Libraries Lead! is a provocative podcast about all things information & library hosted by Beth Patin (Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse U), Dave Lankes (Professor, iSchool, U of Texas), and Mike Eisenberg (Dean/Professor Emeritus, iSchool, U of Washington). Information age opportunities and challenges affect every aspect of human existence. We wrestle with such topics as social justice, political unrest, mis- and dis-information, kids, family and adult living; educ ...
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TikTok! Used regularly by over half the US population, why do so many either love or loathe TikTok? Is it simply a fun and terrific platform for creating, sharing, and consuming content? Is it an addictive, mental health hazard destroying America’s youth? Is it a major national security threat of Chinese infiltration? Is it all of the above…and mor…
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In this episode, we return to one of our favorite topics– the new AI. But rather than focus on the latest “gee whiz” or OMG capabilities, we turn to the societal implications and impact side of the topic. Dave raised this topic wondering if it’s another case of, “this is why we can't have nice things anymore.” Why is it that for world-changing tech…
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What could be less controversial than school libraries? School libraries - dedicated to children and American values. School libraries- keeping school information collections & technology up-to-date and secure. School librarians - seeking to promoting literacy and ensuring that students gain essential information & technology skills. Mom, apple pie…
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Information and technology are a ubiquitous part of our lives. We cannot escape. Many of us walk around with multiple devices, receiving hundreds of notifications, emails, alerts, texts each day. Much like the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once we are all navigating a multiverse of devices and information sources. We used to talk about and…
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ContentWarning: This episode includes discussions about mental health, addiction, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, please seek professional help. It is important to prioritize your well-being and the well-being of those around you. In this episode, we get serious about a seriou…
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In recent weeks, Dave's gone down the AI rabbit hole and, in this episode, we’re following him. Besides using AI for creating graphics, Dave’s is using an AI app called Poe to create “answer bots” – AI chats based on one's own content. This differs from ChatGPT and others which are based on large language models of massive amounts of general conten…
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We - Beth, Mike, & Dave - are educators, so naturally we all believe deeply in the value of learning at all stages of life. We advocate for “education” as an answer to many if not most questions, problems, concerns, and issues that people face individually and collectively. But, let’s get more specific about what this really means today and tomorro…
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We’re back and where do we begin? Beth, Dave and Mike return to the podcast microphones after a summer break from recording, but certainly not a break from incredible developments in the library, information, and technology worlds. Headlines include: Not just censor, but actually close libraries! Invasion of the AIs, aka large language models (LLM)…
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Enough of the downer, doom, the sky is falling mentality that seems to pervade our lives and media. Let’s celebrate! Join us as we highlight libraries and librarians and their role in our lives. Libraries are great. Libraries are thriving. Libraries are cool. Beth, Mike, & Dave talk about why we love them and give specific examples of unique and in…
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In this podcast episode, Beth, Mike, and Dave dive into the latest advancements in AI, including ChatGPT, Bing, Dall-E, and others. They acknowledge that the new AI technologies are complex and not simply good or bad, black or white. Instead, they explore the nuanced capabilities of these tools and their potential impact on society. The hosts discu…
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It’s March Madness, and we both readily admit it – we are sports junkies. We are VERY dedicated fans taking our teams’ successes (or lack thereof) way too seriously. But we also enjoy looking at sports through our “information-colored” glasses. Sport has always been an information as well as physical contest, and it’s even more so today. We have Mo…
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In our last episode, #21 – January 2023, we articulated our concerns about what’s going on in higher education. We lamented the striving for status and money instead of access and affordability for students. We also felt that there’s an over-emphasis among students and families on jobs and financial benefits rather than learning and gaining a well-…
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The three of us are proud academics. While we come from very different backgrounds, we are all examples of the power of higher education to change lives. Furthermore, each of us has dedicated our lives to “paying it forward” through teaching, mentoring, research, and professional practice. However, things seem different now on campuses. The promise…
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Meltdown at Twitter? Advertisers leaving, Apple may delist the Twitter app, many have canceled their Twitter accounts. What does this mean? Is there something more meaningful, valuable, and humane to replace it -perhaps a trustworthy, digital platform for the exchange of information and ideas moderated for credibility and trust? Should librarians s…
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Episode 19: WHAT????? February 21st. 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg What is going on in this world? Librarians in the crosshairs! Book censorship and actual book burnings! Heavy-handed government control of schools, curriculum, higher education, libraries! Handmaid’s Tale-like nightmare in terms of women’s rights! Climate catastroph…
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Episode 18: The Censors are Coming! The Censors are Coming! May 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg It is happening here. Again. There’s a huge increase in efforts to censor what is taught or even discussed in school along with banning, and in some cases even burning books in schools and libraries. In this episode, we delve into the natu…
