Library Matters

Summary: Acting MCPL Director Anita Vassallo and Outreach Associate Sarah Mecklenburg share their love of historical fiction and recommended books they've enjoyed. Recording Date: July 11, 2018 Guests: Anita Vassallo is the Acting Director of MCPL. Sarah Mecklenburg is a member of MCPL's Outreach team. Both are enthusiastic readers of historical fiction. Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne What Our Guests Are Reading:  Anita Vassallo: A Column of Fire by Ken Follett, third book in the Kingsbridge series. The first book in the series is Pillars of the Earth, the second is World Without End. Circe by Madeline Miller. Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford.  Sarah Mecklenburg: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher, third book in the Dresden File series. The first book is Storm Front, the second is Fool Moon. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Books, Movies, and Authors Mentioned During This Episode: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel  Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters  American Girls series by various authors Aubrey- Ma

Summary: In the last few months, kids ages 10-14 from throughout the county have come to MCPL branches to record video book talks about books they've enjoyed. We've collected the audio from 10 of these recordings to share with our Library Matters listeners.  Book talks are brief summaries/reviews designed to convince others to read the book being described. You can see the videos of these and other Literary Explorer book talks on our YouTube channel, mcplmd. The Literary Explorer program was made possible by a grant from the NBC Universal Foundation and Washington's NBC 4.  Check our Calendar of Events for upcoming opportunities for your 10-14 year old child to be a literary explorer.  Host: Julie Dina Books Loved in this Episode: (In order of appearance.)  Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick  A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle The End of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Gone by Michael Grant Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling  A Long Walk to Water by Linda

Summary: Digital Strategies Manager Lennea Bower and Library Assistant Supervisor Candace Hixon discuss the history of the MCPL Reading Challenge; how the 2018 challenge is going; and what they get out of reading challenges with host Julie Dina.  Recording Date: June 6, 2018 Guests: Lennea Bower is the Digital Strategies Manager for Montgomery County Public Libraries. Her unit runs the Reading Challenge. Candace Hixon is the Library Assistant Supervisor at the Kensington Park branch. She is an enthusiastic Reading Challenge participant.  Hosts: Julie Dina, Outreach Associate.  Featured MCPL Resource: Librarians! We encourage customers to approach our trained information professionals at any MCPL branch with requests for reading recommendations, assistance with library resources, or other questions. Find your nearest branch. What Our Guests Are Reading:  Lennea Bower: The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin, #2 in the Broken Earth trilogy; Not that Bad edited by Roxane Gay; Beneath a Ruthless Sun by Gilbert King

Summary: Retiring MCPL Assistant Director Rita Gale and Visit Montgomery Marketing Director Cory Van Horn talk about travel and tourism. Rita shares her enthusiasm for America's National Parks and highlights MCPL's travel resources. Cory discusses the incredibly diverse array things to do and see right here in Montgomery County, from the vibrant energy and restaurants of urban centers like Silver Spring and Bethesda Row, to the history and beauty of the C & O Canal. Looking for a brewery on a horse farm? Yeah, we've got one of those. You'll find years worth of local and national travel ideas in this episode.  Recording Date: June 6, 2018 Guests: Rita Gale is MCPL's Assistant Director for Facilities and ADA. She has been with MCPL for over 30 years and will soon be retiring. Cory Van Horn is the Director of Marketing for Visit Montgomery, the official Conference and Visitors bureau of Montgomery County, MD.  Hosts: Lauren Martino, the Head of Children's Services at Silver Spring Library and David Payne, Br

Summary: Audiobook enthusiasts and MCPL staff members Vincent Mui, Maranda Schoppert, and Barbara Shansby share their love for audiobooks; talk about the advantages, disadvantages, and hazards of audiobooks; and recommend titles that will be music to your ears.   Recording Date: May 9, 2018 Host: Lauren Martino Guests: Vincent Mui is MCPL's graphic designer. Maranda Schoppert is a librarian at Germantown Library. Barbara Shansby is a Library Associate at Marilyn Praisner.  Featured MCPL Resource: Award-winning author and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Dinaw Mengestu will speak about the inspiration for his book The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears and his experiences as an Ethiopian immigrant. Silver Spring Library, Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 7:30 PM. Registration required.  What Our Guests Are Reading: Vincent Mui: The Divergent trilogy: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant, by Veronica Roth. Miranda Schoppert: Iron Gold, the fourth book in the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. The first three books are Red Ri

