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Borrowed & Returned

Brooklyn Public Library is full of stories. Borrowed brings the best of them to you.

Current podcast series:

Borrowed & 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.

Previous podcast series:

Borrowed and Banned is BPL’s Peabody-nominated series about America’s ideological war with its bookshelves. From September to December 2023, we released ten episodes featuring the stories from students, librarians, and teachers on the frontlines of intellectual freedom, and writers whose books have become political battleground. This series also won a Webby Award and was nominated for an Ambie Award.

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.

For transcripts, pictures, book lists, and resources, please visit our web page: bklynlib.org/podcasts

The views, thoughts, and opinions of the guests do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Brooklyn Public Library.

Copyright: © 2025 Borrowed & Returned

Latest Episodes:

Dyker Singers, Dyker Lights Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn 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.

You can find a transcript of this episode here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/dyker-singers-dyker

Rebroadcast: Work in Progress Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

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.

Find the transcript and book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/rebroadcast-work-progress

Take our new audio tour of Central Library: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/central-tour

Family Meal Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

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.

Read the transcript here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/family-meal

Stories of Service Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

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 book list and transcript here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/stories-service

Rebroadcast: Weathering the Storm Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

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.

Check out our book list and transcript here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/rebroadcast-weathering

School's Out! Time for a Pop Quiz Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

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?

Want to learn more about topics brought up in this episode? Check out the following links!

Listen to our new podcast for kids! Page Flippers Take on the World is a wacky library show where kids save the day by reading the right books and asking the right questions.
Visit the library this summer! Take a look at our calendar for Summer Reading events for kids, or check out one of the 125 essential Brooklyn books on our list. Or, you can take a literary walking tour of the borough with our audio guide.
Watch KRS-One's full presentation at BPL's 2008 Summer Reading Kickoff. And check out the Mali Magic program, with videos, documents and more about the rescued, ancient Malian manuscripts.

Check out our 125 essential Brooklyn books, for readers of all ages, in honor of our 125th anniversary.

Books Unbanned May 31, 2022

Show notes

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.

Check out our book list and transcript here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/books-unbanned

A Library Sounds Like This Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

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 not done changing! We talk about audio's next great frontier with the world's first two podcast librarians.

Read the transcript and check out our listening list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/library-sounds

World Wide Web Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

In 1996, we were one of the first libraries in the nation to connect our patrons to the internet. Today, we're extending our WiFi reach down the block, loaning hotspots, and archiving hyperlocal websites for the future.

Read the transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/world-wide-web

Decolonizing Dewey Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

A lot had changed since Melvil Dewey came up with a classification system to organize all known and not-yet-known knowledge into a string of numbers and search terms. And yet, hundreds of thousands of libraries use the same system to this day, often preserving out-dated and offensive terms. In this episode, we take a look at what has changed—and what hasn't—in our library catalog.

Read our transcript and check out our book list here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/decolonizing-dewey-02549

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