307: ALA Presidential Candidates (2026)

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Steve chats with Tamika Barnes and Becky Calzada, this year’s candidates for President of the American Library Association. Tamika Barnes is Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, and the current President of the Georgia Library Association, and Becky is the District Library Coordinator for the Leander Independent School District, TX. They discuss their backgrounds in librarianship, what motivated them to run for president, their approaches to ALA’s key challenges including financial transparency, member engagement across all library types, and advocacy during a time of increasing censorship battles, and their aligned values around member-centered leadership.

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Tamika Barnes is the Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, where she provides strategic leadership for libraries across five campuses in the metro Atlanta area serving students in more than 30 associate-degree pathways. A nationally recognized leader in the library profession, Tamika has served on the American Library Association Executive Board, recently chaired ALA’s Budget and Review Committee, and will serve as President of the Georgia Library Association in 2026. Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including UCLA Library Senior Fellows, the Bob Richardson Award, and multiple national diversity and advocacy awards. She is also an educator, currently serving as an adjunct faculty member with Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and previously teaching at North Carolina Central University, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro. Across all roles, Tamika is committed to advancing advocacy, equity, professional development, and strong, transparent library leadership.

Becky Calzada is a District Library Coordinator in Leander, Texas and a co-founding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters, a grass-roots led group of librarians launched back in October 2021. She is the Immediate Past President for the American Association of School Librarians President, has served on the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, and is actively engaged in supporting intellectual freedom advocacy both in her state and nationally. She is the recipient of several intellectual freedom awards and is the co-author of Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams: A Workbook for Navigating Intellectual Freedom Challenges Together published in June 2024. She is featured in The Librarians documentary, a film which spotlights brave school librarians who are on the front lines in the fight against censorship.

SHOW NOTES:

Tamika Barnes campaign site
Becky Calzada campaign site

306 –  Valuing the Community College Library, with Terra Jacobson and Spencer Brayton

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Terra Jacobson and Spencer Brayton, editors of  Valuing the Community College Library: Impactful Practices for Institutional Success, about the value that libraries bring to community colleges, the gap in research on community college libraries, the power of partnerships across campus, future opportunities for AI literacy and misinformation education, and why the “third space” concept can be reconsidered for today’s community college libraries.

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Terra Jacobsen

Terra B. Jacobson has been the dean of Learning Resources at Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Hills, IL) since 2016 and has worked in community college libraries since 2009. She has a PhD in Information Studies from Dominican University, an MS in Information Science, and an MS in Library Science, both from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her current research interests are strategic planning, outreach, and advocacy in academic libraries, and the future and value of community college libraries. She has published in College and Research Libraries, Library Philosophy and Practice, and a chapter in Managing Crises in the Academic Library: Past, Present and Future. She has served as the chair of Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC), a statewide consortium for community college learning resources, the CJCLS Scholarly Communications Committee, ACRL’s Standards Committee and the Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board. She currently teaches online at the State University of New York and at Dominican University in the School of Information Studies.

Spencer Brayton is director of Library Services at Waubonsee Community College (northeastern Illinois, USA). His research and publication interests include media and information literacy, community college libraries, coaching and leadership. Spencer received his Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science in Management from the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL), and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

SHOW NOTES:

 Valuing the Community College Library: Impactful Practices for Institutional Success

305: YOU & ME AND YOU & ME AND YOU & ME by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees

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Steve chats with Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees, authors of You & Me and You & Me and You & Me, a time-traveling romantic comedy about long-term love, about their past experiences with libraries, their writing process, the fun (but also the dangers) of nostalgia, and why your perfect life may be the one you’re living right now.

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Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees first published together twenty-five years ago with the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Come Together, which was translated into twenty-seven languages and made into a film by Working Title. Josie and Emlyn then wrote a further six bestselling rom-coms together, all published in the UK. Josie has written thirteen other novels in a variety of genres, including The Bright Side Running Club, based on her own experience of breast cancer, which is currently in film development and was published in the U.S., while Emlyn has written a number of thrillers under his own name and as a ghost writer, published in the UK. Just like Adam and Jules in You & Me and You & Me and You & Me, Josie and Emlyn live with their kids and dog by Brighton Beach, but sadly they haven’t discovered a hole in the space-time continuum in their garden shed…or at least not yet…

SHOW NOTES:

You & Me and You & Me and You & Me

304: Passive Readers’ Advisory, with Lila Denning

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Steve chats with collection development librarian Lila Denning about passive readers’ advisory, practical tips for creating effective book displays, making displayed accessible and inclusive, partnering with local businesses to promote library services and collections, and how the horror genre helps readers understand different perspectives and emotions.

