Best Manuscript Library Podcasts (2025)

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James Elwick, "Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing" (U Toronto Press, 2025) 1:03:06

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2d ago1:03:06

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Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing (U Toronto Press, 2025) takes historiographic and sociological perspectives developed to understand large-scale scientific and technical systems and uses them to highlight the standardization that went into "standardized testing." Starting in the 1850s achievement tests bec…

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Building Adaptive Learning Ecosystems: Where Human Wisdom Meets Artificial Intelligence 30:05

6d ago30:05

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Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM Kozhikode, joins Nikesh Gosalia to explore how AI is transforming higher education from teaching and learning to research to leadership and ethics. With a blend of global experience and philosophical insight, he shares why adaptability matters more than AI-savviness, how to preserve human wisdom in a tech-…

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Diane Ravitch, "An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else" (Columbia UP, 2025) 1:02:58

7d ago1:02:58

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For many years, Diane Ravitch was among the country’s leading conservative thinkers on education. The cure for what ailed the school system was clear, she believed: high-stakes standardized testing, national standards, accountability, competition, charters, and vouchers. Then Ravitch saw what happened when these ideas were put into practice and rec…

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Tim Beasley-Murray, "Critical Games: On Play and Seriousness in Academia, Literature and Life" (Manchester UP, 2025) 42:00

10d ago42:00

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Which parts of life are serious, and which are a game? In Critical Games: On Play and Seriousness in Academia, Literature and Life (Manchester UP, 2025) Tim Beasley-Murray, an Associate Professor of European Thought and Culture and Vice-Dean (Innovation and Enterprise) for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at University College London, offers a se…

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Matthew D. Nelsen, "The Color of Civics: Civic Education for a Multiracial Democracy" (Oxford UP, 2023) 47:18

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Matthew D. Nelsen, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami, has a new book out that focuses on the content of civic education in the United States, and how we learn about the diverse and varied history of the United States. There is an ongoing and contemporary conversation about civic education in the United States, a…

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Kate McDowell, "Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact" (ALA, 2025) 53:06

12d ago53:06

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In today’s polarized landscape, libraries face two key challenges: the difficulty of turning raw data into narratives that effectively advocate for libraries, and the ethical complexities of representing communities in these stories. In Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact (ALA, 2025), Kate M…

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The Next Chapter in Scholarly Publishing: Building an Equitable Open Access Future 32:14

20d ago32:14

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In this episode of Insights Xchange, Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Academic Publishing at Cambridge University Press, reflects on three decades in publishing and the accelerating shift toward open access. She discusses the Cambridge Open Equity Initiative, the role of journals and why equity must be central to the future of scholarly communicati…

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What is Free Speech with Fara Dabhoiwala 1:09:38

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The speech debates have not abated, and it’s clear that invoking the First Amendment, and the importance of free speech for democracy, does not settle these debates but provokes more questions. We have lost our way, it seems, since people on all sides invoke free speech and then try to silence those they disagree with. Historian Fara Dabhoiwala of …

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Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers 54:04

26d ago54:04

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Developmental editing holds the power to make a manuscript connect with publishers and readers, yet few scholarly writers have the training to do it well. Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers (Princeton UP, 2025) offers scholars a practical method for assessing and refining the features of their texts th…

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The Open Access Movement: Are We Truly Prepared for a New Paradigm in Scholarly Communication? 38:50

27d ago38:50

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A candid, clear-eyed look at open access with Colleen Campbell about how libraries are shifting from paying for reading to funding open publishing and why equity, transparency and author rights must anchor the transition. Social media links Nikesh Gosalia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikeshgosalia/ https://x.com/NikeshGo Colleen Campbell: https://w…

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Deepa Das Acevedo, "The War on Tenure" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 1:02:47

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As academia increasingly comes under attack in the United States, The War on Tenure (Cambridge UP, 2025) steps in to demystify what professors do and to explain the importance of tenure for their work. Deepa Das Acevedo takes readers on a backstage tour of tenure-stream academia to reveal hidden dynamics and obstacles. She challenges the common bel…

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Michael Fernandez and Amauri Serrano, "Streaming Video Collection Development and Management" (Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited, 2025) 47:03

1M ago47:03

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Streaming video is not new to the library environment, but recent years have seen an exponential growth in the number of platforms and titles available for streaming. For libraries, this has meant an increasingly complex acquisitions landscape, with more vendors occupying the marketplace and larger portions of the budget dedicated to streaming. Use…

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Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education 52:26

1M ago52:26

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In Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education (JHU Press, 2025), Dr. Annmarie Caño reimagines academic leadership as a practice rooted in liberation and equity. Drawing on her experiences as a Latina, first-generation college student, clinical psychologist, and higher education administrator, Caño shows how lea…