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Episode 17: Video Sharing & So Much More April 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg YouTube has more than 2 billion active users collectively viewing over 5 billion videos totaling a combined 1 billion hours of video viewing every day!! Tik Tok is the new kid on the block, just 4 years old worldwide, and already with over 1 billion active…
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Episode 16: FACEBOOK: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly March 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg This episode continues our conversation about social media. We zero in on the 800 lb gorilla – make that the 1.6 BILLION pound gorilla that dominates social media, FACEBOOK. That’s 1.6 billion because over 1.6 BILLION people (on average) visit Fac…
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Episode 15: Life, the Universe and Everything Social Media. February 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg This is the first of a series of episodes about the phenomenon of social media. Social media dominates and affects almost all aspect of life and society, sometimes purposefully and often not. In the series, we hope to inform as well a…
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Episode 14: Info Literacy - Now More Than Ever! January 2022 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg Information literacy relates to every aspect of human existence – individually or in communities. Almost all human activities and endeavors are information-based, especially in our turbocharged, networked, overloaded info world. In this episode, w…
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Episode 13: Politics R Us? December, 2021 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg Aughhh! The po·lit·i·ci·za·tion of everything! We don’t seem to be able to escape increasing polarization and the division into rival groups identified by politics and worldviews as well as the demonization of the other side. Is this the new normal? Even for librari…
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Episode 12: Truth or Dare: A New Normal in Education and Human Services? Nov 2021 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes, & Mike Eisenberg Starting this, our second season, we have a huge change to the Libraries Lead podcast. In the last episode (#11) of the first season, Beth Patin, assistant professor at the Syracuse University iSchool joined us. She was fantas…
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Episode 11: Emergency! Being Prepared in the New Normal. October 1, 2021 Beth Patin, Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg Unfortunately, the dire future predictions of crises due to environment and climate change, disease, poverty, and social justice are today’s realities. This new normal requires communities, individuals, and governments to cope right now…
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Episode 10: Data to the Rescue? Sept 2021 Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg We agree on something “data to protect you" is an oxymoron. Data can be dangerous–particularly in the hands of corporations, governments, hackers, scammers, & even well-intentioned non-profits, public service providers, and even libraries and librarians. Public libraries monitor…
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June 2, 2021 Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg Are we going back to offices and city living or will a new normal emerge? Judging from the articles and posts, it’s not clear at all. That means it’s likely to be a combination of both depending on contexts of nature of activity (e.g., business), geography, and the economics (jobs, commerce, supply chain). …
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May 26, 2021 Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg In the last episode, Mike ranted about his frustrations and hours spent in trying to reach a human being for assistance with airline reservations, prescriptions, and insurance. In this episode, we dive deeper into the topic of help and information services of all kinds– human, mediated (telephone, digital),…
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May 12, 2021 Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg 74 minutes Mike and Dave are joined by a very special guest – the talented and enthusiastic Angela Craig, Executive Director, Charleston County Public Library. Charleston County is a cutting-edge regional library system. In addition to offering all that we expect from public libraries, Charleston has been p…
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April 19, 2021 Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg 44 minutes As we start to see some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, what does it mean for the locus and nature of work? Will everyone simply return to their offices, businesses, and schools as if nothing has changed? Or has the lockdown been a catalyst for reconsidering location, work-home balance…
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March 17, 2021 45 Minutes Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg In this episode, Mike and Dave start with a brief exchange on the changing nature of work and the need to help low-wage earners find out about high demand jobs, requirements, and opportunities for getting access to quality training. Mike & Dave then pick up the conversation about education in t…
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March 17, 2021 45 Minutes Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg In this episode, Mike and Dave start with a brief exchange on the changing nature of work and the need to help low-wage earners find out about high demand jobs, requirements, and opportunities for getting access to quality training. Mike & Dave then pick up the conversation about education in t…
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March 3, 2021 75 Minutes Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg It pretty much happened overnight: schools are closed, kids are home, teaching and learning are online, parents are responsible for coordinating it all. While every aspect of life has been affected by the pandemic, no sector has been more quickly and more significantly by the pandemic than educa…
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January 20, 2021 109 minutes Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg This is the first episode of our new podcast - Libraries Lead in the New Normal. We aim for a wild conversation between two close friends who share a passion for all things library & information but frequently disagree on specifics. This episode which was recorded in January 2021 and simulta…
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February 3, 2021 57 minutes Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg In this second episode (and our last simultaneous broadcast as part of the Publishers Weekly Skillset Podcast), Mike is all upset about how difficult it was to get an appointment for a Covid vaccine. “This should be a very manageable information problem! Why can’t we set up an easy system for…
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