Call Number Podcast: Food, Glorious Food

Conversations about food, family, and libraries

November 23, 2021

As November draws to a close, thoughts naturally turn toward food. It brings people together, bridges cultures and divides, and can be used as a teaching tool, providing insights into everything from history and politics to mathematics and problem-solving.

On Episode 68, Call Number with American Libraries looks at the wonderful world of food. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with model, author, and Top Chef host and producer Padma Lakshmi about the intersection of cooking and family and the value of creating space for everyone’s food story. Next, American Libraries Editor and Publisher Sanhita SinhaRoy speaks with Hannah Appleby-Wineberg, library intern at America’s Test Kitchen, about working on the popular television show and how its library is used to develop recipes. Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price talks with author Mayukh Sen about his book Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America.

Call Number with American Libraries Podcast · Episode 68: Food, Glorious Food

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Tagged Under

Newsmaker: Padma Lakshmi

TV personality reveals her two greatest loves in life

By the Numbers: Food

Stats celebrating the culinary cornucopia found in books, libraries, and collections

Latest Library Links

4h

Shannon Young writes: “In June, Prince George’s County (Md.) Memorial Library System embarked on a partnership with Maryland Public Television (MPT) to develop programs that empower families and caregivers to cultivate healthy media habits. MPT’s Early Learning Media Ambassador initiative is tailored for early childhood educators interested in helping families and caregivers learn how to use media effectively. The material provided by MPT includes Media STEPs, which outline strategies like selecting appropriate content, talking about what children are seeing, exploring new things that they learned, and playing in both virtual and physical environments.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 9
7h

Alejandro Marquez and Brady Niemitalo Woods write: “While loneliness is a common experience, it is not evenly distributed. Some are more likely to experience loneliness. Factors include low income, parenthood, singleness, and age. LGBTQ people, minorities, and women are more likely to experience loneliness than the average. Libraries have long served as community spaces where people can connect, learn, and engage with others. Yet in a digital age, the sense of isolation among library users has become a growing concern. In this blog post, we explore the issue of loneliness in libraries and discuss strategies for librarians to address it.”

ACRLog, Nov. 11
24h

ALA announced on November 11 the candidates running for ALA president for the 2026–2027 term, and the candidates running for ALA treasurer for 2025–2028. Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans; Andrea Jamison, assistant professor of school librarianship at Illinois State University in Normal; and Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library are candidates for the 2026–2027 presidency of the ALA. Larry Neal, library director of Clinton-Macomb Public Library (CMPL) in Michigan, and Joel Thornton, associate dean of collections and scholarly communication for University of Utah in Salt Lake City, are candidates for ALA treasurer for 2025–2028. ALA also announced 21 councilor-at-large candidates. Members interested in running by petition for ALA leadership positions may do so by completing a candidate biographical information form and a petition form with the signatures of no fewer than 200 ALA current personal members (25 members for Council positions) by December 13.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 11
1d

Emily Weak writes: “Something I always hear from hiring managers is that they want to build a resilient, diverse workforce. Sometimes we say we want a resilient workforce, but what we mean is that we want staffers who are willing to go above and beyond, or to do more with less. These concepts are deeply entrenched in librarianship, but I think we’re beginning to see how they can cause problems. Instead of trying to hire people who will do more with less and who will thrive amid adversity, let’s think about resilience as an organizational feature.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Alison Marcotte writes: “In 2023, ALA’s Public Programs Office launched the largest grant initiative in the Association’s history—the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grants. During the first round of funding, 240 small and rural libraries, located within towns with populations of under 25,000 people, received awards of $10,000 or $20,000 to improve the accessibility of their facilities, services, and programs. American Libraries spoke with five libraries that participated in the program’s inaugural year about their projects’ impact on those they serve.” Applications for the third round of LTC funding will be accepted through December 11.

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
4d

“There is some research that indicates winter is the most stressful season of the year: Our environment gets colder and darker, and winter holidays can be major stressors due to finances, family, and more. To usher in fall’s transition into winter, our November booklist has fiction and nonfiction titles all about kindness. That means a lot of things, such as: practicing kindness towards ourselves to promote self-care and wellbeing, practicing kindness towards others to strengthen empathy towards others, and practicing kindness toward our environment to better sustain our world.”

Denver Public Library, Nov.
4d

Skylar Laird writes: “Seven books must be removed from the library shelves and classrooms of South Carolina’s public schools, while three classics can stay, the state Board of Education decided Nov. 5. The decision was the first time the board considered whether to remove or keep books under a new regulation banning books that contain ‘sexual conduct.’ Instead of waiting for parents to challenge the books locally and appeal districts’ decisions, committee members asked department staff to review books that had already faced local opposition or came up during public hearings for the regulation.”

South Carolina Daily Gazette, Nov. 5; The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), June 25