Battle of the Classics

FromBorrowed

Start listening View podcast show

Battle of the Classics

FromBorrowed

ratings:

Length:

21 minutes

Released:

Nov 9, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Released:

Nov 9, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (90)

Brooklyn has so many stories to tell, and a lot of them start at the library. Every other week, “Borrowed” brings you stories that start here and take you somewhere new. We're talking to people starting businesses, finding their roots, playing Dungeons & Dragons, creating community—and of course, borrowing books! Brought to you by Brooklyn Public Library.

Skip carousel

A Writer Grows in Brooklyn: This borough has always been full of bards. by Borrowed
32 min listen
Teens Take Over: Fortnite and D&D? The library according to teens. by Borrowed
22 min listen
Books Are Not Dead: Books are alive and well... and circulating. by Borrowed
22 min listen
Librarians, Live!: We’re getting in your ears to tell you about our first ever live recording of Borrowed! It’s free, at 5pm on Sunday, January 26 at Union Hall, as a part of Brooklyn Podcast Festival (event details here: ). And, we’re collaborating... by Borrowed
2 min listen
Plunging into the New Year: To ring in the new year, take a dive into the stories of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. We hear from voices from across New York City—a cop speaking openly about his wife's drug addiction, recent Russian immigrants looking for tradition, and a... by Borrowed
11 min listen
Weathering the Storm: From Sandy in Brooklyn to Maria in Puerto Rico, a look at how libraries can respond to storms. by Borrowed
22 min listen
Oil Spills and Moldy Paper: How are libraries archiving the past while also documenting the present? by Borrowed
25 min listen
Get Counted: The census doesn’t just distribute representatives in congress and billions of dollars in federal funds—it determines city bus routes, how many garbage cans are on your block, and whether a grocery store opens in your neighborhood.... by Borrowed
33 min listen
Something to Offend Everyone: What does it mean to challenge censorship at the library? by Borrowed
22 min listen
Blocks and Brownstones: Perhaps Brooklyn’s most iconic neighborhood is Bedford-Stuyvesant. The tree-lined streets and grand brownstones have been here for over 150 years, while the Brooklynites who call those brownstones home are constantly changing. In this episode, we... by Borrowed
26 min listen
Three Brooklyn Stories: Listen to three Brooklynites talk about their personal connections to places across the borough. We’ll hear from a Walt Whitman scholar at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, an LGBTQ activist in Brighton Beach, and one of Biggie’s biggest fans on a... by Borrowed
11 min listen
Throwing It Out: We're talking trash at the library today. Specifically, the story of a 3,000-ton garbage barge that made a scene in Brooklyn in the 1980s… and, we ask what happens to library books when they get too old. Finally, we take a trip to East Harlem, where... by Borrowed
21 min listen
Across the Reference Desk: Even librarians know: most of the time, you can Google it. by Borrowed
20 min listen
Introducing 'Borrowed': Stories that start at the library. by Borrowed
2 min listen
Stories from the Pandemic: In an unprecedented time of stress and resilience, many Brooklynites are at the front lines of responding to the coronavirus crisis, and many more are encountering a new normal, as we adjust to changing work, education, housing, and even access to... by Borrowed
29 min listen
Borrowed, Live!: For our first ever live show, we went back to the basics and talked about books! Listen to our librarians as they match audience members to books on the spot, reveal what, in fact, is the real number-one-checked-out-book in Brooklyn and recommend... by Borrowed
44 min listen
Social Distancing? We're Here For You!: Working from home? Kids at home? The library is here for you! We’ve got virtual resources galore to help you keep a healthy social distance during the coronavirus outbreak. Check out eBooks & Audiobooks: Attend virtual... by Borrowed
22 min listen
Work in Progress: For 29 years, Brooklyn’s Central Library was a work in progress. Now, BPL’s largest branch offers dozens of ways to help you find work. by Borrowed
23 min listen
Rebroadcast: Free Brooklyn: In honor of Juneteenth 2020, the anniversary of the day in 1865 when the news was finally delivered to Galveston, Texas that slavery in the United States had been abolished, we are returning to an episode from earlier in our season. "Free Brooklyn"... by Borrowed
27 min listen
Free Brooklyn: Four hundred years later, this country has yet to reckon with the legacy of slavery. And that is no less true for Brooklyn. This episode, we’re taking a cue from The 1619 Project and telling important stories about the struggle for freedom, from a... by Borrowed
28 min listen
Hear Me Out: Part One: Hear me out: a Bed-Stuy kid grapples with her Brooklyn identity, a Chassidic woman follows her faith to from South Africa to Crown Heights, musicians find belonging in the South Indian music diaspora, a Brooklynite memorializes early activism in the... by Borrowed
29 min listen
Getting Home: It’s not an uncommon experience to be unstably housed in this country. From Brooklyn to San Francisco, communities often turn to public libraries for valuable information, social services and for a safe and comfortable place to be. This episode, we... by Borrowed
25 min listen
New Yorkers: Rank Your Vote!: It’s the start of summer, which means block parties, beach trips, and also, big primary elections here in New York City. This will be the city's first election cycle where voters will get to cast their votes for up to five candidates for each... by Borrowed
14 min listen
Stroller Parking: If you’re a kid or if you take care of a kid, chances are you use the library a lot. Listen in on some creative ways that libraries are engaging with children and their caregivers, from writing workshops just for caregivers to classes that help... by Borrowed
22 min listen
Reopening, Reimagining: You can physically borrow books again, Brooklyn! This episode, we ask how the pandemic can help us re-imagine what we use libraries for. Plus, we talk to LA County Library about how extreme weather is impacting their reopening, and dig... by Borrowed
26 min listen
Education For All: Ingrid Douglas never finished high school as a teenager. When she started looking for a better job at age sixty, she found not having a degree was a huge barrier. So, Ingrid came to the library to get her diploma. In this episode, we talk to... by Borrowed
29 min listen
New Americans: Stories of immigration at the library. by Borrowed
21 min listen
Your Friendly Neighborhood Fridge: Since our libraries were closed for the last four months, we were on the lookout for organizations that were acting in the spirit of public libraries. We found one! Listen to an audio portrait of the food justice movement happening on street corners... by Borrowed
13 min listen
Check This Out: Borrowed is back for season two! by Borrowed
7 min listen
Carnegie's Legacy: Andrew Carnegie has a classic rags-to-riches story: an immigrant turned steel magnate who financed the construction of over 2,500 public library buildings worldwide, including 21 in Brooklyn. But, his business and labor policies often hurt the very... by Borrowed
31 min listen