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The Longest Drive 24:13

1M ago24:13

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The Longest Drive An entry from the Secret Library Grayson thought it was just another long drive, until the road refused to end. A diner that shouldn’t exist, a trucker who won’t stop following him, and a book that doesn’t want to be left behind. Some journeys don’t take you anywhere... they keep you. From the shelves of the Secret Library comes a…

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As AI Redefines Research and Users Demand More, Can Scholarly Publishing Platforms Become Strategic Allies? 57:04

1M ago57:04

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In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Will Schweitzer, CEO of Silverchair, to explore the rapidly changing landscape of scholarly publishing platforms. With decades of experience spanning product leadership, publishing strategy, and platform innovation, Will offers an unfiltered look at the industry’s most pressing challenges—and wher…

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The Devourer’s Delight - The Secret Library 22:41

1M ago22:41

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A mysterious velvet bound cookbook. A rainbow layered cake that promises beauty with every bite. A woman who wanted to be seen no matter the cost. In this haunting entry from the Secret Library, temptation rises like sponge in the oven, and hunger takes on a life of its own. Jenny just wanted to feel beautiful. The cake made sure she never stopped,…

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The Lost Library of Timbuktu (Echoes of the Past) 10:47

1M ago10:47

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In the heart of the Sahara once stood a city that rivaled the greatest centers of knowledge in the world. Timbuktu — a place where caravans carried not just gold, but wisdom. Within its dusty libraries lay hundreds of thousands of manuscripts on science, medicine, law, and philosophy. But centuries of invasion, neglect, and secrecy nearly erased th…

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Debaditya Bhattacharya, "The Indian University: A Critical History" (Orient BlackSwan, 2025) 58:45

2M ago58:45

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Is there such a thing as an ‘Indian university’? Is there an ‘idea’ of an Indian university? Were universities in India living and breathing products of the soil, or were they conceptual imports from a colonial heritage? What is the relationship between universities in India and the ‘publics’ that have inhabited or are alienated by them? More point…

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Human-AI Collaboration in Editorial Workflows: A Framework for Responsible Innovation 50:59

2M ago50:59

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AI is rapidly changing the landscape of scholarly publishing—from detecting image manipulation and plagiarism to assisting with reviewer matching and assessing statistical rigor. But as these tools become more embedded in editorial workflows, they also raise serious questions around bias, transparency, and ethical oversight. In this episode, Dr. Ch…

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M.A. in Yoga Studies with Christopher Chapple 37:35

2M ago37:35

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Dr. Christopher Chapple, founder of Loyola Marymount University’s pioneering M.A. in Yoga Studies, joins us to discuss how the program blends rigorous scholarship with embodied practice. We explore its study of Sanskrit, classical texts, philosophy, and modern applications, as well as its flexible residential and low-residency formats. Hear how thi…

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Alisha Karabinus et al. eds., "Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be" (Punctum Books, 2025) 27:01

2M ago27:01

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Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be (Punctum Books, 2025) offers a first-of-its-kind reflection on how game studies as an academic field has been shaped and sustained. Today, game studies is a thriving field with many dedicated national and international conferences, journals, professional societies, and a strong pr…

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The Candlelight Manuscript — The Secret Library 12:34

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Dark tales dwell on the shelves of The Secret Library, books that don’t just tell stories… they invite you in. In this episode, one such volume is opened by candlelight. But some books are better left unread.By Dark Dial Studios

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The Hollow Truth - Part 3 The Hollow House 6:56

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The search for answers reaches its breaking point. In the basement, fragments of memory blur with reality, and the line between the hunter and the hunted collapses. The Hollow House holds its final secret, but some truths are more terrifying than lies.By Dark Dial Studios

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Responsible Peer Review: Building Systems That Work 44:06

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This episode of Insights XChange dives deep into the evolving landscape of peer review and the responsibility publishers carry in building systems that are fair, fast, and future-ready. Guest Lucy Threadgold, Peer Review Manager at Emerald Publishing, shares how Emerald revamped its reviewer pools, introduced structured feedback systems, and is pri…

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Truth in the Hollow — Part Two, The Hollow House. 20:09

2M ago20:09

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The search for answers grows darker. A letter, a name, and a shadow at the window, pushes the investigation deeper into fear and obsession. Every clue seems to bring the truth within reach, but the closer it comes, the closer something else draws near.By Dark Dial Studios

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Hollow House: Episode 1- The Signal 9:58

2M ago9:58

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In 1984, the Warren family was discovered dead inside their home, no answers, only silence. Now, years later, one man steps inside that same house, where the quiet hum of something unseen still waits. What he uncovers is only the beginning of the horror.By Dark Dial Studios

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Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality 47:49

