

Village Branch: The Little Library That Could (2023)
In our last episode of 2023, Mariam sits down with Betty Abdmishani, retired Village Branch manager and Jackie Arakaki, one of the original staff members at Village Branch, to discuss the history of the Village Branch location. Village Branch became an essential and beloved part of the community by never saying "we don't do that here" and helping customers with whatever they needed, in many ways shaping the services the Library now provides at all locations. In 2024, twenty years after Village Branch opened, the newly designed and far larger Marksbury Family Branch will open on the site of the original Village Branch. They reminisce about the founding and opening of Village Branch, staffing, and the unique challenges and successes for the Village community.
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About The Hosts
Tales from the Kentucky Room is hosted by David Bryant and produced by Erin West.
David is the Manager of Central Library, and has worked many years in the Kentucky Room. After several guest host spots, David moved to full time host of Tales from the Kentucky Room in 2025. Local History and Genealogy are passions of his, and he's excited to share them with our audience.
Erin is the Virtual Services Librarian. She's worked for Lexington Public Library since 2003 and began her work with audio editing in 2012 while working at the Northside Branch. Erin enjoys listening to history, true crime and tv show recap podcasts.