By Ashleigh Hvinden
I travel an hour each way to work because I love my job. While I’m driving, however, I need something to pass the time. I can listen to audiobooks but sometimes I read faster than I listen – I want to know what happens in the book, so I skip ahead and then I must spend time finding another audiobook. It’s a vicious cycle. Plus, sometimes the narrator does not click with me and I am stuck on the road with an audiobook that I am not enjoying. I prefer variety when I drive in the car and the radio drives me crazy.
That is why I adore podcasts. I absolutely love them. They are free of charge, have no commercials and there is a podcast subject for everyone: sewing, Star Wars, comics, books, news, politics, advice, women’s health, men’s health, research, tech, computers, movies, Comic Con, Disney, trivia, public libraries, authors and so many more. When I got into this hobby and discovered board game podcasts, it really changed my outlook on how to glean information about board games.
The podcasters I listen to are dedicated and enthusiastic and the sound production quality is amazing. I feel like I am staying current about new board game releases, and the podcaster’s descriptions of games can help me figure out how to teach a game for work or help me find one that I want to add to my personal collection. If you are interested, here are some unconventional resources that I use to keep current with board games. These podcasts may help with developing your library collections or just with finding useful information to help supplement our jobs as “Board Game Librarians.” All of these are available in the iTunes podcast search engine or on the podcasting app of your choice.
I love podcasts so much that I started my own, the Books 4 Board Gamers Podcast. My intent with the podcast is to connect board gamers with literature. My other goal is also to help librarians develop their book collection about board games or RPG manuals/guides. I’ve added several board game titles to my library collection and the items are circulating like crazy. I’ve made three episodes so far and I am really enjoying curating content. I hope you take a listen! Books 4 Board Gamers is available for download in the Apple iTunes store and on Podomatic: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/books4boardgamers
Are you a podcast fan? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments!
Ashleigh Hvinden is a Reference and Teen Services Librarian with the Carlsbad City Library in California. Ashleigh loves IP board games and started developing a collection in 2016. In college, Ashleigh was the one who had all the board games and would make her friends play Disney Scene-It so much so that they would refuse to play. Her favorites include Chess, Monopoly, Splendor, Lords of Waterdeep, Thanos Rising, Ticket to Ride, Instanbul: The Dice Game, Scrabble and Farkle. Ashleigh is always looking for a brand-new game to play and listens to way too many Board Game Podcasts. Follow her on Instagram @librarianashleigh or on Twitter @librarianamh.
I co-host Playability, an interview-based podcast that focuses on gameplay, accessibility, and inclusion. http://playabilitypod.com