Episode 11: The Radical Promise of a Library: Reading, Community and Social Change with Mridula Koshy

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Summary:

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This episode explores libraries as one of democracy's most overlooked public institutions. Through Mridula Koshy's journey from trade union organising to co-founding The Community Library Project, it examines how free libraries create spaces where reading becomes collective, leadership is shared, and public life is made more inclusive. The conversation moves from India's neglected library ecosystem to questions of accessibility, fraternity, urban inequality, and the shrinking nature of public space. It explores how libraries challenge exclusion based on caste, class, gender, and disability while fostering critical thinking and community participation. The episode also reflects on the future of reading in an age shaped by AI, digital media, and changing attention spans, asking why libraries remain essential to sustaining democratic imagination and the right to think together.

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Listen/Watch here:

https://youtu.be/LXEI5BzRGjc?si=BFfNNubzRSchMZiN

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5u9Dg4fy6bQLuEaRxjGCFp?si=14f172ba52df44a6

If this is your jam, we have more for you!

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for everyone who is a part of the ‘books before movies’ club

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for everyone who is a part of the ‘books before movies’ club

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Fiction
Non Fiction
Graphic Novels:

Other Podcasts:

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because we do not believe in gatekeeping ;)

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1. Literacy Talks

The Literacy Talks, brought to you by the Reading Horizons podcast where literacy champions Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny share practical reading strategies, powerful tips, and actionable insights to empower educators and support every reader. (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/literacy-talks/id1612475221)

2. Librarians Anonymous

A safe space for librarians to share their bizarre, crazy, and unbelievable tales of librarianship while maintaining privacy for themselves and their patrons. (https://open.spotify.com/show/4nuvvSn6G4pen7A1mhUNTm)

3. Books and Beyond with Bound

Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, and insecurities to publishing journeys. (https://open.spotify.com/show/2veCXqI454xA3nCa2mfqUO)

4. A Book A Day by Kalampedia

An audio journal full of excerpts and interpretations. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1YcOrt8j5FOq19nEiAw0gA)

5. librarypunk

A leftist library worker podcast. (https://www.librarypunk.gay/)