Three librarians at the Green Hills Public Library, inspired by the resources they work with daily—books, films, music, and video games—began looking for ways to bring those resources into community conversations.
The trio at the library includes Youth Services Librarian Klaudia Gorgon, Adult Services Associate Sara Shahein, and Youth Services Associate Tessa Werden.
Together, they found a way to share their discussions with the community: a podcast.
“There aren’t many library-led podcasts around, but there’s a large and growing audience for books and media,” Shahein said. “We wanted to reach both our local and wider communities with long-form content, and a podcast lets us dive deep into topics and share a bit of our personalities while building a base of dedicated listeners. We’ve received an enormous amount of support and feedback from other librarians and the community.”
The podcast, called Checked Out, began almost by accident, Werden said.
“Originally, Klaudia and I joked about making a podcast, and our Head of Youth Services, Natalie Djordjevic, encouraged us to run with it,” Werden said. “We brought Sara in to represent Adult Services, since Klaudia and I are both in Youth Services, and we knew Sara would be a great addition. We all get along well and share similar interests. The response has been amazing—we’ve had over 100 listens in the last three weeks alone.”
Checked Out is recorded in the library’s youth services programming room and releases a new episode on the first Wednesday of each month. The first episode aired Wednesday, Oct. 2, and future episodes will be available on all major streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube, and the library’s podcast webpage: greenhillslibrary.org/checked-out-podcast.
“Checked Out is unique because, while it’s not the first library podcast, it’s one of the few in our area,” Werden said. “It gives patrons a chance to really get to know us and understand what the library means to the community. Often, we’re busy and can’t spend as much time with each patron as we’d like. The podcast gives listeners a chance to connect with us on a deeper level.”
Shahein agreed. “These conversations are driven by our love for books and media, not by obligation,” she said. “Talking with each other about these things makes it even more special that we can now open those conversations to the community.”
The trio wants to ensure they highlight the library’s resources and are open to exploring new ideas from patrons and staff. “Overall, the podcast is about us and the library, and how the two come together,” Gorgon said.
“We try to discuss media you can find in our library catalog, but we don’t strictly limit ourselves to that. We know our patrons consume media on streaming platforms as well. Ultimately, we talk about what we like, what we don’t, and build connections with our community through those discussions. As we continue this journey, we hope Checked Out becomes a space where our community feels connected not just to the library’s resources, but to each other.”
With each episode of Checked Out, Gorgon, Shahein, and Werden hope to build a bridge between the library and its patrons, creating a space for shared interests and new ideas.
“We want listeners to feel a connection to both the library and to each other,” Gorgon said. “Whether we’re exploring a new novel, revisiting a classic, or discussing the latest streaming series, our goal is to make Checked Out a reflection of our community and all the stories we have yet to discover together.”