Shush-Free Zone - Where librarians get loud!

Season 1 of The Shush-Free Zone is officially wrapped and in this special bonus episode, host Dawn Brushammar looks back at the conversations, career journeys, and unexpected paths that shaped the first season. When Dawn started the podcast, the goal was simple: challenge the outdated stereotype of librarians as quiet people who only work with books. Librarianship has always been about solving problems, connecting people with knowledge, organizing complexity, and helping others find what they ne

In this episode of Shush-Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar sits down with Marydee Ojala, Editor-in-Chief of KMWorld magazine, writer, researcher, speaker, and longtime observer of the information and knowledge management profession. Marydee shares her journey from shelving books as a teenager to working in corporate libraries, and ultimately becoming one of the most influential voices covering knowledge management, search, enterprise information, and AI. Along the way, she reflects on the evolutio

In this episode of The Shush-Free Zone , host Dawn Brushammar sits down with Nicole Buckenwolf, Senior Staff Ontologist at Spotify, to unpack the invisible knowledge systems shaping how millions of people discover music and audiobooks every day. Nicole’s journey is anything but linear. From growing up in rural Ohio and falling in love with a single encyclopedia volume, to studying medieval history, working in rare book preservation, and eventually finding the way into taxonomy and ontology, Nico

In this episode of Shush Free Zone , host Dawn Brushammar sits down with Heather Johnson - a public health professional working at the intersection of evidence synthesis, health communication, and implementation science. Heather’s career is a powerful example of what this podcast is all about: taking core library and information science skills such as organizing knowledge, evaluating evidence, translating complexity and applying them in ways that go far beyond traditional roles. From systematic

In this episode of the Shush Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Angela Pashia, a leadership and career development coach, about her journey from academic librarian to coaching library professionals. They discuss the importance of curiosity in coaching, the challenges of leadership, and how librarians can translate their skills into new contexts. Angela shares insights on handling difficult conversations, the difference between coaching and advising, and the future of librarianship in a

In this episode of The Shush-Free Zone , host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Matthew Noe, a health sciences librarian at Harvard Medical School who specializes in graphic medicine. Matthew shares his path into librarianship, how comics became central to his professional identity, and why storytelling is such a powerful tool in health education. They explore how graphic novels can deepen understanding of illness, support empathy in medical training, and create meaningful connections between clinicia