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Lila Denning is a librarian in Florida specializing in Passive Readers’ Advisory for patrons of all ages. She is the Acquisitions Coordinator for the St Petersburg Library System and has worked in circulation, collection development, reference, and youth services. She serves the volunteer coordinator for the Horror Writers Association. You can find her  on BlueSky @Vantine.bsky.social. On her blog, bookdisplays.blogspot.com, she talks about ideas for book displays and other forms of Passive Readers Advisory and how to best use it to serve your patrons.

SHOW NOTES:

Passively Recommending Books

303: Roll for Adventure: Tabletop Roleplaying Adventures for Your School or Public Library, by Lucas Maxwell

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Steve chats with Lucas Maxwell, author of Roll for Adventure: Tabletop Roleplaying Adventures for Your School or Public Library, about his journey from D&D enthusiast to librarian, the educational and social benefits of gaming for young people, and practical advice for librarians looking to start their own tabletop gaming programs!

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Become the ultimate Game Master and deliver tabletop role-playing games with confidence!

For librarians, teachers, school staff, and parents who want to run a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) but who don’t know where to begin, this practical guide includes five tabletop role-playing adventures written so a first-time Game Master can jump straight in and start playing. Alongside the adventures the book includes

  • examples of safety tools to allow players to stay safe;
  • a comprehensive TTRPG glossary;
  • practical tips for helping new players at the TTRPG table;
  • practical tips for first-time Game Master and new players;
  • ideas on how to establish role-playing sessions and festivals in your school; and
  • lists of potions, magic items and non-player characters, including their motivations and occupations.

A companion to Maxwell’s bestselling Let’s Roll, this book is a must-read for librarians and teachers looking to deliver exciting and creative games and quests. Now roll the dice and have fun!

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Lucas Maxwell has been working with teens in public and school libraries for close to fifteen years. He is currently the librarian at Glenthorne High School in London, UK. He writes for Book Riot and has contributed to School Library Journal and American Library Association publications. In 2017, Lucas was named the School Librarian of the Year by the UK’s School Library Association.

SHOW NOTES:

Let’s Roll: A Guide to Setting up Tabletop Role-Playing Games in your School or Public Library
Roll for Adventure: Tabletop Roleplaying Adventures for Your School or Public Library
Dungeon Master’s Guild: Wild Sheep Chase | Grammy’s Country Apple Pie
A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once

Looking for a catalog solution on a tiny budget? TinyCat offers a powerful and professional catalog perfect for small libraries; from classrooms and churches, to schools and public libraries. The catalog is easy to use and easy to customize to your library’s needs. You can import library records or scan books in with the mobile app, track circulation, send reminder emails, and view detailed reports. TinyCat is powered by LibraryThing, and has served thousands of libraries over the last 10 years.

To double the length of your free trial, sign up at librarycat.org and say you heard about TinyCat from the Circulating Ideas podcast.

302: School Libraries Supporting Students with Hidden Needs and Talents by Karla Collins

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Steve chats with Karla Bame Collins, author of School Libraries Supporting Students with Hidden Needs and Talents: From ADHD to Vision Impairment, about her focus on supporting students with diverse and often invisible needs, practical strategies for making school libraries more inclusive, universal design for learning, and the importance of building supportive networks within schools and the broader library community.

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Together, librarians and specialists can create experiences to reach all learners in their buildings, including those with hidden needs and talents.

While school librarians are experts at collaborating with classroom teachers, too often they overlook the specialists in their buildings as key collaborative partners.

Focusing on the many specialists who work with students, Karla Bame Collins provides information about their roles and responsibilities and discusses how school librarians can collaborate to improve learning for all students, including those with hidden needs, disabilities, and talents that are not easily detected and may go undiagnosed. Because librarians work with every student, but may not always be informed about each student’s particular needs, it’s important for them to know whom in the school to turn to for information. Librarians will gain ideas for working with students to provide the best possible learning environment for each.

