Episode 94: Preserving History

Call Number Podcast: Preserving History

April 15, 2024

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Indigenous author Traci Sorell, the honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week. Sorell, a former attorney who worked on Native Nations policy, discusses preservation’s part in telling stories. Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kathleen Monahan, special collections public … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Preserving History



Call Number Podcast: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones

April 28, 2021

American Libraries senior editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project and honorary chair of Preservation Week, about the project’s origins, her team’s research, and why community archives are vital to preserving history. If you have feedback for the podcast team, email us or … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones


Dewey Decibel Podcast: Telling Women’s Stories

March 17, 2020

First, American Libraries Editor-at-Large Anne Ford speaks with author and activist Mikki Kendall about her book Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot (Viking, 2020). Next, American Libraries Senior Editor Amy Carlton talks with author and cultural critic Roxane Gay, who will serve as honorary chair of Preservation Week, April 26–May 2, about the importance … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Telling Women’s Stories



Michael W. Twitty

Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty

April 27, 2018

Twitty serves as honorary chair of Preservation Week, held April 22–28, which focuses this year on cooking and community archiving. American Libraries spoke with him about what can be learned about the past through food and about his work with Preservation Week. What drew you to food and its history? Going to living-history sites like Colonial … Continue reading Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty


What Is Access without Equity?

March 1, 2018

For community-based or other participatory archive models, digital technologies offer a way to meaningfully engage with materials. Yet what good is a digital archive if the community does not have internet available? How can an individual fully participate in using or shaping digital heritage resources if they do not have the computer skills, or even … Continue reading What Is Access without Equity?


To Preserve and Protect

March 1, 2018

As we observe Preservation Week (April 22–26), keep in mind that even our youngest students are eager to hear about cultural and historic preservation from the people most invested in it. Our learners realize that everybody has a story and that these stories make a difference. My own preservation journey with 3rd graders at Pilot … Continue reading To Preserve and Protect


American Libraries Dewey Decibel Podcast: Episode One

Experience the Dewey Decibel Podcast

April 25, 2016

You can hear it in Dewey Decibel host and AL associate editor Phil Morehart’s voice—just how darn excited we are to be sharing our conversations with librarians, authors, thinkers, scholars, and others, about topics from the library world and beyond, in this new monthly offering. In the first podcast episode, “Preservation: If You Don’t Have … Continue reading Experience the Dewey Decibel Podcast


To Protect and Preserve

April 22, 2013

The voice on the phone sounded exhausted. “I have lost my life’s work,” the man said. He was an artist who had his paintings stored in a basement somewhere in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was November 2, 2012, four days after Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast, and the call came … Continue reading To Protect and Preserve


Think Digitization During Preservation Week

April 25, 2012

For libraries and archives, digitizing materials has become a key concern, especially as more and more patrons and users go online to research information. But several factors must be considered: Copyright law Librarians interested in beginning a digitization project must first consult copyright laws. If the item is in the public domain, copyright is fairly … Continue reading Think Digitization During Preservation Week