Book and Library-related Podcasts
Updated November 1, 2024
Screen fatigue – the exhaustion felt from so much time spent in front of computers and mobile devices – has many people turning to podcasts, allowing them to take a break from screen and to listen instead. In a post to the Library Think Tank group on Facebook, Jed Robbins asked, "What are your favorite library-related podcasts?" There was a great range of suggestions provided in the responses and we have compiled those for easy reference. The list includes podcasts hosted by both individuals and organizations including resources from state libraries who have collected tips and tricks for anyone interested in starting their own podcast! If you have a favorite book or library-related podcast you’d like us to add to this list, let us know via email: [email protected].
Book Club for Masochists “A Readers’ Advisory Podcast about becoming better library staff by reading books we hate!”
Book Riot Podcasts Check out Book Riot’s eight weekly and biweekly podcasts.
The Book Case with longtime ABC News journalist Charlie Gibson and his daughter Kate Gibson, as they journey through the literary world and features interviews with best-selling authors, tastemakers, and independent bookstore owners.
Cyberpunk Librarian “Join Daniel Messer, the Cyberpunk Librarian, as he talks about ideas, trends, and cool stuff for technologically minded librarians who are high tech and low budget!”
Circulating Ideas “Circulating Ideas facilitates conversations with the innovative people and ideas inspiring libraries to grow and thrive in the 21st century.”
D323 Library Podcast “A K-12 Librarian and her Friends chat about books, genres, and all things school library-related! What started as a simple passion podcast project became a larger platform to share knowledge. Come join in on our conversations, laugh and read with us!”
Dewey Decibel Podcast “Dewey Decibel is the popular podcast series from American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association. Each month, your host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart will be your guide to conversations with librarians, authors, thinkers, and scholars about topics from the library world and beyond.”
Drunk Librarians Podcast “The Drunk Librarians are two library gals who love to drink, read, and talk, talk, talk. It seemed like the perfect combination to make a top-notch podcast. In each episode Librarian A and Librarian B (so named to preserve their anonymity and employment) get absolutely trashed and review the books they've been reading. Every episode is a new adventure in drunken rambling and occasionally astute observations, and a lot of laughs. We hope you enjoy the show, but remember...keep it on the DL.”
FYI: The Public Libraries Podcast Hosted by Public Libraries Online, the companion website to the bi-monthly print publication “Public Libraries,” the official magazine of the Public Library Association.
The Kitchen Sisters “The Kitchen Sisters Present… Stories from the b-side of history. Lost recordings, hidden worlds, people possessed by a sound, a vision, a mission. The episodes tell deeply layered stories, lush with interviews, field recordings and music.”
The Librarian's Guide to Teaching Podcast “The Librarian's Guide to Teaching podcast is hosted by two instruction librarians interested in sharing their experiences teaching information literacy, discussing current trends, and having meaningful conversations about librarianship!”
Libraries Lead in the New Normal "A podcast and community hosted by Mike Eisenberg (Dean & Professor Emeritus, Information School, Univ of Washington) & Dave Lankes (Director & Professor, iSchool, Univ of South Carolina)."
Library Leadership Podcast “The Library Leadership Podcast features real library leaders discussing the most important issues in libraries today. We hope it becomes a resource for everyone navigating the fast-paced world of information service provision. Adriane Herrick Juarez is the Executive Director of the Park City Library in Utah. She believes library leadership is an ever-evolving practice that is enhanced through thought-provoking conversations and the sharing of ideas.”
The Library Pros “A Librarian and Information Technology Pro talking libraries, library tech and everything in between!”
Lost in the Stacks “Broadcasting on WREK Atlanta, each show features an hour of music, interviews, and library talk united by a common theme. Ameet and Charlie from the Georgia Tech Library pick a theme and free-associate an hour of music, interviews, and library talk every Friday on WREK Atlanta. You’ll hear indie rock, pop rock, alt rock, New Wave, and the occasional oddity between interviews with students, faculty, and librarians.”
Podcasts for Kids, collected by Princeton Public Library. “Looking for more screen-free options that will engage kids with educational and fun content? Try listening to a podcast! While there are a ton to choose from out there, here are a selection of some kid-friendly choices the whole family will enjoy.”
