The usually quiet James E. Walker Library is making plenty of noise with its new podcast.

“Open Stacks” went live on Oct. 21 with Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, an assistant professor of English and director of the University Writing Center, as its first guest. She discusses writing and rhetoric with reference to specific books and peer-reviewed articles. The host is Jason Martin, the library’s interim dean.

“Podcasting is a great way to tell a story, and through ‘Open Stacks’ we are looking to tell the story not only of the excellent work and people of MTSU, but also the cutting edge work the Walker Library is doing,” Martin said.

Dr. Jason Martin

Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy

The podcast title comes from a library expression referring to “having or being a system of library management in which patrons have direct access to stacks for browsing and selecting books,” as explained at https://library.mtsu.edu/openstacks.

“We started ‘Open Stacks’ because we wanted another way to engage the MTSU and Middle Tennessee communities and, as in-person events are so limited, we wanted a way to virtually engage our community,” Martin said.

Click the image to go to the podcast page.

Future topics include poetry, support for the LGBTQ+ campus community and public health and the media. The Oct. 28 Halloween edition of the podcast is billed as a collection of “spooktacular stories” about Walker Library.

“I am always proud of the work of the Walker Library faculty and staff, and I am particularly proud of this accomplishment and what we have been able to do while working and learning remotely in these most challenging of times,” Martin said.

“Open Stacks” can be heard on Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and on the “Open Stacks” webpage. For more information, contact Martin at 615-904-8378 or jason.martin@mtsu.edu.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

The James E. Walker Library, shown here, has launched a new podcast featuring work by library faculty, staff and collaborators. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)