Morrison’s Odell Library takes to podcasting to connect with patrons

MORRISON – With the pandemic altering the way libraries operate and patrons access books, Odell Public Library staff came up with a way to get information about new books and things happening at the library to the people they serve.

Emily Lenore, Krysta Mapes and Gillian Larson are getting the word out through their new ‘Between the Stacks’ podcast. The first episode, which dropped Jan. 4, includes the three hosts offering up book recommendations, a talk with library director Meridith Layne, information about how to access the library’s services amid the COVID protocols and a brief talk about the hosts’ pets.

The podcast is available on Spotify and on podcast apps.

“We hear podcasts all the time, and we just thought it would be really nice for the library to have this podcast so that we could just get information to our community in an easier fashion,” Mapes said.

Much of the podcast covers things that, if there were no pandemic, patrons would be able to see for themselves simply by dropping by the library.

“They would be able to come in, browse new books, they’d be able to pick up fliers for events that are going on,” Mapes said.

Lenore is a journalism student at Sauk Valley Community College and hopes to get into podcast producing at some point. Her regular media diet includes quite a few podcasts.

“At the library, I thought we had an opening where we needed something to help get the information out,” she said. “It’s marketing for the library and also helping get the information out in the community. I thought it’d be a really good idea.”

Layne said the biggest message she hopes the community is taking away from the podcast is that, even with a pandemic, the library is still serving people.

“We have limited access right now, but even when everything shut down in March, we still had our digital library, we are still providing services,” Layne said. “We wanted to make sure that we’re always accessible in some form.”

It was an idea that was tossed around before the pandemic, but once things changed in terms of COVID protocols, there came an added need to get information to people who could not as easily visit the library. Currently, the library is offering curbside pickups as well as browsing or computer use by appointment and bookbags by theme for children.

To help her out, Lenore enlisted a pair of podcasting novices.

“I’ve never been on one,” Larson said. “I’ve listened to a few driving or cleaning my house, but I never really envisioned myself being on one, so this is pretty fun.”

The demographic the podcast targets is younger, so the conversational tone of ‘Between the Stacks’ gives audiences a feel of sitting down and talking with the hosts, Layne said.

“Most of the podcasts I listen to are very conversational, talking about conspiracy theories and everything,” Larson said. “I just really like to talk, so it’s nice to banter back and forth and have actual conversations that are recorded and people can listen to.”

They record every other Friday or Saturday, and plan to release new episodes biweekly. Lenore edits the episodes.

“We are trying to figure out different topics we can use,” Larson said. “Next month is Black History Month. We definitely want to spotlight some authors of color. We also have a book club where we talk about books we’re currently reading. We’re still trying to feel out what we want to talk about. Any ideas are appreciated.”

The podcast might even continue in the future, even after the pandemic is over and life at the library goes back to normal.

“It’d be interesting to see what we can do in that sphere, whether it’d be having guests, more in the sense of being able to interview them in a more normal way, and also being able to be at events to cover them live,” Lenore said.

“I think that’d be awesome to go out in the community and just talk to people. Morrison does Paint the Town, and when that happens it’d be awesome to be able to go out on the street and talk to people.”