Have you ever had an idea for a podcast and not known exactly where to begin? Looking for answers online turns up a variety of resources, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you see extensive lists of gear, software, and production techniques.

Fortunately, the Library is a great first step to learning the tools of the trade! The Library’s Digital Media Expert’s recommendation for anyone who asks about audio editing or making a podcast is Audacity, a free open-source audio-editing application. Read more about Podcasting 101

A new Little Free Library has been installed in Will Detmer Park! 

According to children’s librarian, Ginny Hosler, “a Little Free Library is a free-standing book sharing box. Each Little Free Library has a steward, the person who sponsored and built the library, and each one is super unique to the neighborhood it lives in.” Find more information on the nonprofit organization behind the movement at littlefreelibrary.org.

Little Free Libraries are typically placed in locations where access to books is scarce. “We wanted to install the new library in a spot that would be utilized and helpful to the people who lived around it. Will Detmer Park was a great choice because it’s not near any of the Library’s branches or Bookmobile stops and is in a community park where people frequently go to play, walk, and garden,” Ginny said. Read more about Library Installs Little Free Library in Will Detmer Park

Electric Zine Maker is a super awesome new tool for making zines of all kinds, but especially printable mini-zines! It is one of the most unique looking tools out there, with an interface that proudly screams early 90s internet weirdness and delights in secrets and strange features. It was created by developer Nathalie Lawhead, and to celebrate its launch, she held the Electric Zine Jam on itch.io at the end of June. Read more about Electric Zine Maker

Have you ever wanted to publish your own story, comic, or other writing? If so, then you may be interested in making zines!

What Are Zines?

Zines are self-published books. If you think about a zine as being a “mini-magazine” you’ll have a clue as to what they are and a cool trick to help you remember that “zine” is pronounced the same way as the letters “zine” at the end of the word “magazine.” 

Zines come in lots of different shapes and sizes––so even though we can think about them as “mini-magazines,” they could actually be bigger than a common magazine.  Read more about Making Zines for Tweens