Libraries Lead! is a provocative podcast about all things information & library hosted by Beth Patin (Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse U), Dave Lankes (Professor, iSchool, U of Texas), and Mike Eisenberg (Dean/Professor Emeritus, iSchool, U of Washington). Information age opportunities and challenges affect every aspect of human existence. We wrestle with such topics as social justice, political unrest, mis- and dis-information, kids, family and adult living; education and learning; work, employment, training and jobs; recreation, entertainment, and play; disasters & emergency preparedness with a focus on libraries & information science, services, and systems. 4 segments in approx. 1 hour: WAZZUP, AI WATCH, MAIN TOPIC, and AWESOME LIBRARY THINGY.
Our Co-Hosts
Dr. Beth Patin
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.” Beth Patin is all about making a difference.
Dr. Beth Patin is an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. Her research agenda focuses on the equity of information in two research streams: crisis informatics and cultural competence. She is the co-founder of the Library Information Investigative Team research group.
Currently, she is working on projects about epistemicide and at the intersection of disability and race in youth literature. Additionally, she is a member of the Advisory Board on the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries.
Dr. Dave Lankes
Dave Lankes is the Virginia and Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at University of Texas Austin. Dave is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today’s society earning him the ALA Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contribution to reference librarianship (2021) and the Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship (2016).
He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries. He has served on advisory boards and study teams in the fields of libraries, telecomm, education, and transportation including at the National Academies. His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/ Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature. Dave’s work has been funded by organizations including The MacArthur Foundation, IMLS, NASA, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Defense, The NSF, U.S. State Department, and The American Library Association.
Dr. Mike Eisenberg
Mike Eisenberg is an educator, scholar, advocate, and mentor whose personal motto is, “make it better!” He is known for ground-breaking work in:
- academic innovation: founding the University of Washington’s Information School (iSchool), and building the iSchool field as one of 5 initiators of the information schools movement and organization.
- information literacy: co-creating the “Big6” – the most widely used K-12 information literacy program in the world.
- information science research: conducting funded, award-winning studies of relevance and measurement, information literacy, digital information service, personal information management, and virtual environments.
Mike is recognized for outstanding teaching and innovation in online, virtual pedagogy, receiving teaching awards from the Information Schools at Syracuse and Washington.
