In this July edition, Jim and Steve talk to Chief Librarian Sue Laker with a preview of the annual Summer Exhibition now on display in the library gardens, tour guide Simon De La Rue about tour guiding and the value of the library to preparing his tours, and Alex Bates about his new film 'Born of Water' set in Guernsey in the medieval period. And i…

In this episode, we continue our series on the Guernsey Farmhouse with architect, Andrew Dyke; JP Fallaize talks about researching and exploring the shipwrecks around our shores; for Book of the Month we talk to Jag Sherbourne about her new book “Clouds in my Guernsey Sky”; and we round off our series on Guernsey Surnames by looking at surnames der…

In this episode we talk to Architectural historian, Andrew Dyke about the Guernsey farmhouse, with particular reference to the Les Caches, the National Trust’s farmhouse in the Forest; Jim tells the story of his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Lucas Houguez, lighthouse keeper of Les Casquets; Steve takes another look at Guernsey Surnames – wit…

In this month's episode, we feature a preview of the upcoming Guernsey Literary Festival with Festival Director, Claire Allen; we talk to Nik van Leuven, Chairman of Council of the Priaulx Library about the role of the Council and the future of the library; we take our regular look at Guernsey surnames; and we pay a tribute to local historian and l…

In the first episode of 2023, Jim and Steve talk to Senior Librarian, Judith Finnamore, about what has been going on in the library when it was closed in January, as well as hearing all about the first Priaulx After Dark event in October. We talk to Damien Saunders about a 350-year old shipwreck, Vierge du Bon Port, which has never been found; atte…

In this episode we talk to Edward Chaney about The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, we take a look at the Priaulx Library’s summer exhibition celebrating 125 years of the Guernsey Press, Marianne Palmer Smith whose father worked at the Priaulx Library during the 1960s tells us some stories of the goings-on and Peter Stuart continues his history of the qua…

In our June episode, we talk to Yan Marquis about the Guernesiais poet, Denys Corbet, to Tilly Fisken about the story behind Potter's Corner, Peter Stewart continues his history of the quarrying industry, Dinah Bott chooses Darryl Ogier's 'Reformation and Society in Guernsey' as Book of the Month, Sue Laker and Alan Solway tell us about the library…

In our first episode, hosts Jim Delbridge and Steve Foote start their quest to explore Guernsey's history and heritage. Since it's Liberation Day this month, there is a German Occupation theme to many of the topics. Malcolm Sarre shares his memories of the day before Liberation Day. Chief Librarian, Sue Laker talks about the Guernsey Underground Ne…

Shaena and Jenna talk about three types of books that they "hate." These are the books that they are tired to seeing on the new book shelves at the library and wish would be banished to the overflow stacks. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh, and Jenna talks about Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose.…

Shaena and Jenna discuss the many facets of professionalism. What does it mean to be professional in appearance and behaviour? Does it even matter anymore? They get into the nitty gritty on issues such as wearing jeans to work (gasp!), using clothes to build confidence, cell phone usage and bringing your personal life to work. Jenna also shares her…

Shaena and Jenna talk about the 5 children's books that were nominated for the Governor General's Literary Awards (2020). The books are: Nevers by Sara Cassidy, Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath, Harvey Holds His Own by Colleen Nelson, The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson, and The King Of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters. Did these titles deserve…

Shaena shares her love of romance by giving ten book recommendations that have diverse main characters. Jenna gets schooled in romance terminology, such as "H.E.A" and "forced proximity." On the Reading Break (21:52 - 28:37), Jenna talks about Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher, and Shaena talks abo…

Shaena and Jenna discuss the slippery slope of censorship in public libraries. Prompted by recent headlines (Dr. Seuss, Halifax Public Library etc.), the conversation explores the tension between standing up for what's right and protecting freedom of speech. On the Reading Break (17:10-24:25), Shaena talks about Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibb…

In some not-so-casual small talk, Shaena and Jenna open the episode with a discussion about the most memorable programs they've attended. Shaena shares some research about the evolution of children's programs, and then they get into some of the pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises of virtual programming during a pandemic. During the Reading Break…

Shaena and Jenna talk about the differences between literary fiction and genre fiction by comparing the first few pages of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs. The conversation touches on award culture, book snobbery and if you should challenge yourself when reading. During the Reading Break (26:00-33:10), Shaena talks …

No customers are allowed in our library buildings right now, due to COVID-19. Do library staff actually miss having them in the building? Shaena and Jenna discuss their thoughts. The conversation covers how their jobs have changed during curbside service, the problem with one-sided reference questions, the chaos of creating book bundles and if they…

