How I Library

About How I Library

The American Library Association (ALA) is proud to present the podcast, “How I Library.” Hosted by ALA Communications Manager Phil Morehart, this monthly series features authors, filmmakers, musicians, scholars, thought leaders, and, of course, librarians discussing the importance of libraries, their favorite library memories, and issues facing the library world. Along the way, they share thoughts about their work, what inspires them, and so much more. The podcast is an extension of the #HowILibrary campaign that ALA launched in 2023 that asked authors “how they library”: what the library means to them, how they use and have used the library, and how the library has impacted their lives.

Publisher

American Library Association

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Feb 2024

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

36 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Episode 36: Dr. Betty Turock

   In this special episode commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Library Association (ALA), which was founded on October 6, 1876, Phil Morehart from ALA and I Love Libraries speaks with one of the key figures in the history of the Association and librarianship, Dr. Betty Turock. Turock, who served as ALA President from 1995 to 1996, was a faculty member at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information for 22 years. She’s authored more than 100 books, articles, and reports, and was the founding editor of “The Bottom Line,” a journal dedicated to the study of library finances. And that just scratches the surface of her amazing life, one that includes being a champion of diversity in librarianship; an early proponent of the internet and equity of access to information for everyone; working with the Black Panther Party in the 1960s; speaking before Congress and the FCC on dozens of occasions; being profiled in the New York Times; and so much more. Turock joins the podcast to discuss her incredible life and career, her legacy, her thoughts on the future of librarianship and ALA at 150 years, and more.

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Episode 35: John Carpenter and Sandy King

   In episode 35 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host Phil Morehart from the American Library Association speaks with husband-and-wife team of filmmaker John Carpenter and comic book publisher Sandy King about their award-winning publishing company Storm King Comics. John Carpenter is the pioneering director of some of cinema’s most terrifying and thrilling movies: “Halloween,” “The Thing,” “The Fog,” “They Live,” “Trouble in Little China,” “Price of Darkness,” “Escape from New York,” “Starman,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” and more. Sandy King has worked with filmmakers ranging from John Cassavetes, John Hughes, and Francis Ford Coppola to Michael Mann, Walter Hill, and Roger Corman, in addition to producing several of Carpenter’s films. Together, they are Storm King. In 1991, King started Storm King Productions as a film, television, and podcast production company. Storm King Comics debuted in 2012, making King the first woman to found a comic-book publishing house. Storm King Comics has been heralded for its many horror, sci-fi, and suspense comic and graphic novel titles, from its flagship title “John Carpenter’s Asylum” and “John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction” to the annual anthology “John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight” and “John Carpenter’s Night Terrors.” Storm King Comics’ latest release, “John Carpenter’s Cathedral,” is a unique production: A graphic novel that follows a trio of detectives who descend into hell in search of a killer entity and a corresponding heavy metal album inspired by the comic recorded by Carpenter and his band. Carpenter and King join the “How I Library” podcast to discuss Storm King Comics, the inspiration behind “Cathedral,” their lifelong love of comic books, adapting films to comics, their thoughts on book bans and censorship, using comics as teaching tools, their love of libraries, and more.

3. 

   3 Jul 2026

   Episode 34: Min Jin Lee

   In episode 34, show host Phil Morehart from the American Library Association speaks with author Min Jin Lee about her new book, “American Hagwon.” Lee is the author of the novels “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award and named by the New York Times as one of the “100 Best Books of the Century.” “Pachinko” was also adapted into a successful series on Apple TV. Lee was the 2024 recipient of The Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence and currently serves as the New York State Author Laureate, among many accolades. Lee’s upcoming novel, “American Hagwon,” available in September 2026, is her first novel in 10 years and the third in a planned quartet about the Korean diaspora. The sprawling epic follows a family living in Soeul, South Korea, who are uprooted due to the economic crisis that engulfed Asia in the late 1990s. The move takes them to Australia and finally to Southern California, where new opportunities flourish for the three children while their parents adjust to a new life in a new land. It’s a life where the parents’ experience and education mean little, but the obstacles don’t prevent them from doing whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures. “American Hagwon” is a story of sacrifice, determination, and betrayal; finding and realizing one’s self-worth; the importance of faith and family; and the lengths that people will go to get the “right education.” Lee joins the podcast to discuss “American Hagwon,” her extensive research process, the pressures of the modern education system, book bans, and, of course, how she libraries.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

17 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 18 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

16

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact How I Library

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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