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PODCAST

The Free Bin

Toledo Public Library

Join the staff of the Toledo Public Library as they dive deep into history, culture, and the arts! That"s Toledo, Oregon, USA, by the way--not the bigger one in Ohio or the original one in Spain. But a public library serves everyone, so if you are someone, The Free Bin has something for you. Whether it"s cult movies, cultural history, stories, games, or (of course) books, you never know what you"ll find in here, so reach on in! The Free Bin is a production of the Toledo Public Library, which is

education

All Episodes

54:40

Not Good, To Put It Mildly

The Free Bin ·

2025/10/31

Sophia leads the gang in a discussion of the Salem witch trials, their historical context, and the ways that communities fall into paranoia, persecution, and cat noises. Sophia shares an overview and chronology of the events, and presents a questionable warrant. Cindy discusses Puritans' role in the colonization of North America, and several historical examples of mass psychogenic illness. Harrison discusses self-appointed "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins, and the speed of phantom clowns. In

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01:27:15

He Is Not Sneaky At All

The Free Bin ·

2025/10/24

Content Warning: This episode includes detailed discussion of death, historical embalming practices, and historical cannibalism. For Spooky Season 2025, the gang ventures deep into the topic of mummies, and how they relate to Western horror fiction, cultural anxieties, history, heritage, and dubious medical practices. In their travels through time, they encounter Chinchorro grief, Germanic mysteries, and Floridian brains. Sophia unwraps rare British foods. Cindy dispels curses. Harrison unloads his

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56:38

I Grew Up As A Monster Kid (with The Magical Mr. B.)

The Free Bin ·

2025/10/16

In preparation for National Magic Week, The Magical Mr. B. stops by to discuss the life and work of Harry Houdini, as well as the history of magic in general.

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35:44

My Dog Likes Pineapple

The Free Bin ·

2025/10/10

The gang discusses [redacted] for Banned Books Week! This conversation covers the rights provided by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I of the Oregon Constitution, the role of public libraries in upholding these rights, why access matters, filter bubbles, the importance of parent/guardian involvement, the ending of Michael Crichton's "Congo" (spoiler alert!), and also something about aphids.

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40:53

It's Probably Because She Designed It That Way

The Free Bin ·

2025/10/03

The gang continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing stories of some important figures, from history to the present day. Along the way, they encounter mobile puppets, ubiquitous '90s musical collaborations, unfed bears, baseball emergencies, powerful paintings, space flutes, and much more!

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01:07:00

Somebody Help The Duck (with Joel Gaddis)

The Free Bin ·

2025/09/26

Joel Gaddis of Movie Madness drops by to discuss the wild world of "Demented Kids." This is the name Movie Madness applies to its collection of bizarre and unintentionally unsettling family films. In this episode: "Body Troopers" (1996) "Mac and Me" (1988) "The Peanut Butter Solution" (1985) "The Rare Blue Apes of Cannibal Isle" (1975) "Super Xuxa vs. Satan" (1988) "A Talking Cat!?!" (2013) "Treasure Train" (1982)

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21:13

History's Big

The Free Bin ·

2025/09/19

The Toledo Public Library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep. 15 - Oct. 15)! Sophia provides an overview of the celebration, including its history, the distinction between the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino," and the many contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities to the United States and the world. Harrison gets lost in the interwoven threads of North American history, and introduces a very, very large book. More to come! In this episode: The Digital Florentine Codex The National Museum

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57:07

There's Always A Pink Bunny Somewhere

The Free Bin ·

2025/09/12

The gang shares some of their favorite (and least favorite) female characters in fiction. Cindy digs up some info on Victorian grave-robbers. Sophia needs Samantha to move on. Harrison addresses the semiotics of hugging. In this episode: "Alien" (1979) dir. by Ridley Scott "The Anatomist's Wife" by Anna Lee Huber "Aunt Dimity's Death" by Nancy Atherton "Death Comes to Marlow" by Robert Thorogood "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger "Downton Abbey" (TV series, 2010-2015) "Harry Potter"

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40:41

In It To Win It

The Free Bin ·

2025/08/28

Harrison rocket-starts a conversation about Mario Kart, designing for contradictory audience expectations, the vastly different ways we approach and appreciate popular works, and a bit of philosophy. Sophia brings the tea. Harrison loses badly at chess. Cindy gets overwhelmed by impenetrable online Mario Kart World discourse, especially regarding the applicability of the current meta build to Boo Cinema in Mirror Mode Knockout Tour. In this episode: "Mario Kart" (franchise) "Mario Kart: The Moral

