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In this one we  we go on a tour through time with Matt Maris of Local Historia to discover the surprising history of Centre County. Local Historia's mission is to  shine light upon the past, connect with community in the present, and preserve local history for the future. You can connect with Local Historia for a themed walking tour and much more through the Local Historia website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.No mention of local history research would be complete without also mentioning the excellent resources of the Centre County Historical Society and the Centre County Library and Historical Museum. Also in this episode we continue our Underwriters from Fiction, DJ Lilly gives us a 6 word book-review for Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich, and our Poetry Nightcap revitalizes the tired poetry trope of alligator-wrestling.

We talk with Dr. John Gastil about role-playing as a feature in his new novel Dungeon Party, as well as with Hansen Bergamini to see what effect role-playing has had in his life.Our Underwriters From Fiction is from a pharmaceutical giant dedicated to  maximizing medication side effects in order to provide new marketing opportunities. Our Poetry Nightcap is from the very talented Karine Polwart.If you are keen to checkout what role-playing groups are meeting through Schlow Library, you can email refdesk@schlowlibrary.org for more information.That and much more is going on with your friends at Schlow Library, come join us for something fun!

We talk with Maria Burchill, the head of Schlow's Adult Services, on the various ways we can stay connected together through the winter.  Some of the resources discussed include:All the virtual programing and services Schlow offersSchlow's Zoom rooms open to the public for your event or meetingSchlow's portal to StoryCorps ConnectCentre County Memories on the StoryCorps ArchiveAll the free tools Google has to help you in a variety of waysTabletop SimulatorWPSU's Community CalendarOur Underwriters from Fiction  comes from everyone's favorite vampire TV show of the 1990's; and guys, our Poetry Nightcap is a piece by NEIL GAIMAN! The good times never stop with your friends at Schlow Library.

We explore the ways we can create a more deliberative democracy with Dr. John Gastil. Local engagement in a deliberative process can help us overcome factionalism and empower future political participation. Come see what it can do for you! Our Underwriters from Fiction has a promo that.... well, it has a promo for its time and place.We conclude with a poetry nightcap by way of Ewan MacColl.Lots of stuff is going on at Schlow Library, come join us!

Professor Scott Smith joins us as we take a deep dive into the fantasy works of JRR Tolkien.Our Underwriters from Fiction continues with one of the best comedies of all time, and we end with our prose nightcap focusing on some beautiful and chilling selections from The Lord of the Rings.Come checkout all the cool stuff going on at Schlow Library. 

We talk with the judging panel from the Pennsylvania Center for the Book on their awarding the Lynn Ward Graphic Novel Prize to King of King Court by Travis Dandro. We also get a lot of book recommendations at the end, including a bunch of comics to check out. Also, our Underwriters from Fiction breaks new barriers in retro-nerdism, and we end with a poetry nightcap from local author Katherine Bode-Lang.Come see all the cool goings-on at Schlow Library!

We discuss wrongful convictions with Tim Robicheaux, an Associate Teaching Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Penn State. You can learn more about wrongful convictions at the The National Registry of Exonerations.Our poetry nightcap is from local author Jim Colbert from his book, Defiantly Blue Sky.All sorts of stuff is shaking at Schlow Library, come see for yourself!

Professor Margaret Brittingham talks with us about what we can do to build wildlife habitat on our own lawns. All sorts of useful information on building habitat can be found on the Penn State Extension website.Our poetry nightcap is from local author Jack Troy, from his book Calling the planet home.Lots of great programming is going on at Schlow Library, come check us out.

Author Mermer Blakeslee talks with us about creativity and writing, and we have an epiphany about why fiction is so important.Underwriters from Fiction continues, if you have an underwriter from fiction that you would like to see sponsor the show, send your advertisement copy to bdrain@sachlowlibrary.org.All kinds of cool events and virtual programming are happening at Schlow Library, come check us out.If you are an eccentric billionaire and would like to purchase us an ASCAP license, please hit me up. In the meantime, we'll be piecing together free CC music. The credits of the music in this episode are found bellow._____Laying Low by Admiral Bob (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/61081 Ft: ApoxodeJe suis un Phoenix by Bluemillenium (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Bluemillenium/61325 The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628 Ft: ApoxodeBossa Noir for Nights by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/61806 Ft: Martijn de Boer (NiGiD),  JavolenusPipes of a Stranger byEsencayEnis (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://ccmixter.org/files/EsencayEnis/61926Loopster by Kevin MacLeod (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (4.0) license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The Right Voice by Sackjo22 (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://ccmixter.org/files/SackJo22/33699Afternoon Walking Pleasures  by EsencayEnis c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://ccmixter.org/files/EsencayEnis/61887

We talk with Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon of the band Simple Gifts about how you can be playing music with others during the pandemic.We begin our Underwriters from Fiction spots. If you have an underwriter from fiction that you would like to sponsor the show, send your advertisement copy to bdrain@schlowlibrary.org .We end with a prose nightcap by local author Andrew Bode-Lang from his book Field Trips with Exceptional People.You can check out all the happenings at Schlow Library here.

