Brooklyn Public Library is full of stories. Our podcast brings the best of them to you.
You can listen by clicking the audio players below, or subscribe to Borrowed on your podcast app of choice.
Current Podcast Series
Borrowed and Returned
Revisiting the books that changed us, and changed America.
Borrowed and Returned is a new podcast series that examines what our reading public borrowed in the past, and what we’re all reading now. In conversations with library workers, authors and readers across the country, we’ll return to the books that changed us, and changed America, too.
Subscribe to Borrowed on your podcast app of choice so you don't miss an episode of this new series!
Previous Podcast Series
Borrowed and Banned
BPL's Peabody-nominated series about America's ideological war with its bookshelves. Over ten episodes, you'll hear from students on the frontlines, librarians and teachers whose livelihoods are endangered when they speak up, and writers whose books have become political battleground. This series also won a Webby Award and was nominated for an Ambie Award.
Start listening to the series here.
Borrowed
BPL's Anthem Award-winning podcast is a narrative show about superhero librarians, neighborhood stories and what it means to be a free, democratic place in today’s changing world. We’ve told stories about libraries during natural disasters, the challenges of homelessness, and NYC’s fraught relationship with trash.
Can I read a transcript of the podcast?
Yes! You can read full transcripts for each episode by clicking on the title of the episode below. You'll also find pictures and links to articles or books mentioned in the episode, too
I have an idea for an episode. Can I tell you about it?
Yes! We're always looking for stories about our Brooklyn community, or how public libraries impact our lives. Reach out to us by emailing podcasts@bklynlibrary.org.
How do I listen?
You can listen right on our website by clicking the audio players below. You can also listen on your smart phone. All you have to do is search for “Borrowed” in your podcast app of choice, then click “subscribe” or “follow” to get new episodes downloaded to your device as soon as they come out. Or, click the buttons below to subscribe on these apps.
Season 7, Episode 2
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 the parallels that history can reveal and hear from students in Texas fighting for their freedom to read.
Check out this list of books recommended for this episode.
Season 7, Episode 1
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 ... also her last.
Read some of the most frequently-challenged books (many of which will be featured on this podcast series)!
Season 7, Trailer
Introducing: Borrowed and Banned
On Borrowed and Banned, we tell the story of America’s ideological war with its bookshelves by talking with the people most impacted: the students on the frontlines, the librarians and teachers whose livelihoods are endangered when they speak up, and the writers whose books have become political battleground.
Take our Banned Books Challenge and read these books.