T is for Training 349 – George Needham is Sourdough Starter

Drawn together by the passing of library champion George Needham (1955-2023),
a group of long-time T is for Training usual suspects (Peter Bromberg, Janie Hermann, Diane Huckabay, R. David Lankes, and Paul Signorelli) and one of George’s great collaborators (Joan Frye Williams) joined host Maurice Coleman to talk about George’s influence, his partnerships (and the way they worked), his love of making this as good as we can make it, his love of improv, and many other reminders of his continuing influence on the way we think of libraries to this day. If you knew, admired, and learned from George, this one is for you. And if you didn’t have the great fortune to come across him, this is a good time to be inspired by all he fostered.

You can download the show here, or look for T is for Training wherever you get your podcasts.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned during the recording of
this episode:

Paul Signorelli’s remembrance of George: https://buildingcreativebridges.wordpress.com/2023/11/30/george-needham-hope-and-inspiration/

A BattleDecks sample (relevant to the conversation) https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kPEcU0GPtzNK0X3lZ26vkQZEXz0VDIVg/edit#slide=id.p1

George at BattleDecks at ALA Annual 2010 (demonstrating George’s quick wit and wonderful sense of humor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Q-Dgw8rCY

George and the Applause Meter (with guest appearance by PJ Sweeney and
Jenny Levine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shifted/4769987802/in/pool-1493112@N22/

Samples of George and Joan’s work, available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/search?q=george%20needham%20and%20joan%20frye%20williams

Join us in two weeks on December 14th, when we welcome back our friend Sardek Love!