joined in conversation by scholar, academic consultant, librarian and educational game designer, Fobzi Ettarh, who notably coined the concept of "vocational awe" in 2018. Ettarh shares how vocational awe operates at both the micro and macro levels, contributing to problematic hiring, onboarding, and retention practices in the library profession, and illustrates how this concept directly ties to workplace inequities and burnout. Additionally, Ettarh...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Send us a text Anne Heidemann & Melissa Isaac from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan join us to share about Maawn Doobiigeng, a new classification system for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Library. In 2019, The Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries were awarded the IMLS National Leadership Grant to facilitate the creation of a new classification system by members of the community. As of April 2024, this new system, titled Maawn Doobiigeng (Gather Together), has been created and is being...
Jul 03, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Send us a text *There were slight technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions* We are excited to welcome Jamillah R. Gabriel, the Critical Pedagogy Research Librarian at Harvard University and co-host of the podcast LibVoices, for a second time. Jamillah provides listeners with a beginner-friendly overview of Critical Pedagogy, how it can be applied to library and information science, and used to promote EDIA within libraries and educational sett...
May 31, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Send us a text In this episode, Immer Honorato, Library Outreach Specialist at the Tualatin Public Library, talks with us about connecting his library with his community in Tualatin, Oregon. As an immigrant of Mexico who grew up in Tualatin, Immer brings an important bilingual and bicultural perspective to bridging the gap between library services and a library’s community. He reminds us that there are steps that all of us can take to improve accessibility, a sense of belonging, and relevancy in...
Apr 30, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us a text Multitalented Aaron Whitefield joins the hosts and shares insight gained from leading successful multicultural academic programs during the decade he spent working as an educator, library professional and youth development specialist in Columbus, Ohio. Aaron’s passion for uplifting youth and creating community is apparent, even while navigating systemic issues like sexism, classism, and racism. Those interested in better understanding the “unique experiences, challenges, and trium...
Mar 29, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us a text 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 intersection of social justice and intellectual freedom (Ra...
Feb 29, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text 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, working closely with Seattle’s Indigenous community and...
Jan 31, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text 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, diverse, and supportive of BIPOC library staff. She brin...
Nov 30, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Send us a text 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 out Oppression in Libraries started, Jamia and Jami...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Send us a text 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 tribal sovereignty, technology, knowledge, and information in Nat...
Aug 31, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Send us a text *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 experiencing Oregon’s carceral system . These three individua...
Jul 31, 2023•41 min
Send us a text 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 cuts to school libraries, these courageous library heroes t...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Send us a text 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 well as provide suggestions on navigating leadership and oppor...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text 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 Director of the American Library Association, about how diversi...
Apr 28, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text 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 research and libraries played important roles in ex...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Send us a text 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, and People of Color). Wikipedia is one of the first...
Feb 28, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Send us a text 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 about the efforts that went into the design and creation of Vol....
Feb 15, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Send us a text 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 about the efforts that went into the design and creation of Vol....
Jan 31, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Send us a text *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 supports EDI Antiracism work in the state and how this organizatio...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Send us a text 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 determination to provide mirrors, inspiration, and access to informatio...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Send us a text 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 become “the friendly place” in his community. The ...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Send us a text 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 discussion was inspired by a presentation led by these thre...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Send us a text In this Dear Abby-style episode, Christina Fuller-Gregory — facilitator of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon EDI Cohort, and principal consultant with Fuller Potential Consulting— offers advice for library workers faced with inequity, microaggressions, and racism in the workplace. The following experiences are true, and they were curated from library workers across Oregon and the U.S. Date of interview: June 15, 2022 Hosts: Brittany Young & Roxanne M. Renteria Questions and inqu...
Aug 31, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Send us a text *There were technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions* In this episode, we talk with Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the American Library Association, about how diversifying library staff is essential to the future of the library profession and how individuals can advocate for themselves and find opportunities to work with mentors or to mentor others. Hall discusses how her own background and experiences have shaped her vie...
Jul 29, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 5