School Librarians United “With Amy Hermon, School Librarians United, a podcast dedicated to the nuts and bolts of running a successful school library.”
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books “Each Friday, I talk with authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, editors, and librarians, or combinations thereof, and share the fun and mayhem with you. Frequent topics include romance fiction, the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers, along with a hefty side order of silliness. Plus, we always recommend some books we’re reading and really enjoying.”
Surviving the Stacks, "Featuring stories and examples from across the globe, this podcast seeks to increase support to library workers and administrators experiencing challenges, bring awareness of the public to common library concerns, improve understanding about the reasons why libraries are seeing these challenges, and share innovative solutions for libraries to consider using in their own community."
Unbound “The official podcast for Northeast Kansas Library System where we have conversations with our members and peers in librarianship.”
Well-Read “As librarians, books are kind of our thing. Listen in as we talk about what we’re reading, make book recommendations, and all sorts of book-related fun.”
The Worst Bestsellers Podcast “Worst Bestsellers is a podcast where Kait, Renata, and a guest talk about popular books of questionable quality.”
Hosted by Libraries
A Little Too Quiet | The Ferndale Library Podcast. "Libraries aren’t as quiet as they used to be. A podcast for library lovers and the library curious. Book chatter with librarians, community perspectives and author interviews."
All Booked Up, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. "A Buffalo & Erie County library podcast discussing books, movies & pop culture!"
Between the Shelves, Sayville Library. "Join Sayville Library staff as we discuss books, movies, TV, games, pop culture and all things library-related!"
Beyond the Desk, West Allis Public Library. "A West Allis Public Library podcast about books, resources, lifelong learning and what makes this Milwaukee area community great. Join WAPL librarians as they chat with fellow staffers, authors, neighbors and each other about stories that moved them—and that they hope will inspire you."
Book Chatter. "Join your Longmont Public Library librarians for a monthly dive into what Longmont's reading now. The Book Chatter podcast is designed for adults."
Book Talk Bakersfield “Join Kern County Library staff members, Fahra and Jasmin, as well as guests, to talk about what we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to. Get reading recommendations and more! Episodes release weekly on Mondays and can be watched on Facebook, or streamed as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and additional podcast directories.”
The Bookmark, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. “The Bookmark is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.”
CADL Cast "Capital Area District Libraries is excited to produce the CADL CAST Podcast which is hosted by our executive director and members of the collection development team. Content centers around the library and its collection, events, partnerships and services. Guests include authors, community leaders, library professionals and national personalities."
Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange
- Browsing Books “Celebrating libraries and state parks”
- Book Bites “Sometimes you just need a quickie podcast, to hear a short discussion on a book. We are here for you! Check us out each week for a five-minute episode with a quick discussion of a book.”
Checked In: A Davenport Library Podcast. "Each month, Librarians from the Davenport Public Library in Iowa will dive into a variety of topics and connect listeners to the many great resources the Library and City of Davenport have to offer. Listen in for book suggestions, interviews, and more!"
The Desk Set Podcast, King County Library System. "Listen to episodes of The Desk Set, our library podcast. Enjoy author interviews. Get book suggestions. Connect to literary conversations and more."
Free Library Podcast, Free Library of Philadelphia.
How Did You Find It? at the Guilderland Public Library.
I Blame My Shelf, Hillsboro Public Library. "A monthly podcast from the Hillsboro Public Library that aims to give our patrons new ways to interact with their public library, by suggesting materials, services, and resources for them to discover and explore."
In Those Days, Austrailia. Penny and Christina use digitized newspapers to research their guest's family or personal history. The newspapers are hosted in Trove, the National Library of Australia's online research portal.
KPL (Kirkwood Public Library) Podcast “The Kirkwood Public Library Podcast with Ryan Drinkard and Jigisha Patel highlights programs and events that are happening at the library every month from meditation workshop, tech programs, to book clubs.”
The Librarian Is In Podcast, The New York Public Library. “The Librarian Is In is the New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next. Every other week, Rhonda Evans and Frank Collerius discuss the books they're reading, pop culture and the literary zeitgeist, and the world of libraries—and welcome special guests.”
Metro Library Podcast. The Metro Library podcast celebrates Oklahoma arts, Oklahoma culture, Oklahoma history and the lives of influential Oklahomans today
Miner Recs Podcast, Des Plaines Public Library. A roundtable review and discussion of recommended media from the Des Plaines Public Library.
