Best School Of Library And Information Science Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 42 (September 2025): Dumb and Dumber: The Year of Being Dumb 1:06:27

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4d ago1:06:27

1:06:27

There has been an assault on knowledge institutions in the past 8 months. Added to attacks on libraries are attempts to shape and control universities, museums, and federal agencies like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the National Institutes of Health. Besides executive actions, there have been important judicial decisions that…

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Episode 41 (May 2025): IMLS The Little Agency That Could 1:12:37

4M ago1:12:37

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Aughhhh!!! We knew this was coming, but it still hurts – even more. As part of the chain-saw destruction of much of the US federal government, the Institute for Museum and Library Services has been eliminated to the maximum extend of the law and ordered to reduce services and personnel to the minimum required by law. All budget requests from IMLS a…

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Best of Exile: “Hopefully It’s Not Too Late By Then" 37:14

4M ago37:14

37:14

As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. Robert Bachrach is a buttoned-up doctor and dedicated researcher. Leo Hochner is a bon-vivant and art connoisseur who breeds …

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Best of Exile: Jackie Gerlich - The Road From Vienna to Oz 32:42

5M ago32:42

32:42

As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. Leo Fuks is a born performer. So when, in 1936, a vaudeville impresario shows up to recruit him, 10-year-old Leo is more than…

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Best of Exile: Before Dr. Ruth 45:06

5M ago45:06

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As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. Known for her candid talk and blunt advice about sex, Dr. Ruth Westheimer is the world’s most renowned psychosexual therapist…

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Best of Exile: Love in the Time of Fascism 36:49

5M ago36:49

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As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. In Nazi-occupied Austria, a young man named Kurt Kleinmann comes up with a plan to escape: write to Americans - strangers - w…

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Best of Exile: Summer in Caputh 31:59

5M ago31:59

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As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. At the height of his fame, a shirtless, barefooted Albert Einstein escapes the bustle of Berlin for a simpler life. The best …

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Episode 40 (April 2025) March Madness - Info Style 1:08:05

5M ago1:08:05

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With Dave on vacation, Beth & Mike also take a break from the challenges and issues facing the library & information field. Since both are both avid sports fans and since it’s “March Madness” (college basketball’s post-season extravaganza) time, they build on last month’s “information perspective” by taking a look at the entire phenomenon while wea…

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Best of Exile: Librarian Turned Spy 40:41

5M ago40:41

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As we prepare our fifth season of Exile, we’re looking back at our favorite episodes from seasons 1-4. Each re-release brings back a unique, fascinating, and often heart-wrenching story from the Leo Baeck Institute Archives. A young, Jewish librarian in New York named Florence Mendheim risks her life to spy on the growing Nazi movement in America. …

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Episode 39 (March 2025): Looking at the World Through Information-Colored Glasses 1:01:10

6M ago1:01:10

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All three of us are hopelessly biased. We look at the world through “information-colored glasses.” This means that when we engage in any and all aspects of human life – work, play, learning – we can’t help but consider what’s going on from an information perspective. In any situation or in relation to any “person, place, or thing,” we almost uncons…

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Episode 24: Breaking Atoms, Breaking Barriers 38:38

6M ago38:38

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At the dawn of the 1930s, Germany is a physics powerhouse, where great minds like Albert Einstein and Max Planck have revolutionized the scientific landscape. But a talented young physicist named Trude Goldhaber struggles to make her voice heard in a male-dominated field. Trude perseveres, despite the pressures of antisemitism and misogyny all arou…

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Episode 23: Song of Resistance 33:03

7M ago33:03

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For Karl Adler, there is nothing more powerful than music. While recovering from an injury sustained as a soldier in World War I, Karl pursues his goal of changing the way music is taught in Germany. And for a while, he’s successful – until a former student (and member of Hitler’s Brownshirts) falsely reports him for sexual harassment. Forced to st…

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DeepSeek AI Watch Feb 2025 Episode 38 bonus 12:13