Summary: Librarians Christine Freeman and Lauren Martino talk about MCPL's upcoming Summer Read and Learn program, which starts June 9 and runs through September 9. This program offers children and teens fun incentives to read and learn all summer long. There will be amazing events at MCPL branches throughout the summer as well. Join us for the fun!  Recording Date: May 9, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne Guests: Christine Freeman is MCPL's Early Literacy and Children's Services Manager, as well as Branch Manager for the Noyes Library for Young Children. Lauren Martino is a Children's Librarian at our Silver Spring branch. She is also one of the hosts of the Library Matters podcast.  Featured MCPL Resource: MCPL offers reading lists by grade and age, including a list for adults. Find something new to read today!  What Our Guests Are Reading:  Christine Freeman Travel guides to England  We Were Here by Matt de la Peña Lauren Martino The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby Books M

Summary: Senior Librarian Adrienne Miles Holderbaum and Children's Librarian Maranda Schoppert discuss their experiences as expectant and new mothers, as well as the pregnancy and new baby resources MCPL offers.  Recording Date: April 11, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and Lauren Martino Guests: Adrienne Miles Holderbaum, co-producer of Library Matters and Senior Librarian at Germantown Library. Adrienne has a 3-year-old daughter and is pregnant with her second daughter. Maranda Schoppert is a Children's Librarian at Germantown Library and has a 5-month-old daughter.  Featured MCPL Resource: MCPL's online health resources include: Health & Wellness Resource Center, which offers magazine and journal articles on health, medicine, and wellness.  Washington Consumers' Checkbook (In Library Access Only), which rates local doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and more.  Gale Virtual Reference Library: Includes searchable, browsable health e-books.  What Our Guests Are Reading:  Adrienne Miles Holderbaum: Madeleine by

Episode Summary: Gardening enthusiast Beth Chandler, a librarian in our Collection Management department, shares her joy of and experience with gardening while suggesting books that help novice and expert gardeners grow their knowledge.  Recording Date: April 11, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne Guests: Beth Chandler, who was also a guest on our December 2017 science fiction episode.  Featured MCPL Resource: Master Gardener Plant Clinics. Bring your ailing plants or other gardening, lawn care, or landscaping questions to the experienced gardeners of the Montgomery County Cooperative Extension. This free walk-in service is available Saturdays, April through September, at MCPL branches throughout the county.  What Our Guest Is Reading:  The Minimalist Gardener by Patrick Whitefield Crafting for Cat Ladies: 35 Purr-fect Feline Projects by Kat Roberts  Plants Mentioned During this Episode: Black-Eyed Susans catnip chives  coreopsis cucumbers geraniums lilacs marigolds mint morning glories oregano pansies pi

Episode Summary: Reading to dogs, Python coding, yoga? While MCPL still provides many much-beloved storytimes, our programming has become a lot more diverse. Assistant Director Mary Ellen Icaza and Library Associate Laura Sarantis talk about the innovative events happening at an MCPL branch near you. And don't forget, all MCPL programs are free of charge! Recording Date: March 7, 2018 Hosts: Lauren Martino and David Payne Guests: Mary Ellen Icaza and Laura Sarantis Featured MCPL Resource: Yoga, Tai Chi, career workshops, computer use help, and more. MCPL offers an incredible variety of programs for our customers.  What Our Guests Are Reading:  Mary Ellen Icaza: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee   Laura Sarantis: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough Library Programs Mentioned During this Episode: The Big Read: MCPL and its partners will host a series of events: book discussions, author talks, exhibits, and cultural events centered around the immigrant e

Episode Summary: Retro tech enthusiasts Bill Carey and Eric Carzon talk about the renewed interest in vinyl records and other older technology, the April 21 Vinyl Day at Silver Spring Library, and why the VCR will not be making a comeback.  Our guests brought along some retro tech to show the hosts during the episode.  Recording Date: March 7, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne Guests: Information Technology Specialist Bill Carey and Twinbrook Branch Manager Eric Carzon. Featured MCPL Resource: With ArtistWorks, you can enjoy unlimited access to beginning through advanced video lessons for many musical instruments and styles, including piano, bluegrass, guitar, and hip-hop. Also includes voice lessons.  What Our Guests Are Reading:  Bill Carey: The Roosevelts: an Intimate History by Geoffrey Ward and Cars, Cars, Cars, Cars by S.C.H. Davis Eric Carzon: Vinyl: the Art of Making Records by Mike Evans and Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium by John Corbett. Albums and Artists Mentioned During this Ep

