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.
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 8, Episode 7
Explore Your City This Summer!
It's summer and school's out! No matter what age you are, you can spend your summer at the library with book lists and activities galore. We go over the facts and stats of BPL's popular Culture Pass program, which has helped thousands of New Yorkers visit museums and performance spaces in the city ... for free!
Check out these "Explore Your City" summer reading lists for adults, teens and kids of all ages.
Season 8, Episode 6
Drag Story Hour
Brooklyn Public Library has been hosting Drag Story Hours since 2016. It's one of our most popular, colorful, and well-attended events for kids. In this episode, we explore why Drag Story Hour NYC is important, and how it’s had to change in recent years in response to an increasingly tense political climate.
Check out out our recommendations for new LGBTQ+ books to read with your kid.
Season 8, Episode 5
Say His Name: Arthur Miller
Outside of Brooklyn, Arthur Miller's name has largely faded from memory. On this episode, we tell the story of the Black community leader who was killed by NYPD chokehold in 1978, the movement pushed forward as a result of his death, and the ways that Brooklyn Public Library’s Center for Brooklyn History helps to keep the story alive.
Check out our list of books created specifically for this episode.
Season 8, Episode 4
When the Library's a Stage
Listen in on one of BPL's most popular art programs: a theater workshop where, once a week, budding thespians come together to read plays, talk about character motivations, and dig into some surprisingly emotional and political topics.
Read along with the theater workshop by checking out the plays on our booklist.
Season 8, Episode 3
Rebroadcast: Secret Lives of Librarians
We revisit an episode from January 2021 in honor of National Library Workers Day, and ask: what do librarians do all day? When they're not planning programs or working the reference desk, these librarians are also obscure trivia players, birders and ... sword fighters!
Check out this list of books recommended for this episode.
Season 8, Episode 2
Bridging the Gap
Teens and older adults are perhaps the two age groups you might think have the least in common. But a new program at BPL seeks to bring the two generations together ... by having them debate.
Check out these books about debate.
Season 8, Episode 1
Browse the Branches
Brooklyn has 62 neighborhood libraries, each with a distinct architecture, culture, and soul. To kick off the new season and to celebrate our audio stories coming home to Brooklyn, we'll take a tour of the borough with the help of our neighborhood libraries and some of our stalwart patrons who visited all 62 of them ... in a matter of days!
Read your way through the braches with the help of this book list!
Season 7, Episode 7
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: from encouraging open dialogue about the books on our shelves to the ongoing work of protecting the freedom to read.
Check out every book mentioned on our Borrowed and Banned series!
Season 7, Episode 6
On the Frontlines
Library workers often risk their livelihoods 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 their library amidst book challenges, tip lines, and even sign burning.
Check out this list of challenged and banned children's books.
Season 7, Bonus Episode
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 Maia about what it's like to be on the recieving end of so many challenges, and the importance of public libraries.