Dewey Decibel Podcast: Halloween Episode

Ghosts, magic, zombies, and more...in the library!

October 27, 2016

Dewey Decibel Podcast Halloween Episode: Night of the Living Dewey Decibel

It’s that time of the year again, when the days grow shorter, a chill creeps into the air, and the supernatural and otherworldly are ubiquitous—even in the library world. Join American Libraries Associate Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart for a very special Halloween edition of the podcast, featuring conversations with:

Greg Hager, director of Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana, which is notorious for being one of the most haunted libraries in the United States. Phil and Greg talk about the library’s history and haunts, and how it uses the internet to help visitors spot its ghosts.
Jake Adler, head librarian at the Conjuring Arts Research Center in New York City, a library and research facility devoted to the magic arts. Phil and Jake discuss the facility’s collection of magic-related books and periodicals, its availability to researchers and the public, and more.
Daniel Kraus, award-winning author of numerous horror and fantasy books, including The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, the latest volume of which was released October 25, and Trollhunters, a book coauthored with filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro that is coming to Netflix as an animated series in December. Phil chats with Daniel about his projects and inspirations, their favorite horror films, and more.

If you have any feedback for the Dewey Decibel team, send us an email at deweydecibel@ala.org. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, or what you’d like to see us cover. Follow us on Twitter and leave us a review on iTunes.

Tagged Under

Bookmobiles from Ohio and Kentucky were available for attendees to tour at the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services Conference, October 19-21, in Covington, Kentucky.

Bookmobiles and Building Community

A report from the 2016 ABOS conference

Big Ideas Come Together

Two futures events have lessons for libraries

Latest Library Links

13h

Amy Bushatz writes: “The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Alaska) School District has agreed to pay $89,000 in legal fees to settle a lawsuit alleging it violated students’ constitutional rights by removing 56 books from library shelves early last year, district officials said November 1. Under the settlement, seven books will remain permanently off district library shelves, officials said. The remaining titles were returned to shelves late this summer at nine high schools, four middle schools, and a correspondence homeschool program. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt.”

Mat-Su Sentinel (Palmer, Alaska), Nov. 1
17h

“Kerri Price is no stranger to ALA. In early September, Price returned to the Association to direct the Office for Accreditation, which promotes and advances education in library and information studies, after five years at the nonprofit Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in Chicago. During her previous tenure at ALA, Price spent 12 years working in the Office for Accreditation and the Governance Office. She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 5
2d

Renaud Foucart writes: “The US Department of Justice may be on the verge of seeking a breakup of Google in a bid to make it less dominant. While this is still a distant prospect, it is being considered in the wake of a series of rulings in the US and the European Union which suggest that regulators are becoming increasingly frustrated by the power of big tech. But what would a breakup of these tech giants achieve for consumers?”

LLRX, Oct. 29
2d

Steven Mintz writes: “For decades, a college or university’s quality was measured by the size of its library collection. The library was the campus’s crown jewel, a towering building at the institution’s center, symbolizing academic prestige. But as collections shift online and physical books move into remote storage, the library’s purpose is now in question. For libraries to maintain their central place within the intellectual life of universities, they must become dynamic, multipurpose hubs that not only provide access to a vast array of digital and physical resources but also actively engage in the broader educational and cultural missions of their institutions.”

Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Gamma, Oct. 28
2d

On November 6, ALA issued a statement following the results of the 2024 US election. The full statement reads as follows: “In response to results of the 2024 US election, ALA vowed to continue its defense of the core values of librarianship in the face of political threats. ‘We know that many of our members are concerned that the election results portend attacks on libraries, library workers, and readers,’ said ALA President Cindy Hohl. ‘Whatever happens, ALA will stand up for all Americans’ freedom to read—and we will need everyone who loves libraries to stand with us.’”

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 6
2d

“Over 1.2 million school-aged children were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2021–2022 school year. Kids who are experiencing homelessness and their caregivers can benefit greatly from the services libraries offer, including computer and printing access, programs and classes, books and other materials, and a place to spend time when their housing situation may not be safe or comfortable. Every school district in the US is required by federal law to have a homeless student liaison, usually called a McKinney-Vento liaison. The good news is that it’s usually pretty easy to find your McKinney-Vento liaison.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 2
3d

“As early as 2003, certain university libraries in the US developed virtual libraries in the online video game Second Life and offered a variety of services, marking the first practical research on metaverse libraries. The metaverse is regaining popularity nearly two decades later, and technological circumstances have improved. Today’s metaverse is a collection of new technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), gaming, networking, etc. VR and AR are two of the most important metaverse enabling technologies, and their use in university libraries is growing.”

College & Research Libraries, Nov.