Podcast Archive

Richard Kong became the Skokie Public Library executive director in 2016. During his tenure, he's experienced a lot of change (like multiple renovation projects), but the library's commitment to the community hasn't wavered. 

In 2025, Skokie Public Library welcomed its first Maker in Residence: Julie Oh! 

Learn more about Julie's inspiration, advice to new crafters, and what she's worked on in the Studio. 

Experiential Learning Supervisor Marni joins Katie to discuss the importance of art in personal and professional growth, and how the library supports STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) for all ages. 

Want to connect? Email us at podcast@skokielibrary.info. 

We bid a tearful goodbye to Caitlin and reflect on Katie and Caitlin's achievements as "Your Family, Your Library" hosts. 

Keep an eye out for new episodes in 2025!

Katie and Caitlin wrap up their conversation with naturalist Amanda Krause. They chat about the history behind lawns and how families can get started with native plants. 

Naturalist Amanda Krause from Oakton College joins our Youth librarians to chat about how adults and children can get involved in nature and highlights the advantages of spending time in nature. 

Does birth order determine your child's personality? Katie and Caitlin share their views on birth order in their own family and chat about how they introduced their older children to their new siblings. 

Caitlin and Katie talk about how they make time for themselves in their busy schedules. They also share their challenges and successes in growing their relationships with their partners. 

What is burnout, and are we all burned out right now?

Katie and Caitlin explore ways to manage burnout and provide library resources for burned-out caregivers. 

Producer Amber and sound engineer Paul join Caitlin and Katie for this special first anniversary episode. The team reflects on their year on the podcast and their parenting journeys. 

Were you inundated with parenting wisdom and myths when you were expecting?

Caitlin and Katie share some myths they've heard over the years and share resources and library book recommendations that'll help you when the days feel long. 

How do you talk to your children about upsetting and challenging occurrences? Skokie Public Library Youth Services librarians Katie and Caitlin chat about their approach and share library books and other resources to help parents and caregivers start the conversation. 

Katie and Caitlin kick off the new year by discussing boundaries. They chat about their struggles and how to create boundaries, both as children and adults.  

How do you talk about failure in your home? Mandy joins Caitlin and Katie as they discuss ways parents can fail, adults can fail, and how we should use this as an opportunity to learn and build empathy. 

Katie and Caitlin chat about their experience with climate change, how their families discuss and work to counteract climate change, and share helpful resources from the library. 

Katie and Caitlin share their challenges when dealing with sleep regression and other sleep issues.  

Caitlin also gives an overview from a July library event about literacy and how the library can support young readers. 

Katie and Caitlin share how they've seen their children make friends, and discuss how difficult it seems to make friends as adults. 

School is back in session, and we want to talk about it! In this episode, we chat about how the pandemic has affected the school year, and Community Engagement Librarian Lorrie shares how she has adapted to better meet classroom needs. 

Is having a stay-at-home parent better than sending your child to daycare? Caitlin and Katie are joined by Holly as they discuss their own ups and downs with childcare and resources to build a support network. 

Katie and Caitlin chat about how summers have changed from their childhoods, their perspectives on summer learning, and recommend some family-friendly activities. 

Katie and Caitlin discuss what social anxiety is (and how it's different from shyness) and recommend some books for young readers struggling with social anxiety. 

Katie and Caitlin discuss how they deal with "big feelings" and resilience in their households.