Shaena and Jenna share their experiences with reading on their Kobos and consider abandoning paper books altogether. Maybe it's okay, maybe it's not. Jenna (Kobo-newbie) also explains the history of the ereader, and Shaena (Kobo-pro) shares her ereader journey. In the second half of the podcast, the idea of books as "art objects" is discussed. Duri…

Welcome back to another season of Library Life! Shaena and Jenna each share some professional goals for 2021 and get caught up on how life's been going. Shaena talks about returning to school and some new duties at work. Jenna shares her struggles with finding the work-from-home/life balance, as well as an idea for a future training session. On the…

Like any good library-themed project, we begin with the stats for season two of Library Life. Next, we look at our favourite and least favourite episodes of the season. We reflect on the year's ups and downs and chat about where we want the show to go in season three. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about her Christmas-themed book, Skipping Chri…

How do you maintain good boundaries in the library? We attempt to answer this question and dive into the many complexities of providing good customer service without giving too much of yourself. This conversation is filled with personal examples of how we've over-extended ourselves and our strategies to improve our own boundaries. On the Reading Br…

We are joined by our friend Elizabeth, who just started working as a shelver. We talk about how Covid has affected the shelvers' regular duties, the library hierarchy and how working at the library shapes reading habits. During our Reading Break we talk about a Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, A Study In Scarlett Woman by Sherry Thomas, Would L…

The day has finally come! Shaena has read one of Jenna's all-time favourite books, Still Life by Louise Penny. We laugh a lot and discuss our thoughts on this mystery novel. There is fangirling (by Jenna) and musings on the actual number of trees in Three Pines (by Shaena). The conversation strays to topics including the middle-aged women POV and t…

Sometimes good people have big library fines. We talk about how shame keeps people away from the library, and Jenna's friends kindly share some of their own library shame. We also talk about how no overdue fines (as a COVID-19 relief effort) has changed the experience of "library shame." During the Reading Break Shaena talks about A Darkening Mist …

This is a bit of a departure from our usual content, but Jenna wanted to share some big news: she finished writing her book! Shaena interviews her, and Jenna shares the story of why she wrote a novel that's set in a library. The conversation gets into different aspects of the writing life and how part-time library jobs make room for creative pursui…

In this "micro" episode Shaena and Jenna talk about the books they've read this summer. They each share a highlight and a lowlight. The books that they talk about are The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart, Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz, No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews. We hope you enjoy this sho…

Shaena talks about her anxieties surrounding the reopening of her library during the pandemic and what happened when the customers finally returned for browsing. She also shares some of the mechanics of reopening a library and offers some words of advice. On the Reading Break, Jenna talks about how reading urban fantasy went and The Underpainter by…

In this episode, Shaena introduces Jenna to the world of Urban Fantasy through book recommendations. We also talk about the books that we are currently reading and just finished in our Reading Break. The books mentioned in this episode are: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moing, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, Angel Blood b…

Jenna's gone back to work at the library! Shaena interviews her to see what it's like to work at a library during a pandemic. She talks about safety measures, having no customers in the building and curbside pick-up. In the second half of the episode, we look back at our 2020 library predictions and see if they'll still stand up in the post-pandemi…

In this episode, we talk about how libraries can engage with the Black Lives Matter movement. We have a frank discussion about our own shortcomings in this area and discuss practical ways that libraries can to support people of colour. As always we have our Reading Break where we discuss the books that we have just finished, just started, and antic…

Join us for a casual chat on the podcast. We talk about what we've been up to during quarantine, the effect it has on our reading routines, what the future might look like and the state of our mental health. During Reading Break, Shaena talks about Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong and House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas. …

In times like these, books can be a great source of comfort. In this episode we talk about books that let you escape into another world. There is no official Reading Break, but we talk about a number of books in this episode and our current reads towards the end. You can see the complete list here: https://bit.ly/3bKhEkP . Let us know your favourit…

This episode we read Google Reviews of libraries! We share a few laughs, and get serious about some of the issues brought up. The conversation touches on "risky play," paying for parking, being too noisy, homelessness and more. In the Reading Break, Shaena talks about When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton and Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. Jenna tal…

In this episode, we begin with a little bookclub for The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, and then we talk a bit about visiting the Hemingway House in the Key West. After the Reading Break, we get into a discussion about classic books--love 'em or hate 'em. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and Jenna …

In this episode we chat all about audiobooks! We talk what makes a good narrator, discuss if listening is "real" reading, our favourite/least favourite audiobook performances, the crazy people who listen to an audiobook sped up and more. On the Reading Break Shaena talks about Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, and Jenna talks about Stati…