This practical book looks at the whole school library environment-collection, instruction, space, and programming-and offers many ideas for librarians to collaborate with other educators and specialists for the good of all students.

SHOW NOTES:

School Libraries Supporting Students with Hidden Needs and Talents: From ADHD to Vision Impairment

Looking for a catalog solution on a tiny budget? TinyCat offers a powerful and professional catalog perfect for small libraries; from classrooms and churches, to schools and public libraries. The catalog is easy to use and easy to customize to your library’s needs. You can import library records or scan books in with the mobile app, track circulation, send reminder emails, and view detailed reports. TinyCat is powered by LibraryThing, and has served thousands of libraries over the last 10 years.

To double the length of your free trial, sign up at librarycat.org and say you heard about TinyCat from the Circulating Ideas podcast.

301: Federal Education Policy, with Dr. Bradley Custer

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Bradley Custer, higher education expert, about his experience at the U.S. Department of Education, the impact of recent mass firings, and what these changes mean for students, educators, and the future of American education.

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Dr. Bradley Custer is a higher education policy expert in Washington, D.C. He was most recently an analyst at the U.S. Department of Education, where he resolved complex complaints from student loan borrowers. He was previously a researcher at the Center for American Progress and a student services administrator on public college and university campuses. He holds a Ph.D. in higher, adult, and lifelong education from Michigan State University.  

SHOW NOTES:

Dr. Bradley Custer on LinkedIn
U.S. Department of Education

300: The New Civic Path with Rich Harwood

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In this milestone 300th episode of Circulating Ideas, Steve Thomas chats with Rich Harwood, president and founder of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and author of “The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in Each Other and Our Nation,” about Harwood’s inspirational journey, the importance of community in building hope, and how libraries and local organizations can help restore hope, dignity, and civic engagement in America.

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We are suffering from a crisis of belief in our country today. So many people have lost faith in America—in our leaders, institutions, and even one another. The status quo is not working for far too many of us. Our central task today is to meet this historic moment. But how do we grow our belief that we can get things done together—not as Republicans or Democrats or Independents, but as Americans? How do we rebuild trust and reclaim agency?

In this deeply personal manifesto written while crisscrossing the country for his “Enough. Time to Build.” civic campaign, Richard C. Harwood reveals how we can address the fundamental challenges holding us back in America today. We must dedicate ourselves to forging a new civic path that grows our belief that we can move forward amid our real differences. The New Civic Path is a must-read for those who want to spark civic renewal and get our communities and the country moving again.

Richard C. Harwood, President and Founder of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, is an innovator, author, and speaker. For nearly 40 years, he has devoted his career to revitalizing the nation’s hardest-hit communities, transforming the world’s largest organizations, and reconnecting institutions to society. He has been recruited to solve some of the most difficult problems of our time, including being called into Newtown, CT, after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He has appeared in numerous national media outlets and has written scores of articles, groundbreaking reports, and nine books. In 2025, Rich and the Institute are running the Campaign for the New Civic Path, anchored by his manifesto, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation. 

SHOW NOTES:

The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation
The Harwood Institute

299: The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair by Max Brallier

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Steve chats with Max Brallier, author of The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair, about the evolution of the series over its ten-year run, the appeal of post-apocalyptic stories for kids, the enduring importance of friendship at the heart of the series, and the challenges of balancing humor with darker themes.

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Jack and Quint are trapped in the Monster Dimension! Their mission: prevent Rezzoch the Ancient, Destructor of Worlds, from reaching Earth and annihilating civilization. To do this, they must secure an audience with a creature more mysterious than any other. It’s a race against time—and a race through the monster dimension! But before they can get back home to June and Dirk, Jack will find himself in a confrontation that will change everything. . . .

SHOW NOTES:

The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair
The Last Comics on Earth: A Song of Swords and Stuffies
Circulating Ideas 258: The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains! by Max Brallier

298: Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegel Spratford

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Steve chats with Becky Siegel Spratford, editor of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, about her deep involvement and interest in the horror genre, the inspiration and process behind her book, the diversity of voices in horror, how horror can foster empathy and address real-world anxieties, and the dangers of quicksand (it’s everywhere).

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A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry.

For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.

Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.

SHOW NOTES:

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature
RA for All
RA for All: Horror
Why I Love Horror: The Book Tour
StokerCon 2025 Keynote Speech: “Why We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read”