Black in the Stacks

Love You to Death: A Book Chat with Author Christina Dotson

A candid interview with Christina Dotson as we discuss her background, her interests and her debut novel, "Love You to Death." 
About the Book: Best friends, Kayla and Zorie, crash an Antebellum-themed hashtag#wedding deep in the backwoods of hashtag#Georgia and end up taking a murderous "road trip from hell." 

The Black Mind Thrives: A Call to Action for Educational Justice with Dr. Karida Brown

The crucial role of Black people as educators, strategists, fundraisers and advocates plays a huge role in ensuring that Black minds flourish.
In this episode, Marquita chats with Dr. Karida Brown, a sociologist, professor, oral historian, and public intellectual whose research centers on the fullness of Black life. Dr. Brown’s latest publication, "The Battle for the Black Mind" offers an explosive historical account of the century-long struggle for Black educational justice in America, revealing how early segregated systems laid the groundwork for present-day inequities. The book doesn’t just focus on oppression. It highlights the enduring fight by Black communities to foster thriving educational environments and concludes with a powerful call to action for the continued empowerment of Black minds.
They also chat about what creative works are occupying her time, what brings her joy and what she hopes readers take away from her latest publication.
 
This episode was recorded prior to the Juneteenth holiday.

Managing the Stacks: Literacy, Leadership, and Redefining Real Reading

In this episode, I chat with Erica Ware, a veteran librarian with 18 years of experience, who champions comic books and graphic novels as legitimate forms of reading. Despite often being dismissed by some as "not real reading," these formats are powerful tools for information reception. Erica, a dedicated film buff with a degree from Georgia State University and a lifelong fan of comics, shares her journey into library management and how she leveraged low literacy statistics to establish a successful graphic novel program. We also discuss the community's efforts in archiving history and her future aspirations beyond the library.

From Residencies to Realities: A Black Male Librarian's Call for Change

*Warning: Some expletives used this episode*
Librarianship is not a monolith. There are many different perspectives and this episode definitely explores one such perspective. In this episode, Marquita speaks with Jason K. Alston. Alston has worked in the library field since 2006 and is currently an instructor in library science. He is best known in LIS for his research on diversity residencies and his former role as the editor of BCALA's publication, BCALA News. And in his spare time, enjoys training in martial arts. In this episode, we talk about his views on Black male librarianship, diversity and lack thereof within library organizations, and where he sees his life, after libraries.

Books, Black Librarianship, and Breakthrough Moments with Tracie D. Hall

On this very first episode of Black in the Stacks, Marquita chats with the First African Americanwoman to lead the American Library Association, Tracie D. Hall. Hall is not only a world-class librarian, she is also an author, curator and advocate for the arts. We chat about the books that occupy her time, the future of Black librarianship, and a very special moment that is sure resonate with listeners.

Introducing Black in the Stacks: Why This Podcast? Why Now?

Hear from Black in the Stacks host, Marquita Gooch, MLIS, describe why she decided to start the podcast now. She talks a little about what inspired her, what makes *this* podcast different, the exploration of librarianship and information professionals, keeping Black librarianship alive and what to expect in upcoming episodes.