More Episodes from Borrowed

Skip carousel

When the Library's a Stage by Borrowed
17 min listen
Rebroadcast: Secret Lives of Librarians by Borrowed
17 min listen
Bridging the Gap by Borrowed
12 min listen
Browse the Branches by Borrowed
14 min listen
The Challenge: Student activists in York, Pennsylvania organized a silent protest when hundreds of books were banned from their classrooms, paving the way for lasting change in their community. In this final episode of the series, we tackle the challenge head-on:... by Borrowed
30 min listen
On the Frontlines: Library workers often risk their livlihoods when they speak out against censorship, spurring community members to pick up the fight for intellectual freedom. We tell the story of how one Louisiana parish came together to defend... by Borrowed
26 min listen
An Interview with Maia Kobabe: Maia Kobabe's debut memoir, Gender Queer, was the most frequently banned book in 2021 and 2022. We talked with em about what it's like to be on the recieving end of so many challenges, and the importance of public libraries. More resources: ... by Borrowed
19 min listen
Beloved Blues: Despite being one of the most frequently banned authors, Toni Morrison’s work has inspired countless others to tell stories outside the mainstream. We take a closer look at Morisson's writing, her legacy, and her impact on the anti-censorship... by Borrowed
24 min listen
An Interview with George M. Johnson: George M. Johnson talks about their debut Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren't Blue, the support of their family, their love of Toni Morrison, and the importance of standing against book bans. Read the . Resources: Check... by Borrowed
17 min listen
An Interview with Mike Curato: Mike Curato talks about his award-winning graphic novel Flamer, his writing practice, and how it feels to have his story vaulted into national headlines as parents, politicians, and school boards campaign to remove his book from school and... by Borrowed
18 min listen
Of Parents and School Boards: Over the past few years, school board races have become more heated and more political — and books have become the center of that political storm. We look at what happened in Keller, Texas when an ultra-conservative... by Borrowed
28 min listen
This Day in Esoteric Political History: United States vs One Book Called Ulysses (1933): It’s an off-week for Borrowed and Banned, but we do have something special to share. We’re doing a collaboration with PRX’s , and they sent along an episode from one of their shows that is really relevant to our series. is a... by Borrowed
21 min listen
Seen and Obscene: The birth of obscenity laws in the 1870s provides a cautionary tale for the present moment, when far-right conservatives incorrectly label books “sexually explicit” as a way to provoke outrage in communities nationwide. This episode, we delve into... by Borrowed
27 min listen
All for a Library Card: When a high school teacher in Norman, Oklahoma shared a QR code with her students that would grant them access to BPL’s digital collection, she took a stand against a restrictive state law. That act of resistance made her first day of school ...... by Borrowed
28 min listen
Introducing: Borrowed and Banned: Last year, over 2,500 unique titles were challenged in libraries across the country. That’s the highest number in over 20 years. On Borrowed and Banned, we tell the story of America’s ideological war with its bookshelves by talking with... by Borrowed
4 min listen
An Episode from Grown: Culture and Identity: We’re doing something a little bit different today and sharing an episode from a totally different podcast we love … it’s called Grown, and it’s from the Moth. Grown is all about the experience of growing up. There's... by Borrowed
30 min listen
Jay-Z at the Library: Over 14,000 patrons have signed up for their first library card since Jay-Z's exhibit came to Central Library in mid-July. We talk to Brooklynites traveling around the borough to collect all 13 Jay-Z library cards, and ask what The Book of HOV means... by Borrowed
