Podcast
The Reference Desk
Hosted by The Reference Desk · EN
Have you ever fallen down a rabbit hole into an obscure topic and suddenly need to know all the details and consume all the media related to it? You've found your people. Every Wednesday, librarians Hailee and Katie take turns sharing the topic that has them bewitched. After a deep-dive into the subject-du-jour, fill your "to read" list with their related book recommendations.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Lizzie Borden
Dec 21, 202201:56:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Lizzie Borden. Lizzie Borden took an axand gave her mother forty whacks.When she saw what she had done,she gave her father forty-one.But is that what really happened? On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abbie Borden were murdered in their home by an axe in broad daylight. Lizzie, Andrew's daughter, was the only suspect in the murder but she was acquitted through a trial sensationalized in the media and lived the rest of her life as a free, though publicly tormented figure. No one else was ever tried for the crime and it technically remains an unsolved murder. Staff picks: Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica SpotswoodLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusRelated media recommendations: The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (2014)Lizzie (2018)The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah MillerThe Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara RobertsonThe Jennings Journals 1892: The unpublished notes and documents from the files of Lizzie Borden’s Defense Attorney, Andrew Jackson Jennings.See What I Have Done by Sarah SchmidtMaplecroft by Cherie PriestThe Murderer's Maid by Erika MailmanIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Sources:Lizzie Borden.Famous Trials: Lizzie Borden Trial.https://lizzieandrewborden.com/Why 19th Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden was Found Not Guilty The Long Silence of Lizzie BordenCBS: Lizzie Borden Case ImagesOn the Market: Lizzie Borden House for SaleSuppor...
Transcribe →Key West
Dec 7, 202201:45:23Tap to summarizeOn this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by Key West. As the southernmost point in the continental U.S., Key West, Florida, takes some work to get to. But you'll find this place of weirdness, inclusivity, and strange history well worth the voyage. From its beginnings as a shipwreck paradise to its current vibrant mix of American, Spanish, and Caribbean influences, Key West is full of great stories. We'll cover the history of this cayo Hueso from its indigenous people to Spanish colonization to modern times, through a look at some of the elements that make Key West so wonderfully unique: The Conch Republic Secession, the very creepy Carl Tanzler and his corpse bride, the story of the notorious haunted Robert the Doll, and the evolution of Fantasy Fest. Stick around until the end for books about and in Key West, our first-ever content overlap, and the best review of a lift-the-flap book you've ever heard. Staff picks: Hester by Laurie Lico AlbaneseNew World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic by Cory Thoman HutchesonKey West reads: Hidden History of the Florida Keys by Laura Albritton and Jerry WilkinsonHemingway’s Key West by Stuart B. McIverLast Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean by Les StandifordThe Last Train to Key West by Chanel CleetonThe Key West Food Critic Mysteries series by Lucy Burdette Naked Came the Manatee by Carl Hiaasen et. al. Purchase these books and all of our other recommended titles here! Key West Artists: https://keywestartcenter.com/artistshttps://tskw.org/https://www.oceanbluesstudio.com/ Support the show
Transcribe →
Woodstock 1969
Nov 23, 202201:46:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a music festival that happened from August 15-17 in 1969 on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. It was billed as an Aquarian Exposition providing three days of music and peace. Thirty-two acts performed for the nearly 500,000 attendees over the three days and Rolling Stone Magazine lists it as one of the top 50 moments that changed Rock and Roll history. There have been attempts to recreate the iconic music festival and all have been unsuccessful, most notably the absolute disaster of Woodstock 1999. So what made the original festival so special? Staff picks: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam CesareLaziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price Related media recommendations: Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 by Bob SpitzThe Road to Woodstock by Michael LangThree Day Summer by Sarvenaz TashWoodstock, Baby!: A Far-Out Counting Book by Spencer Wilsonwww.woodstock.comhttps://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Spotify PlaylistsWoodstock 1969 - Full Chronological SetlistBest of Woodstock 1969Sources:Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99Woodstock '99WoodstockRichie Havens | 50 Years of Peace & MusicJoan Baez Looks Back at Woodstock: ‘It Was the Eye of the Hurricane’Peace, Love and Music: The Legacy of Woodstock 50 Years LaterWoodstock 1969: How a Music Festival That Should've Been a Disaster Became Iconic Instead - HISTORY<a href='https://www.patreon.com/thereferencede...