2M ago47:49

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Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality offers practical guidance, tools, and resources to assist practitioners in creating effective, engaging workshops for adult learners. Drawing from three key learning frameworks and the author’s considerable expertise in facilitating workshops across both educational and corporate settings, th…

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Stephanie K. Kim, "Constructing Student Mobility: How Universities Recruit Students and Shape Pathways between Berkeley and Seoul" (MIT Press, 2023) 53:07

2M ago53:07

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Constructing Student Mobility: How Universities Recruit Students and Shape Pathways between Berkeley and Seoul (MIT Press, 2023) challenges the popular image of the international student in the American imagination, an image of affluence, access, and privilege. In this provocative book, higher education scholar Stephanie Kim argues that universitie…

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Sarah McLaughlin, "Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2025) 41:51

2M ago41:51

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In an era of globalized education, where ideals of freedom and inquiry should thrive, an alarming trend has emerged: foreign authoritarian regimes infiltrating American academia. In Authoritarians in the Academy, Sarah McLaughlin exposes how higher education institutions, long considered bastions of free thought, are compromising their values for f…

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Christopher Willard et al., "College Mental Health 101: A Guide for Students, Parents, and Professionals" (Oxford UP, 2025) 45:11

2M ago45:11

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With a growing number of students entering college with an existing mental health diagnosis, College Mental Health 101: A Guide for Students, Parents, and Professionals (Oxford UP, 2025) offers hope and clear direction to those struggling with mental illness. There is an undeniable mental health crisis on campuses these days. More students are anxi…

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Who Needs College Anymore: Imagining A Future Where Degrees Don’t Matter 51:42

2M ago51:42

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In this optimistic yet practical assessment of how postsecondary education can evolve to meet the needs of next-generation learners, Kathleen deLaski reimagines what higher education might offer and whom it should serve. In the wake of declining enrollment and declining confidence in the value of a college degree, she urges a mindset shift regardin…

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Matthew Goodman, "The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team" (Ballantine Books, 2019) 50:28

3M ago50:28

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The 1949-50 CCNY Beavers basketball team were one of the unlikeliest of champions in sports history. CCNY was a tuition-free in Harlem, New York, intended to give working class students the best education possible. The school was comprised of minorities, many of whom were the immigrants or children of immigrants. In 1949-50, the CCNY squad, led by …

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Paul Needham, "The Catholicon Press Revisited: The Evidence of Nailheads," 29 July 2025 1:19:25

3M ago1:19:25

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RBS faculty member Paul Needham (Princeton Univ.) gave a public lecture on "The Catholicon Press Revisited: The Evidence of Nailheads" on 29 July 2025. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/o4aMEB38slw?feature=shared.𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:The 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯, whose colophon states that it was printed in Mainz, 1460, has…

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Christopher N. Warren, "What Is Computational Bibliography?" Malkin Lecture, 30 July 2025 1:04:06

3M ago1:04:06

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Christopher N. Warren delivered the 2025 Sol M. and Mary Ann O’Brian Malkin Lecture, “What is Computational Bibliography?”, on 30 July 2025. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ElvNacFyoWQ?feature=shared.𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:Book historians have long faced a methodological dilemma. Do we want to study particular…

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Rachael DiEleuterio, "Curious and Creative Women," 2025 Sue Allen Lecture 1:01:10

3M ago1:01:10

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Rachael DiEleuterio gave the inaugural Sue Allen Lecture for Women in Book History, on “Curious and Creative Women,” on 28 July 2025. She was joined by Daphne Sawyer, who endowed the lecture in memory of her mother, Mary Sawyer (1925–2024), and of longtime RBS faculty member Sue Allen (1918–2011). You can watch the full recording of the lecture on …

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James H. Marrow, "Iconographic Disjunction in the Ruskin Psalter/Hours," 2025 54:38

3M ago54:38

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James H. Marrow gave a public talk on “Iconographic Disjunction in the Ruskin Psalter/Hours: A Flemish Illuminated Manuscript of ca. 1470–80,” on 23 July 2025, as part of Rare Book School's 2025 Summer Lecture Series. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LxIPOQ6ehss?feature=shared.𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:Illustrated…

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E. M. Rose, "Books for Virginia 1620: America's First Public Library?" 2025 NEH-SHARP Lecture 51:25

3M ago51:25

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This NEH-SHARP Living American History in Primary Documents Lecture by E. M. Rose was part of Rare Book School's 2025 Summer Lecture Series. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/VaN2qqFnPto?feature=shared.𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:What did American colonists need to know? What should they believe? The Virginia Company…

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Christopher R. Matthews, "Doing Good Social Science: Lessons from Immersion, Understanding Social Life and Exploring the In-Between" (Routledge, 2025) 31:43