7M ago12:13

12:13

From the Libraries Lead Podcast - February 2025, AI Watch Segment. In this 12 minute video, Dave Lankes explains why DeepSeek is such a big deal. Then, he blows our minds by demonstrating how DeepSeek works and maybe even ... thinks(?) because DeepSeek includes its "chain of thought reasoning and prompting" as it answers questions. Take a look and …

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Episode 22: Simson & Co: A Family Forged in Steel 29:43

7M ago29:43

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The Simson family business has been manufacturing everything from firearms to vehicles for decades. But when the Nazis take over, they’re not happy to learn that a Jewish family is supplying weapons to the German army. After a new law forces the Simsons to relinquish their company to the Nazis, the family flees to the United States. Fifty years lat…

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Episode 21: The Heiress Who Helped End School Segregation 35:10

7M ago35:10

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Hilde Mosse comes from one of the wealthiest families in Berlin and stands to inherit an enormous fortune. But she longs for something more meaningful than the luxurious lifestyle her family provides. So Hilde decides to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. As the Nazis take power in Germany and the Mosse family is forced to flee, Dr. Hilde Mosse…

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Episode 38 (Feb 2025): Stop Calling Them Customers!! 1:03:49

7M ago1:03:49

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Library & information science for decades has focused on the “user” perspective in systems and services. This includes HCI (human-computer interaction), interfaces, features in search and catalog systems, and ways of improving services (e.g., online/chat reference, maker spaces, events). We provide systems, resources, and services and users use the…

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Episode 20: From Cradle to Grave 31:19

7M ago31:19

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Jacob Jacobson dedicates his life to archiving the history of Jews in Germany. For years, nobody pays much attention—until the Nazis take power. Suddenly, Jacobson’s meticulous research is being used to destroy the people whose history he wanted to preserve. Unwittingly, Jacobson has also become an invaluable asset to the Nazis. Can he protect hims…

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Episode 19: Core Strength: The Story of a Pilates Icon 41:17

8M ago41:17

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Carola’s dream is to be a dancer. In 1935, she moves from Germany to Paris to pursue a career on stage. But as a young, Jewish performer, Carola struggles with a lack of fulfilling work, dwindling funds, and a rising tide of antisemitism. Carola’s strong will carries her through the perils of Nazi-occupied France, losing the love of her life, and t…

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Episode 37 (Jan 2024): Show Me the $$ 1:00:21

8M ago1:00:21

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In the beginning … of our dot com digital age (roughly from the late 1970s) … there was a expectation that information and computer technology (ICT) would be a boon to society. Technology could be liberating rather than oppressing. The hope was that new products and services (e.g., personal computers, the Internet, the WWW, search engines, smart ph…

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BONUS EPISODE 36+ - NotebookLM 22:13

9M ago22:13

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Dave explores NotebookLM’s podcasting feature. NotebookLM is an AI system from Google that lets you create a workspace around documents that summarizes, creates study guides, and much more. One of the features is creating an “Audio Overview” that transforms your notes and documents into a two person podcast. Dave was impressed, see what you think. …

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Episode 36 (DEC 2024) – The Days After - What Now? 1:05:41

9M ago1:05:41

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The election is over, and the reactions are emotional and raw. Some people are cheering; others crying. America is still as divided politically and socially as the day before. Putting those things aside, let’s look ahead from an information & library perspective. What’s in store for us as individuals, families and communities? Are there lessons lea…

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EPISODE 35 (NOV 2024) A Once in a Lifetime...Again and Again and Again 59:11

10M ago59:11

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Natural and human-made crises, disasters, emergencies, and catastrophes. Whatever the cause (climate change, poverty, disease, overpopulation, war), it's undeniable that communities and individuals are continually facing daunting problems and challenges across the globe. In the first year of this podcast in Episode 11 (Nov 2021), we discussed how e…

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BONUS INTERVIEW (September 2024) - Rebekah Cummings, Librarian & 2024 Candidate for Lt. Gov of Utah! 28:21

11M ago28:21

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Rebekah Cummings is interviewed by Dave Lankes. Rebekah was chosen to run with Gubernatorial candidate, Brian King. He described Rebekah as: “A mom. A public servant. A librarian. A defender against book banning and censorship. Utahns will be well served by Rebekah’s leadership through her advocacy for intellectual freedom and commitment to empower…