Episode Summary: Children's librarians Olivia Darrell and Christine Freeman talk about MCPL's upcoming 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. It's a fun way to help prepare your child for kindergarten and beyond, all while fostering a love of reading. Registration for this program begins Saturday, March 24, 2018.  Recording Date: February 7, 2018 Hosts: Julia Dina and Lauren Martino Guests: Olivia Darrell and Christine Freeman. Olivia Darrell is a librarian in our Collection Management department who selects the children's fiction for MCPL. Christine Freeman is our Early Literacy and Children's Services Manager. She also manages the Noyes Library for Young Children.  Featured MCPL Resource: Bookflix, read along with classic video storybooks on this learn-to-read site, which also includes related nonfiction e-books.  What Our Guests Are Reading Or Listening to: Olivia Darrell: This American Life, an NPR show featuring spoken essays, memoirs, and other non-fiction narratives organized around a theme. No One is

Episode Summary: MCPL film fans Fred Akuffo, circulation manager at Long Branch library, and David Watts, circulation manager at Silver Spring library, look at this year's Academy Award contenders, consider past award winners, and share their love for very different kinds of movies.  Recording Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne Featured MCPL Resource: Enjoy movie night at home with one (or more) of MCPL's thousands of feature film DVDs. From Batman to Bollywood, we've got movies for every film fan. Check out our latest movies and television series today!   What Our Guests Are Reading / Watching: Fred Akuffo: Insecure, an HBO series starring Issa Rae. Newsroom, a behind the scenes look at a fictional cable news program. Deadwood, a Western tv series set in 1870s South Dakota. Fences, in which an African American former baseball player watches others break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.   David Watts: All the King's Men, a 1940s film about a corrupt populist politi

Episode Summary: Romance enthusiasts Carly Beveridge and Michelle Halber share their love for the characters, stories, and increasing diversity of romance books, movies, and TV series.   Recording Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne Guests: Carly Beveridge, children’s librarian at Silver Spring library, and Michelle Halber, also a children's librarian at Silver Spring library.  Featured MCPL Resource: Celebrate Black History Month with MCPL's many inspiring and informative events, books, and other resources.  What Our Guests Are Reading: Carley Beveridge: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth and Alex & Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz.  Michelle Halber: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera and Endurance by Scott Kelly.  Authors Mentioned During this Episode:  Kristen Ashley Jane Austen - Books and movies  Beverly Jenkins Susanna Kearsley Sherrilyn Kenyon Lisa Kleypas Courtney Milan Julia Quinn Lynsay Sands Kerrelyn Sparks  J.R. Ward Books, Movies, and TV Shows Mentioned During th

Episode Summary: Hosts Julie Dina, Lauren Martino, and David Payne talk about New Years resolutions. Are they helpful? What are some strategies for keeping them? How can MCPL help you make a change? Recording Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Hosts: Julie Dina, Lauren Martino, and David Payne Featured MCPL Resource: February is Library Lovers Month. The Library Lovers Month Kickoff event will take place at Aspen Hill Library, February 3, 2018 at 11 AM. It will feature an interactive STEM show and a hands-on booth “Bubbling Potions and Explosions” by the Science Guys of Baltimore. Here are some other fun events to help you express your love for libraries.  What Our Hosts Are Reading: Julie Dina: Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi Lauren Martino: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia, whose other well known books include Gone Crazy in Alabama and One Crazy Summer.  David Payne: A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré, who also wrote The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldi

Episode Summary: Librarians Amy Alapati and Dana Alsup discuss MCPL's upcoming comic convention, MoComCon. The event will include a variety of panels, workshops, programs, displays, exhibits, and cosplay, all free of charge. MoComCon will take place at Silver Spring Library on Saturday, January 27, 2018 (weather date is February 10) from 11 AM - 4 PM. Parking, which is free on Saturdays, is available in the Wayne Avenue Garage at 921 Wayne Avenue.  Recording Date: December 13, 2017 Hosts: Lauren Martino and David Payne Guests: Amy Alapati, a children's librarian at Damascus Library is a member of the committee organizing MoComCon. Dana Alsup, a librarian at Marilyn Praisner Library, is the chair of this year's MoComCon Committee.   Featured MCPL Resource: Free WiFi is available in all MCPL branches, no special encryption settings, user names, or passwords are required.  What Our Guests Are Reading: Amy Alapati: The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce Dana Alsup: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, a follo