David Pencek, former Communications Manager of Schlow Centre Region Library, bids farewell, and also talks about the future of the Schlow Library Podcast!

Lee Stout was Penn State's University Archivist for 27 years and retired as Librarian Emeritus for Special Collections. He has numerous articles and authored or co-authored several books on Penn State's history, including Ice Cream U: The Story of the Nation's Most Successful Collegiate Creamery and Lair of the Lion: A History of Beaver Stadium. In this episode, Lee talks about the Creamery, as we celebrate National Ice Cream Month, and Beaver Stadium, as many wonder what will happen this football season amid COVID-19.

BookFest PA is online this year and will run over three days July 8-10. The final event is an evening with best-selling authors Lisa Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella. Francesca's debut novel, Ghosts of Harvard, was published this spring. In this episode, we chat with Francesca about her book, her relationship with her mom, and more!Francesca Serritella: https://www.francescaserritella.com/BookFest PA: https://bookfestpa.schlowlibrary.org/

This year, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has moved its annual juried exhibition show Images that is usually held in the Schlow Gallery to online because of COVID-19. We chat with this year's juror Emily Burns about the exhibition, being an artist during the coronavirus, and more!Images 2020: https://arts-festival.com/images-juried-exhibitionEmily Burns: http://emilyburns.com

We chat with Leslie Laing and Jason Browne — two community people who have led and inspired talks about race and racism. Leslie is student advocacy specialist and director of Adult Learner Programs at Penn State. Jason is a radio host on B 94.5 and past president of Rotary Club.

On June 25, Schlow will welcome, via Zoom, members of Tir Na Nog Irish Dance. They'll be performing and giving instruction on some basic Irish dance steps.Director Sue Garner, who started dancing when she was 6 years old, joins us, along with two members of the Resuta family that performs with Tir Na Nog. Maria, who is 17, and Christopher, who is 15, compete at championship levels, and Christopher is a three-time North American National Qualifier. The three talk about how they started performing Irish dance and what performing and teaching has been like in this COVID-19 world.Tir Na Nog Irish Dance: http://tirnanogofpa.com

Adam Swartz has been touring across the United States with his puppets since 1999. He has become a popular performer at Schlow over the years, and he'll be doing two programs in June with the library via Zoom.Adam talks about doing puppet performances online during the time of the coronavirus and how he got his start with puppets.Adam Swartz Puppets: https://www.adamswartzpuppets.com/Adam Swartz Puppet Show June 17: https://www.schlowlibrary.org/events/virtual-adam-swartz-puppet-showAdam Swartz Puppetry Workshop June 18: https://www.schlowlibrary.org/events/virtual-adam-swartz-puppetry-workshop

Seniors across the country weren't able to finish their high school careers the way they wanted due to the coronavirus. In that way, they became a special class to remember.This week, we bring back three State High seniors who joined us last fall for a look at teen life in Happy Valley. Mac Campbell, Madeline Lawrence, and Sydnee Rockey talk about their last months of high school at home and what they've learned and missed along the way.State College Area School District: https://www.scasd.org/

Registration for Summer Reading has opened and everyone can start logging in their information starting June 1. While Summer Reading will be different this year because of the coronavirus, participants can still go on Quests and have a chance to win prizes. In addition, we have some great programming happening virtually this summer.To get you ready for it all we chat with Paula Bannon, Schlow's Head of Children's Services; Katie Brennan, Children's Services Librarian; and Karen Lambert, Adult Services Librarian about Summer Reading!Summer Reading: https://reading.schlowlibrary.org/

With Memorial Day weekend here, Tyler Gum, director of the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, joins us to talk about the museum and all of the history it has. Schlow and the military museum have a partnership where, when the library and museum are open, patrons can check out a family pass to the military museum.Also, we announce that our remote book returns are now open!PA Military Museum: https://www.pamilmuseum.org/