3M ago31:43

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Doing Good Social Science: Lessons from Immersion, Understanding Social Life and Exploring the In-Between (Routledge, 2025) takes readers on a personal and thought-provoking journey and empowers readers to become unshakeable, free-thinking scholars. Drawing from nearly two decades of experience in research and mentorship, this book shares insights …

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Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life 56:38

3M ago56:38

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In an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookw…

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David Theo Goldberg, "The War on Critical Race Theory: Or, The Remaking of Racism" (Polity Press, 2023) 1:15:23

3M ago1:15:23

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The War on Critical Race Theory: Or, The Remaking of Racism (Polity Press, 2023) by David Theo Goldberg discusses how “Critical Race Theory” is consuming conservative America. The mounting attacks on a once-obscure legal theory are upending public schooling, legislating censorship, driving elections, and cleaving communities. In this much-needed re…

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Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives 51:08

3M ago51:08

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Teacher By Teacher traces the journey of the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education and is a deeply personal love letter to all the teachers in our lives. The story of John B. King Jr.’s inspiring path to President Obama’s Cabinet begins the day that his mother died. He insisted on going to school that day, knowing he would find comfort in his classroom…

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Dan-el Padilla Peralta, "Classicism and Other Phobias" (Princeton UP, 2025) 50:52

3M ago50:52

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Classicism and Other Phobias (Princeton University Press, 2025) shows how the concept of “classicism” lacks the capacity to affirm the aesthetic value of Black life and asks whether a different kind of classicism—one of insurgence, fugitivity, and emancipation—is possible. Engaging with the work of Sylvia Wynter and other trailblazers in Black stud…

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Rethinking Science Communication: Beyond Technology Trends 1:05:34

3M ago1:05:34

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This episode unpacks the complex relationship between technology, innovation, and trust in scholarly publishing. With decades of experience and candid insight, Joy Moore and Kent Anderson call out some of the most pressing contradictions facing the publishing world today. They explore how publishers risk losing sight of their core values by chasing…

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The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond 59:52

3M ago59:52

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In the increasingly competitive world of academia, simply mastering your discipline is no longer enough to guarantee career success or personal fulfillment. The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond (Princeton UP, 2025) challenges scholars at all stages—from doctoral students to tenured professors—to break free f…

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How ClioVis is Transforming Education and Historical Research 22:14

4M ago22:14

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Today I’m speaking with Marcus Golding, historian and Director of Educational Operations at ClioVis. ClioVis is an incredible software and learning tool that allows educators and studies to create digital timelines, network visualizations, and interactive presentations. Founded by UT Austin history professor Erika Bsumek, ClioVis is made for profes…

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Mark McConnell, "Christophe Plantin's Business Strategy," Karmiole Lecture, 9 July 2025 58:58

4M ago58:58

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Rare Book School's 2025 Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Lecture on the History of the Book Trades featured a talk by Mark McConnell on “Publishing in the Renaissance: Christophe Plantin’s Business Strategy." The event took place on 9 July 2025. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/QFmRSz-laUE?feature=shared.About …

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Overcoming ABD Pitfalls: Tips for Getting Unstuck 53:13

4M ago53:13

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The ABD [All But Dissertation] phase can either feel liberating—no more coursework or comps!—or like the floor has dropped out. The scaffolding that prepared you for being a graduate assistant, passing comps or conducting your research gives way to a new, wide open space where you are just supposed to write. While some people will flourish in this …

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Alexander Lian, "Stereoscopic Law: Oliver Wendell Holmes and Legal Education" (Cambridge UP, 2020) 37:11

4M ago37:11

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A unique and thorough work of intellectual history and legal scholarship Stereoscopic Law: Oliver Wendell Holmes and Legal Education (Cambridge University Press, 2020) by Alexander Lian, a practicing commercial litigator, reconstructs Oliver Wendell Holmes’ as a pioneering legal pedagogue and sophisticated theoretician of law and the ‘reality of pr…

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Tom Waidzunas et al., "Out Doing Science: LGBTQ STEM Professionals and Inclusion in Neoliberal Times" (UMass Press, 2025) 1:05:41

4M ago1:05:41

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Over the past 50 years, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer professionals have organized to achieve greater inclusion into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This inclusion, however, has come at a cost. In the 1970s, these professionals sought to radically transform STEM fields by confronting the homo…

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Janine Barchas, "Jane Austen on the Cheap," Rendell Lecture, 4 June 2025 1:11:11

4M ago1:11:11

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This recording of the 2025 Kenneth W. Rendell Endowed Lecture by Janine Barchas was part of Rare Book School's 2025 Summer Lecture Series. You can watch the full recording of the lecture on YouTube at https://youtu.be/BQNQuKHBdD4?feature=shared. 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:In the latter half of the nineteenth century, cheap and shoddy reprintings of Jane Austen…