Transcribe →
Lobotomies
Nov 10, 202201:47:46Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Katie is bewitched by lobotomies. The U.S. has a long and tragic history of barbaric and inhumane treatment of people living with mental illnesses. From overcrowded institutions to painful experimental treatments, patients were subjected to the unthinkable. Admittance to a state hospital was tantamount to a death sentence served in inhumane conditions. Then, a promising young neurologist introduced a new procedure inspired by the work of a Portuguese physician. Walter Freeman and the prefrontal lobotomy offered the promise of returning a patient home in a year or less. To many, this psychosurgery was seen as a miracle. But as thousands of unconsenting patients had the connections in their prefrontal cortexes severed by leucotomes and orbitoclasts, the true costs of the procedure were slowly revealed. Staff picks: The Flatshare (and ALL the other books!) by Beth O'Leary Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike + its Netflix adaptationRelated media recommendations: The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness by Jack El-HaiMadness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity, from the Bible to Freud, from the Madhouse to Modern Medicine by Andrew ScullRosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford LarsonMy Lobotomy: A Memoir by Howard Dully and Charles FlemingThe Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Greene WoodruffThe Mad Woman's Ball by Victoria MasThe Mountain, directed by Rick AlversonThe Lobotomist, produced by American Experience PBSMy Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey by "All Things Considered" NPRIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Sources: The Strange and Curious History of the LobotomyMy Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey Psychosurgery, Ethics, and Media: A History of Walter Freeman and the LobotomyA Hole in the Head: A History of TrepanationAmerica's Long-Suffering Ment...
Transcribe →
Season 3 Halloween Spooktacular
Oct 31, 202201:39:07Tap to summarizeHappy Halloween! The Reference Desk is back with a spooky, special Halloween episode! Turn off the lights, grab some Halloween candy and settle in as Hailee tells you one of Virginia's creepiest urban legends and Katie enthralls you with a haunted house story that is anything but typical. Plus, get some spooky reading recommendations for any level of scare. The Reference Desk will be back for Season 3 on November 9th! Want to listen (or watch!) episodes 2 days early? Support us on Patreon! Recommendations The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. JacksonThe Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahonMy Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady HendrixLute by Jennifer ThorneJust Like Mother by Anne HeltzelThe Once and Future Witches by Alix E. HarrowThe Final Girl Support Group by Grady HendrixOther Terrors, edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Rena MasonIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Links: The Bunny Man UnmaskedThe True Story Of The Bunnyman, Northern Virginia's Most Gruesome Urban LegendBunny Man Bridge: Northern Virginia's Spooky Urban LegendThe Clifton Bunny ManWitch Witchcraft Act is Which? A True and Just Record...I Bought a Witches' Prison Real estate listing for The Cage Support the show
Transcribe →Libraries
May 11, 202201:26:29Tap to summarizeJoin us in the stacks for our final episode of SEASON 2! This week, and always, we are bewitched by libraries! Learn about how we got into the library profession, listen to some listener stories, and check out some of our recommended readings about these magical places we love so much. We have had the best time researching and telling each other (and you!) all about the strange things that keep us up at night and can’t wait to see you again soon! Recommendations I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina SheridanThe Story Collector: A New York Public Library Book by Kristin O'Donnell TubbPlanting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy DeniseThe Library Book by Susan OrleanThe Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher MurphyWhat You Wish For by Katherine CenterThe Midnight Library by Matt HaigIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Support the show
Transcribe →The Radium Girls