In this episode of Library Life, we talk about book clubs! We discuss our feelings and experiences with book clubs, how to start your own and some does and don'ts. On our Reading Break Jenna talks about Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas and Sheets by Brenna Thummier, while Shaena talks about the Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. Contact us at: T…

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! In this episode we talk about some trends that occurred in the last decade of libraries, and the trends that we hope to see in the new decade. Some of the topics we get into are maker-spaces, library layouts, roving and hiring staff without library experience. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about finish…

In the season finale of Library Life, Season 1, we reflect on the first seventeen episodes of this podcast. We discuss our favourite and least favourite episodes, our challenges and the process of making a podcast when you know nothing about making a podcast. There's lots of laughs in this episode, and we get real about what it's like to work on a …

The purchasing of library eBooks has always been complicated, and it just got worse. In this episode we learn about library ebooks by examining the Macmillan ebook embargo. The Macmillan embargo went into effect on November 1, 2019, limiting the amount of ebooks a library could purchase in the first eight weeks of publication. Librarians and custom…

In this episode Shaena talks about her career journey from the highs to the lows. Shaena also discusses the full time grind and how she handles working full time. As always we have our Reading Break where we talk about the books we are currently reading. On this Reading Break, we discuss The Line Between by Tosca Lee and Book Lover by Jennifer Kauf…

In this episode of the podcast we look at the beloved girl detective, Nancy Drew, and her appearances in television and film. This episode was prompted by the latest 2019 adaption simply called, Nancy Drew, that airs on the CW. The other versions that we chat about are Nancy Drew...Detective (1938), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939), Hardy…

On this episode we answered your burning questions about the library. You guys asked, and we answered. We also talked about the books we are currently reading on our Reading Break. We hope you enjoy the episode; we had a lot of fun making it! As always we want to hear from you! Contact us at: Twitter: @librarylifepod Instagram: @librarylifepod Emai…

On this episode of Library Life we talk about the Toronto Public Library's new logo and the Seattle Public Library's controversy. We also discuss the pros and cons around library rebranding. As always, on Reading Break we talk about the books we are currently reading. As always we want to hear from you! Contact us at: Twitter: @librarylifepod Insta…

On this episode we discuss why readers tend to choose between fiction and non-fiction. Jenna introduces Shaena to different types of non-fiction books to get her started on her journey into the non-fiction stacks. And of course, we talk about the books that we are currently reading during the Reading Break. Here are the books that Jenna talks about…

In this episode we discuss the issue of who gets to be called a librarian. We learn about the history of the librarian profession, the education needed, and the role of librarians and library assistants. We debate the idea that everyone who works in a library should be called a librarian. On our Reading Break we talk about the books that we are cur…

This episode we are joined by our good friend, Nathan, who has recently come back to reading by listening to audiobooks. We discuss his reading journey, the value of audiobooks, and what we are currently listening to. As always we want to hear from you! Contact us at: Twitter: @librarylifepod Instagram: @librarylifepod Email: librarylifepodcast@gma…

We watched 10 films and TV shows, all featuring librarians and libraries, and talked about how realistic the librarian was, their presence in the film/TV show, and how much we enjoyed the film/TV show overall. Due to the length of the episode we decided to forgo the Reading Break. We hope you enjoy the episode. As always we want to hear from you! C…

This is the podcast where we talk about the books that shaped us into the readers that we are today. It's basically one big Reading Break! Oh, and don't mind the thumps and bumps; it's just the sound of our books hitting the desk. Our bad. We would love to hear about the books that you loved at the different stages of your life. Contact us at: Twit…

Impostor Syndrome what is it? Listen as Jenna discusses her experiences with it at the beginning of her career. Find out what we are currently reading in the Reading Break. As always we want to hear from you. Find us at: Twitter: @librarylifepod Instagram: @librarylifepod Email: librarylifepodcast@gmail.com Music Used: Thorn Horn by Alexander Nakar…

In this episode we have a very special guest on the podcast--our mom! We talk about child literacy, reminiscence about childhood and some of our favourite books that we read while growing up. Happy Mother's Day! If you have any suggestions on what we should talk about or if you just want to say hi, you can find us on: Twitter: @librarylifepod Insta…

In this episode we look at some of the history behind Reader's Advisory, with a special focus on Joyce Saricks and the Downers Grove Public Library. After the Reading Break, where we discuss what we're reading, we share some of our own experiences with R.A. and offer some helpful tips. If you have any suggestions on what we should talk about or if …