Recording Date: December 13, 2017 Hosts: Lauren Martino and David Payne Episode Summary: Guests JoEllen Sarff and Dianne Whitaker, who both have experience selecting books for MCPL, discuss their picks for the best books of 2017, along with a few titles from other years, because, well, we're librarians. Our book love can't be confined by something so pedestrian as time.    Guests: Librarian JoEllen Sarff, from our Collection Management department, and Wheaton Interim Branch Manager Dianne Whitaker, former head of Collection Management.  Featured MCPL Resource: An MCPL library card is your ticket to new worlds, a new life, a new career, and more. MCPL offers fantastic fiction to fuel your imagination, exercise and nutrition books and DVDs to enhance your health. online training to catapult your career, and so much more. Get your MCPL library card today.  What Our Guests Are Currently Reading:  JoEllen Sarff: The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille and Wonder by R J. Palacio.  Dianne Whitaker: The Rise and Fall of D

Recording Date: November 29, 2017 Hosts: Julie Dina Episode Summary: Julie Dina discusses the work of the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC) with FOLMC Executive Director Ari Brooks and Business Manager Lance Salins.  Guests: FOLMC Executive Director Ari Brooks and FOLMC Business Manager Lance Salins Featured MCPL Resource: Flipster is an online collection of current and back issues of your favorite magazines such as Cooking Light, Ebony, and Sports Illustrated. A different selection of popular magazines is available through our other online magazine service, RBdigital Magazines.  What Our Guests Are Currently Reading: Ari Brooks: The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu for herself and The Mystery of the Missing Lion by Alexander McCall Smith with her daughter.   Lance Salins: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath for himself and The Warriors series by Erin Hunter with his niece.  Items of Interest Mentioned During this Episode: FOLMC Bookstores: The FOLMC operates 2 used bookstores. 1

Recording Date: November 8, 2017 Hosts: Julia Dina and David Payne Episode Summary: Science fiction fans Beth Chandler, a librarian in our Collection Management division, and Richard McElroy, a Library Desk Assistant at our Silver Spring branch, talk about science fiction: what it is, how it has changed, and what it means. Guests: Librarian Beth Chandler and Library Desk Assistant Richard McElroy Featured MCPL Resource: Readers' Café, a virtual meeting place for books and reader. Visit Readers Cafe to find book reviews, recommended reading, book clubs, and more.  What Our Guests Are Currently Reading: Beth Chandler: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman Richard McElroy: American Pastoral by Philip Roth  Authors, Books, Movies, Television Shows, and Other Items of Interest Mentioned During this Episode: 2001: a Space Odyssey: A film based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Sentinel" about the crew of a spaceship bound for Jupiter along with a self aware computer, HAL, who begins to malfunction.  Lois McMaster

Recording Date: November 7, 2017 Hosts: Lauren Martino and David Payne Episode Summary: Cooking enthusiasts Dana Alsup, a librarian at Marilyn Praisner Library, and Nalani Devendra, a library associate at Silver Spring Library, discuss the joys and challenges of cooking and how MCPL can make your next meal a delicious one.  Guests: Librarian Dana Alsup and Library Associate Nalani Devendra Featured MCPL Service: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) resources and events. Our Go! Kits contain books, science tools, a tablet, and more selected to encourage parents/caregivers and children to actively explore the world around them. We have Little Explorer Go! Kits for children ages 3-6 and Young Voyager Go! Kits for children ages 7-12.  What Our Guests Are Currently Reading:  Dana Alsup: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Horowitz has also written for the television series Foyles War and Midsomer Murders. Dana also recently read Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson. Nalani Devendra: Future Crimes by

Recording Date: October 11, 2017 Hosts:Julie Dina and David Payne  Episode Summary: Children's Library Associate Barbara Shansby talks about why some children, and adults, are reluctant to read and how to foster an appreciation for reading among reluctant readers.  Guest: Children's Library Associate Barbara Shansby Featured MCPL Service: What Do I Check Out Next? Tell us what you like to read through our What Do I Check Out Next? form. Our librarians will e-mail you 3 -5 personalized book suggestions.  What Our Guest is Currently Reading: Survivors Club: the True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz by Michael Bornstein. The incredible story of Michael Bornstein, who at 4 years old, was one of the youngest people to be liberated from Auschwitz.   Books and Authors Mentioned During this Episode: Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz: In this thrilling series, 14 year old Alex Rider is coerced into working for British intelligence after his uncle is killed on a mission.  Babymouse by Jennifer and Matthew Holm: