Book bans and challenges have been on the rise in the past few years. When BPL launched a free eCard to give out-of-state teens access to our eBook collection, including many banned titles, we saw an incredible response. We look at the impact of that initiative, and our own history of censorship over the past 125 years.

Check out our book list and transcript here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/books-unbanned 

Read the transcript and check out our listening list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/library-sounds

In 1996, we were one of the first libraries in the nation to connect our patrons to the internet. Today, we're extending our WiFi reach down the block, loaning hotspots, and archiving hyperlocal websites for the future. 

Read the transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/world-wide-web 

A lot had changed since Melvil Dewey came up with a classification system to organize all known and not-yet-known knowledge into a string of numbers and search terms. And yet, hundreds of thousands of libraries use the same system to this day, often preserving out-dated and offensive terms. In this episode, we take a look at what has changed—and what hasn't—in our library catalog.

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/decolonizing-dewey-02549 

Libraries weren't always located in their own stately buildings. Many of our branches used to operate out of pharmacies, laundry rooms, storefronts, and more! In celebration of our first new branch in nearly forty years—Adams Street Library, located in a former factory in DUMBO—we're bringing you stories of new libraries in old places. 

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/new-libraries-old-places  

In this season of Borrowed, we’ll take a look at what the library was like 125 years ago, the radical ideas that founded public libraries across the country, as well as our missteps along the way. 

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/building-brooklyn-weve 

In the early 1900s, if you walked around Sunset Park, you might have heard Finnish being spoken on the streets. That's because the neighborhood was home to the largest concentration of Finns in New York City, and though most have since gone from Brooklyn, they left behind their co-operative spirit. The Finns built the first non-profit co-operative apartment buildings in the nation, many of which are still standing today.

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/building-brooklyn 

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/building-brooklyn-eighth