May 4, 202201:33:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Katie is bewitched by the tragic story of the Radium Girls. Hundreds of young women were thrilled at the chance to paint clock faces and dials with a new kind of glow-in-the-dark paint in the 1920s. Factories that produced these new products paid three times as much as similar employers, with the added bonus of free access to the highly valuable radium that gave its paint its signature glow. At the time, radium was being added to everything from water to makeup and was touted as a miracle cure. But within a few short years, the dial painters were suffering from everything from tumors to teeth loss. Dubbed the "radium girls" these brave women spent their final years locked in battle with the corporations that poisoned them. What we are reading: The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlaneRecommended:The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate MooreRadium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935 by Claudia ClarkThe Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate MooreGlow by Megan E. BryantRadio Girls by Sarah-Jane StratfordThe Last Ballad by Wiley CashLinks: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/we-used-to-put-radium-in-coffee/263408/ https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/nyregion/mae-keane-who-painted-watch-dials-with-a-radium-mixture-dies-at-107.html https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/radionuclides.pdfhttps://nypost.com/2017/03/22/skin-glowing-from-radium-ghost-girls-died-for-a-greater-cause/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/curies-isolate-radiumhttps://www.cnn.com/style/article/radium-girls-radioactive-paint/index.htmlSupport the show
Transcribe →Marilyn Monroe
Apr 27, 202201:40:10Tap to summarizeThis week, Hailee is bewitched by the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Born Norma Jean in 1926, she was moved from foster home to foster home, living for a time in an orphanage and never having a stable home base. She was married off when she was only 16 years old and was discovered by an Army Airforce photographer sent to take morale-boosting photographs of female workers during WWII. Marilyn worked tirelessly on her craft, reading books and taking classes but she struggled with her past and with her mental health. Marilyn is much more than the blonde bombshell she has been pegged to be. Recommendations Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Bernard Comment The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy TaraborrelliMarilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria SteniemGoddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony SummersBeauty Mark by Carole Boston WeatherfordThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org! Linkshttps://www.biography.com/actor/marilyn-monroehttps://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-life-of-marilyn--EqqS7PM6B13chDP6QRYNgtnkhttps://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-joe-dimaggio-relationshiphttps://www.cnn.com/2022/01/15/opinions/marilyn-monroe-film-critic-origseriesfilms-opinion/index.htmlhttps://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-arthur-miller-relationshiphttps://www.grunge.com/417140/marilyn-monroes-eerie-letter-from-inside-a-psychiatric-hospital/https://www.womansday.com/relationships/a60346/true-story-marilyn-monroe-john-f-kennedy-affair/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/entertainment/gallery/marilyn-monroe/index.htmlSupport the show
Transcribe →Julia Child Part 2
Apr 13, 202201:14:52Tap to summarizeThis week, we continue telling the story of Julia Child. After returning to America, Julia Child became a star within the culinary world, thanks to her best-selling cookbook. But it was a local television studio that made her a household name. After a successful guest appearance, Julia was given her own series on PBS. For nearly four decades, Julia remained a constant presence in American homes, thanks to her down-to-Earth, fun-loving approach to home cooking. This week's recommendations:Currently Reading: A Lullaby for Witches by Hester FoxBathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty and David RobertsNon-fiction suggestions: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'hommeIn Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child by Pamela Heyne and Jim SchererKitchen Confidential by Anthony BourdainFiction suggestions: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo The Abundance by Amit MajmudarThe Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenryChildren's suggestions: Minette's Feast by Susan Reich and Amy June BatesJulia, Child by Kyo Maclear and Julia MorstadBorn Hungry by Alex Prud'homme and Sarah GreenSupport the show
Transcribe →Julia Child Part 1
Apr 6, 202200:54:41Tap to summarizeThis week, Katie is bewitched by the one and only Julia Child. Beloved for her warm and inviting presence on screen that made her a star, Julia Child's life before she became America's favorite French cook is less well known. Abandoning her career as a copywriter to serve her country during World War II, Julia traveled to Asia, working for the OSS, where she met her husband, Paul Cushing Child. Together, the pair moved to Paris and Julia fell in love with French cuisine. In this first of two episodes spanning the incredible life of Julia Child, we explore her childhood, government service, education, and married life before she published her first cookbook. This week's recommendations:Currently reading: The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny ColganThe Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida CórdovaOne Last Stop by Casey McQuinstonA League of Extraordinary Women series by Evie DunmoreSupport the show
Transcribe →