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Episode 34 (October 2024) AI-Corrosion (and Repair!) of Trust in Public Institutions 1:11:56

11M ago1:11:56

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Corrosive AI: Effects On and Expanded Roles Of Libraries and the Information Field Sigh. It’s not enough that our instantly and continually connected information environment has eroded trust everywhere—including in our public institutions. The Internet, World Wide Web, and social media have been super-spreaders for misinformation (unintended mislea…

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Episode 18: The Heroes of Neu Isenburg - A Sanctuary Under Siege 32:25

1y ago32:25

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For years, Emma Haas and Helene Krämer have been the dedicated stewards of the Neu Isenburg Home, a sanctuary for orphaned Jewish children and vulnerable women. When the devastating events of Kristallnacht leave the home in ruins, Emma and Helene must find a way to protect the people in their care—and to escape the looming Nazi threat themselves. L…

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Episode 17: "Hopefully It’s Not Too Late By Then" 37:14

1y ago37:14

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Robert Bachrach is a buttoned-up doctor and dedicated researcher. Leo Hochner is a bon-vivant and art connoisseur who breeds small dogs. Both bachelors, they are part of a close network of friends from Vienna who are scattered across the globe after the Nazis take power in Austria. When Robert takes his life in New York after a humiliating arrest u…

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Episode 16: The Artist Who Made Beauty Out of Destruction 34:47

1y ago34:47

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To Samson Schames, art is everything. When fleeing the Nazis lands him in an English internment camp for enemy aliens, he doesn’t let the squalid conditions curb his creativity—in fact, he thrives. Using the debris of destruction as material for his work, Samson cultivates an artistic vision that captures the horrors of war unlike any other. Learn …

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Episode 15: The Model Ghetto 41:22

1y ago41:22

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In 1943, 13-year-old Zuzana Justman and her family are sent to Theresienstadt, a transit camp and ghetto in occupied Czechoslovakia. While the Nazis claim Theresienstadt was a model ghetto with a thriving cultural life, Zuzana and her family face starvation, illness, and fear of the mysterious transports that take her loved ones away, never to retu…

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Episode 14: Jackie Gerlich - The Road From Vienna to Oz 32:42

1y ago32:42

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Leo Fuks is a born performer. So when, in 1936, a vaudeville impresario shows up to recruit him, 10-year-old Leo is more than happy to join his troupe, and his parents reluctantly agree. As Leo, now known as Jackie Gerlich, travels the world and dips his toes into Hollywood, his family is left behind to grapple with the terror of rising antisemitis…

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Episode 13: Lily Renee's Glamorous Revenge 37:04

1y ago37:04

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Exiled from her comfortable life in Vienna and left to fend for herself on the Kindertransport, Lily Renee Wilhelm has no idea what her future holds. She ends up in New York and, on a whim, applies to a comic book illustration job. She endures rampant sexism in the boys’ club atmosphere of the comics industry, but soon makes a name for herself as t…

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Episode 33 (May/June 2024): TikTok—Is the Clock Really Ticking for TikTok? 1:11:00

1y ago1:11:00

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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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Episode 32 (April 2024): Optimistically Realistic (or Realistically Optimistic) About AI? 57:24

1+ y ago57:24

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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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Episode 31 (March 2024) Ack! School Libraries Under Attack! 1:04:42

1+ y ago1:04:42

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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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Agile is a Mindset 1:12:51

1+ y ago1:12:51

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Access the captioned version of this webcast at https://youtu.be/8KVuY6KdFg0

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Shifting the Frame: The Labors of ImageNet and AI Data 1:12:51

1+ y ago1:12:51

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Access the captioned version of this webcast at https://youtu.be/WSixy-HvYNg

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LBI Presents - Episode 10: A 16th Century Flame War 24:13

1+ y ago24:13

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In the Holy Roman Empire in the early 1500s, there was a campaign to burn all Jewish books. A legal scholar named Johannes Reuchlin wrote a pamphlet called Augenspiegel that convinced the powers-that-be that these texts had historical and scholarly value. Historian and author Erika Rummel joins Mark to tell this remarkable tale, which features ever…