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06:10

"The Mirror"

The Free Bin ·

2025/08/24

Harrison reads the poem "The Mirror" from "Blooms of the Berry" Madison Cawein

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01:04:15

We Promise We Won't Murder You

The Free Bin ·

2025/08/15

Cindy and Harrison discuss some of their favorite tropes in movies, books, and games! Velociraptors build tension. Ghosts play to an empty house. Cindy discusses some common library and librarian tropes. Eldritch tomes awaken ancient horrors. Sam Fisher is conspicuously sneaky. Harrison invites listeners to go space truckin'. In this episode: "The Anatomist's Wife" by Anna Lee Huber "Any Trope But You" by Victoria Lavine "Clueless" (1995) "Endless Sky" "Firefly" (2002-2002) (RIP) "Jurassic Park"

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14:17

"Poppa Needs Shorts"

The Free Bin ·

2025/08/10

Harrison reads "Poppa Needs Shorts" (1964) by Walt and Leigh Richmond.

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50:23

Fabuloso

The Free Bin ·

2025/08/01

At Captain Sophia's behest, The Free Bin crew hauls up a net full of maritime tales! Cindy makes a hearty meatloaf from sacred cows, and eats it with black raspberries. Harrison gets shanty pedant-y. Sophia and Harrison tag-team the soundboard. The crowd goes wild. In this episode: "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown "The Brilliant Abyss" by Helen Scales "Death on the Nile" by Agatha Christie "Death on the Nile" (2022) dir. by Kenneth Branagh "The Jungle" by Clive Cussler (with Jack Du

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42:39

Smell-O-Vision

The Free Bin ·

2025/07/25

Cindy, Sophia, and Harrison discuss the ever-evolving role of the telephone in fiction, and the myriad ways technology affects the stories we tell. Along the way, they enjoy a refreshing beverage, eat a two-dimensional snack, endure aggressive theater seats, and imagine a more tactile, odoriferous, and traversable future. In this episode: "84, Charing Cross Road" by Helene Hanff "Black Christmas" (1974) "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya "Find a Book by Plot" tool (from "Capitalize My Title")

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16:07

"A Telephone Call"

The Free Bin ·

2025/07/19

In preparation for our upcoming discussion of the ever-changing role of telephones in fiction, Sophia reads Dorothy Parker's 1928 short story, "A Telephone Call." Music: "Night on the Docks - Sax" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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37:02

Bacon

The Free Bin ·

2025/07/11

Sophia invites Cindy and Harrison to share some books from their favorite genres, as well as some unexpected picks. Thrilling adventures, dubious ghosts, and historical tears abound! In this episode: "The Apparitionists" by Peter Manseau "City of Lies" by Victoria Thompson "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus "The Martian" by Andy Weird "A Murder on Astor Place" by Victoria Thompson "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah "Sahara" by Clive Cussler "Sandstorm" by James

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28:04

Radioactive

The Free Bin ·

2025/07/03

Cindy, Harrison, and new Library Programs Specialist Sophia discuss the Declaration of Independence, drink some more red juice, and recite the immortal words of Bill Pullman! In this episode: United States Declaration of Independence

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31:42

Five-Foot-Five, A Hundred And Forty Pounds

The Free Bin ·

2025/06/27

See the video episode here! As the library's Joust tournament approacheth, Harrison introduces Cindy to this classic arcade game, and seeks to answer one all-important question: Could we do this in real life? In this episode: Joust "Animals In Motion" (1902) by Edward Muybridge

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32:03

The Toledo Turkey

The Free Bin ·

2025/06/14

Cindy teaches Harrison about the history of Father's Day, acknowledges the complicated feelings that the holiday can bring, and caps it all off with a relevant tale from Aesop about a father and his quarrelsome sons. Harrison puts out an RFP for cryptids. President Nixon gets some flowers for your dad. Cindy also announces our upcoming Community Conversations series! Funded by Oregon Humanities, this three-event series will focus on Toledo's past, present, and future, through educational

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44:13

Like A Zoo

The Free Bin ·

2025/06/07

Cindy and Harrison explore the public domain and beyond in this discussion of copyright, its implications for software preservation, and how to support the wild Pac-Man population! Cindy reads Shakespeare's Sonnet 29. Harrison finds a disturbing Edwardian comic strip. In this episode: Betsy Bouncer and Her Doll Digital Millennium Copyright Act United States Copyright Act Section 108 Internet Arcade (Internet Archive) Project Gutenberg Public Domain Super Heroes Wiki Standard Ebooks

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166 results

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