8 min listen
Pathways to Leadership: Kesha Powell and Amen Emile have been working at BPL for over 20 years in various roles, from public safety to circulation manager. Thanks to BPL's Pathways to Leadership program—a scholarship and mentorship initiative designed to diversify the... by Borrowed
14 min listen
Meet Our (Almost) Six-Year-Old Librarian: If you ask Hannah Jean what would be her greatest wish, she will say running Brooklyn Public Library. Last month, she got to do just that. Read the transcript and check out our book list: by Borrowed
9 min listen
The Teens are Offline: Meet the Luddite Club, a group of library-loving, flip-phone-toting teenagers in Brooklyn who come together every week out of a shared sense that social media and smart phones just aren't working for them. Read the transcript and check out... by Borrowed
14 min listen
Buscando Asilo: Este episodio es sobre los solicitantes de asilo en la ciudad de Nueva York. Estamos compartiendo estas narrativas personales con la esperanza de que escucharlas devuelva la humanidad a esta crisis. Para leer el episodio en inglés y más... by Borrowed
25 min listen
Seeking Asylum: Asylum seekers continue to arrive in New York City. We look at how one faith-based organization is responding to the continuing crisis in the hope that these personal narratives offer a window into the experience of migrants in... by Borrowed
24 min listen
A Place of Refuge: Last year, New York City began to see an increase in the number of migrants seeking asylum. BPL is a small part of the city-wide response help those seeking refuge here. In this first part of our two-part episode on asylum seekers, we'll cover a few... by Borrowed
17 min listen
What's Your Library Worth?: Did you know there are some public libraries that loan out snowshoes? And cement mixers? And Santa suits? This episode, we try to calculate what your public library is worth, and ask how you can give back to support public libraries. Read the... by Borrowed
10 min listen
Go, Robots, Go!: With tablets, Legos, and coding, these fourteen teams from library branches across Brooklyn met at Central Library to compete in the final championship of Brooklyn Robotics League — resulting in what is surely one of our loudest stories... by Borrowed
9 min listen
Happily Ever After: We love love at the library, so for Valentine's Day this year, we're devoting the episode Romance Novels! We'll learn how Romance covers hint at what's between them, and chat with writer Nichole Perkins about how the genre is diversifying.... by Borrowed
15 min listen
La Hora Mágica: La Hora Mágica has been the heart of Sunset Park’s storytime programming for a decade now, highlighting songs and stories in Spanish and English for speakers of all different languages. Read the transcript here: by Borrowed
11 min listen
Dyker Singers, Dyker Lights: Dyker Heights, Brooklyn is a destination this time of year, with houses decked out in lights drawing visitors from all around the world. And inside Dyker Library, a strong community gathers to sing, play mahjong, do yoga, and so much more. You... by Borrowed
11 min listen
Rebroadcast: Work in Progress: From “the most expensive pigeon roost in the world” to one of the world’s most unique libraries, Brooklyn’s Central Library has many stories to tell. We’ll dive into the history of Central Library, hear from Brooklynites starting small... by Borrowed
20 min listen
Family Meal: This Thanksgiving, meet the people who run Central Library's café and get a peak into their kitchen on the Library's third floor, where fourteen students speaking seven different language meet every day. This episode is a collaboration with Emma's... by Borrowed
13 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Battle of the Classics

Battle of the Classics

Titles in the series (90)

More Episodes from Borrowed