More Than a Place Podcast: Celebrating Immigrant Stories, the Indianapolis Public Library. "Join us for a special podcast series to explore the diverse lived experiences of Indy’s immigrant community. Together, we’ll see how, rather than exchanging an old home for a new one, immigrants create a powerful idea: that home is so much more than a place."
MPL (McAllen Public Library) Kids Podcast “Join Amanda, Miss Heather, and Miss Erin, children's librarians from the McAllen Public Library in McAllen, TX for a podcast promoting early literacy, providing book recommendations, and sharing tips to help reluctant readers.”
Nonfiction Friends, Osceola Library System. “Nonfiction Friends is an educational, library-based podcast that seeks to help the public learn interesting, quirky, and sometimes bizarre facts that can be found in the nonfiction section of their local library.”
Not Your Mother’s Library, Oak Creek Public Library. "Our librarians discuss their latest reads and give their favorite reading, watching, and listening recommendations each month."
Off the Shelf with Delaware Library. "We’re a public library in Central Ohio and we’ll have all the updates about what’s happening around our branches, as well as reader recommendations for all ages, things to “geek,” and much more."
On the Block, Dallas Public Library is "about the stories, opinions, and talents of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Join us as we explore the state of homelessness in Dallas."
Part of the Story, Red Deer Public Library. "Part of the Story highlights Red Deer, libraries, programs, initiatives, books, and pop culture."
Read This Next. "Join Laura and Nicole from the Thunder Bay Public Library for the latest edition of Read This Next! They'll share their top recommendations about different genres, topics, and styles of books." See also Read This Next on YouTube.
Reading the Rainbow, is hosted by the LGBTQ+ library staff of the Dauphin County Library System in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "We work with tens of thousands of books. When we come across good own-voiced queer literature, we want everyone to know about it! And who doesn't love discussing a good book with other book geeks? From scifi and contemporary, to romance and YA, we'll read it all, as long as it's good and gay!"
Schlow Library Podcast "The weekly podcast will feature interviews and news about events, happenings, and services at Schlow Centre Region Library."
Semi Bookish, Adrian District Library “Adrian District Library professionals discussing books, movies, pop culture, and more. Our emphasis will be readers/viewers/services advisory, but this podcast will provide a connection to the inner workings and interests of staff members at ADL. We’re not just about books, we’re Semi Bookish.”
Stack Attack "The PEI Public Library Service's podcast on books, culture and everything related to the world of libraries."
Tech Bytes is a technology podcast, produced by the Digital Services department at Niles-Maine District Library.
Tuned In, San Antonio Public Library. "Join the San Antonio Public Library Tuned In crew as they share and reveal some of the inner workings of the library, highlight the many features and programs on offer, and discuss topics which are important in the library world… like eReaders, public services, books, tacos, and more."
Turning the Page, Syosset Public Library. "The library's weekly podcast featuring conversations with bestselling authors, an Olympic Gold Medalist, a film and voice actor, a speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and more - many of whom are current or former Syosset or Woodbury residents."
Unstacked. "Unstacked is a library podcast presented by Sarah Burris (Northwest Regional Library System- FL) and Stephen Efird (Huntsville Madison County Public Library - AL). Listen to author interviews as they unstack new book releases, their creative writing process, and what they love about libraries!"
Using Our Library Voices "A podcast brought to you by the staff at Harris County Public Library created to help spark discussion for listeners of all ages." Includes special "Gabbing with Librarians" editions.
Watch Out! with Helen Hall Library. "A deep dive into classics, hidden gems, and new favorites - all found in your Library's stacks!"
Your Family, Your Library, Skokie Public Library. "Have a question about your child’s growth? You’re not alone! Each month, librarians Caitlin and Katie will chat about their experiences as parents and share library resources for caregivers looking for support."
Miscellaneous
The Magnus Archives – horror podcast “The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team.”
Feedspot's 50 Best Library Podcasts
Resources on How to Podcast
Maybe you’re ready to host your own podcast! Here are some resources created by state libraries to help you get started.
- Podcasting 101, a two-part webinar series hosted by the Wyoming State Library
- Podcasting Basics, by Amanda Sweet, Nebraska Library Commission