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Episode 30 (February 2024): INFORMATION Everywhere All At Once 1:04:11

1+ y ago1:04:11

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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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LBI Presents - Episode 9: Food as Power 28:25

1+ y ago28:25

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You may have heard of the transit camp Theresienstadt as a place of hope and resilience throughout the Holocaust. But the music, art, and recipes found in the Czech ghetto after the war only tell one part of the story. Today, historian Anna Hájková, author of The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt, joins Mark to discuss the complexi…

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LBI Presents - Episode 8: Propaganda for Breakfast 31:31

1+ y ago31:31

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In 1933, Joseph Goebbels said that the Nazis could never have taken power without the radio. Heidi Tworek is a professor of history at the University of British Columbia and author of News From Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900-1945. On this episode, she joins Mark to tell the incredible story of how the Nazis broadcast…

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Episode 29 (Jan 2024) Deaths of Despair: Isolation and Despondency 1:07:21

1+ y ago1:07:21

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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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LBI Presents - Episode 7: Life Doesn’t Last, Art Doesn’t Last 28:03

1+ y ago28:03

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In the 1960s, artist Eva Hesse found herself at the center of the iconic New York contemporary art scene. A Jewish refugee who escaped Austria on the Kindertransport as a toddler, Hesse went on to become an icon of post minimalist art. Elisabeth Sussman is a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She’s written and edited books about Hesse, …

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LBI Presents - Episode 6: Ghosts of Your Family Past 26:47

1+ y ago26:47

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On this episode, we bring you two stories of people who unexpectedly unearthed their personal histories with the help of LBI and its archive. Danny Shot, a poet from the Bronx, stumbled across a familiar face at an LBI exhibit—and discovered the double life of a mysterious relative. And Elliot Aronstam, a Brooklyn native, found himself literally bu…

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EPISODE 28 (Dec 2023): More AI: 'I’m Afraid I CAN do that, Dave' 1:03:33

1+ y ago1:03:33

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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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LBI Presents - Episode 5: Fact, Fiction, and Finding Yourself 29:48

1+ y ago29:48

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The archive and library at LBI contains over 2000 memoirs. On this episode, Mark and literary critic Ruth Franklin, author of A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction, discuss the line between fact and fiction in memoir writing and the evolution of Holocaust memoirs from first hand accounts to books written by second and third gen…

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LBI Presents - Episode 4: The Art of Exile 21:41

2y ago21:41

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Among the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees who flooded out of Nazi Germany were countless artists, writers, and musicians. Alexis Rodda, an opera singer and music researcher, has devoted her career to studying just one of them: a composer named Egon Lustgarten. Today, Alexis and Mark discuss how exile impacted Lustgarten’s music—and how sta…

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Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences 2:01:36

2y ago2:01:36

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Access the captioned version of this webcast at https://youtu.be/tQsKZWHlVU0

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LBI Presents - Episode 3: History in a Box 20:14

2y ago20:14

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The archive at the Leo Baeck Institute, New York is a real treasure trove. You’ll find everything from Albert Einstein’s childhood hot chocolate cups to amulets meant to protect you from demons. In this episode, Mark talks to Markus Krah, LBI’s Executive Director, on why preserving and showcases these amazing artifacts is more important than ever. …

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Lunch and Learn Workshop: Web Programming and Information Architecture MLIS Pathway 56:15

2y ago56:15

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Access the captioned version of this webcast at https://youtu.be/xZvPvmIFMjY

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LBI Presents - Episode 2: Where To From Here? 35:29

2y ago35:29

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Many Jews scrambled to leave 1930s Germany and Austria, and ended up all over the world. Mark and historian Hasia Diner dive into the complexities of immigration during one of the most tumultuous moments of the 20th century - highlighting less discussed destinations like Shanghai, the Dominican Republic, and Kenya. LBI Presents is a production of t…

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Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation 2:04:21

2y ago2:04:21

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Access the captioned version of this webcast at https://youtu.be/_oIHwzdMK8o