The Reference Desk
Have you ever fallen down a rabbit hole into an obscure topic and suddenly need to know all the details and consume all the media related to it? You've found your people. Every other Wednesday, librarians Hailee and Katie take turns sharing the topic that has them bewitched. After a deep-dive into the subject-du-jour, fill your "to read" list with their related book recommendations.
Episodes
91 episodes
Women of the Dutch Resistance: Hannie Schaft and Truus & Freddie Oversteegen
In this episode, Katie is bewitched by three women of the Dutch Resistance: Hannie Schaft and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. When the German Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, local resistance groups and everyday Dutch fo...
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1:32:38
Dolly Parton Part 2
In this episode, we are bewitched by Dolly Patron (again!)After leaving the Porter Wagoner Show and striking it big on her own as a solo country artist, Dolly turned to yet another industry: the movies. The commercial and critical succe...
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59:31
Dolly Parton Part 1
In this episode, we are bewitched by Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton came from very humble beginnings but turned herself into a star. In this first part of a two-part series, we cover Dolly's childhood, spent in the G...
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1:19:29
Mental Health Vacation
Sometimes, we all need a vacation! For us, that meant being together in person for the first time in two years and chatting about our favorite weird topics. In this episode, Katie and Hailee are bewitched by the legend that is Reesa Tee...
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1:25:35
The Price is Right: The Perfect Bid Scandal
Come on down! You’ve been accused of cheating on The Price is Right!In this episode, Katie is bewitched by Terry Kneiss’ perfect showcase bid. In 2008, a man named Terry Kneiss had a perfect bid on his showcase. But he was r...
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53:01
Behind the Scenes of The Price Is Right
In this episode, Katie is bewitched by the favorite game show of sick children everywhere, The Price is Right. For over 50 years, The Price is Right has ruled the early-afternoon TV lineup, with millions of viewers tuning in each...
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1:06:38
Punxsutawney Phil and other Strange American Traditions
In this episode, Hailee explains the quirky and beloved tradition of Groundhog Day in America, from origins in ancient beliefs to a quaint local observance to a nationally recognized phenomenon. We will also explore a few other quirky American ...
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1:12:13
Annie Turnbo Malone & Madam CJ Walker
In this episode, Katie is bewitched by the lives and legacies of Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam CJ Walker. Many of us are familiar with the story of Madam CJ Walker, often cited as the first self-made Black millionaire, but fewer rec...
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1:32:47
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, Part 2
This week, we continue the harrowing experiences of the survivors from the Uruguayan Old Christians Rugby Team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains. The survivors begin attempting expeditions to seek help, though efforts were put on hold ...
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1:16:45
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, Part 1
On October 13, 1972, a chartered Fairchild F-227 carrying 45 people, most rugby players from Uruguay, crashed in the Andes mountains. Of the 45 people on board, 16 survived. The survivors were stranded in the mountains for 72 days, during which...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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1:02:26
Multi-Level Marketing Schemes: Magic Dirt, a Presidential Grifter, and How to Say No to Boss Babes
How much would you be willing to pay for a bag of dirt that could rid your body of toxins? How about a personalized vitamin regimen backed by Donald Trump? In this second part of our MLM series, Katie covers the viral sensation of Black Oxygen ...
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53:39
Multi-Level Marketing Schemes: History, How They Work, and a Leggings Horror Story
In this episode, Katie is bewitched (more like deeply bothered) by multi-level marketing. MLMs are synonymous with #bossbabes, promises of easy money, and uncomfortable sales pitches that make it hard to say no. But below the pyramid, e...
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1:14:38
Sylvia Browne
In this previously- Patreon-only episode, Katie is bewitched by the psychic megastar Sylvia Browne. What's worse than a bogus psychic hotline charging people hundreds of dollars for mediocre advice? How about a TV psychic that pred...
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22:18
The Murders of the List Family
In this previously-Patreon-only episode, Hailee is bewitched by the List family Murders. If you have listened to our episode on The Watcher, you will know that those creepy letters the Broaddus family received were hardly the only ...
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15:09
The African Cemetery at Higgs Beach
In this previously-Patreon-only episode, Katie shares the story behind the African Cemetery located at Higgs Beach in Key West. In 1860, three slave ships were intercepted en route to Cuba and diverted to Key West. While most of the...
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28:43
Season 4 Halloween Spooktacular
In this very special season 4 spooktacular, we are bewitched by haunted houses and the Nazi-fighting New Forest Coven. It took less than a hundred years for haunted houses to go from a vague spooky story concept to a half-billion-...
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1:32:04
Patty Hearst, Pt. 2
This week, Hailee continues to be bewitched by the strange case of Patricia Hearst! Patty has been held captive by a small radical political group called the Symbionese Liberation Army for over two months when she shocks the world with an annou...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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1:31:47
Patty Hearst - Part 1
Patty Hearst - Early Access!In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by Patty Hearst. The nineteen year old granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, the powerful newspaper pu...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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1:17:04
James Strang, the Mormon King of Beaver Island Part 2
This week, Katie concludes the unbelievable tale of James Strang, the Mormon king of Beaver Island.After crowning himself as king, Strang lands himself a seat in the Michigan legislature, survives a public trial, and finds new messages f...
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1:10:12
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James Strang, the Mormon King of Beaver Island Part 1
Did you know there was once an American monarch who ruled over an island in Lake Michigan? This week, Katie is bewitched by the story of James Strang, the Mormon King of Beaver Island. In the first episode of this two-part...
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1:32:37
Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy of WWII, Pt. 2
In Part Two of the Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy, we learn about the manufacturing of the Japanese Balloon Bombs by young Japanese schoolgirls in terrible working conditions. We also learn about the terrible loyalty questionnaire given to incarcerat...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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1:26:52
Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy of WWII, Pt. 1
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy of WWII. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States officially entered WWII. Immediately, Americans began interrogating and then incarcerating Japanese Am...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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1:15:47
Miss Cleo and the Psychic Readers Network
Call me now for your free reading!In this episode, Katie is bewitched by Miss Cleo and the Psychic Readers Network.Late-night advertising in the 1990s and early 2000s was full of 900-number hotlines promising everything from vid...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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1:20:34
Mister Fred Rogers
In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by explores the life and impact of Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers. From his early days in television to his enduring legacy, we delve into the world of this beloved figure and examine the ways in...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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1:27:39