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 6, Episode 2
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.
Check out our list of starter Romance Novels.
Season 6, Episode 1
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.
Check out these multilingual picture books for kids.
Season 5, Episode 12
Dyker Singers, Dyker Lights
Dyker Heights 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.
Season 5, Episode 11
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 businesses, and one patron’s path from homelessness to determined author.
Click here for a full list of book recommendations curated for this episode, "Work in Progress."
Season 5, Episode 10
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 Torch, a workforce development program that empowers refugees through the culinary arts and job placement services.
Season 5, Episode 9
Stories of Service
In honor of Veterans Day, we are bringing you four stories of service, from veterans who served in World War II, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq. Three voices come to us from interviews collected at BPL for the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Check out our full list of book recommendations, curated for this episode.
Season 5, Episode 8
Rebroadcast: Weathering the Storm
To honor the tenth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, we are returning to an episode we produced in 2019 about the impact of the storm on our library system, and how libraries can become information centers, shelters and community spaces in the wake of natural disaster.
Click here for a full list of book recommendations, curated for this episode, "Weathering the Storm."
Season 5, Episode 7
School's Out! Time for a Pop Quiz
Will you visit your library this summer? To kick off a season of reading, we thought we'd have some fun! How many Brooklyn and library trivia questions can you answer correctly?
Check out our 125 essential Brooklyn books, for readers of all ages, in honor of our 125th anniversary.
Season 5, Episode 6
Books Unbanned
Book bans and challenges have been on the rise in the past few years. When BPL launched a free eCard to give out-of-state teens access to our eBook collection, including many banned titles, we saw an incredible response. We look at the impact of that initiative, and our own history of censorship over the past 125 years.
Take the Banned Book Challenge and read these ten frequently challenged or banned titles.
Season 5, Episode 5
A Library Sounds Like This
From defunct recording technology to vinyl’s comeback, we've been through a lot of media changes over the last 125 years. And we're still changing! We talk about audio's next great frontier with the world's first two podcast librarians.
Check out our list of podcast recommendations, curated by guests and hosts on this epiosde.