Cyberpunk Librarian

Dan dives into the past and brings you a talk that was the genesis of his Defcon 32 presentation. We’re going to talk about shadow libraries, shadow librarianship, and what the traditional library might learn from the underground. If you’re into watching the podcast with a slide deck, its available on PeerTube. Also… Check out...

It’s time for something a little different and this time around, Dan brings you a presentation from IUG 2025! We’re going to dive into AI, copyright, and data ownership and how the times are changing… and what that might mean for libraries. Watch If you want to watch the podcast with the accompanying slide deck,...

Episode 67 leads right into episode 68 as Dan takes on the theory and practice of underground librarianship, anarchivism, and shadow librarianship. Links Music Sounds & Images Also… Check out The L0WL1F3 Podcast and Neon Dystopia! If you like this podcast, you’re gonna love L0WL1F3! And if you love cyberpunk culture, Neon Dystopia is your...

Libraries are in danger and Dan is angry. There have been more books banned in the last two years than ever before. Censorship and attacks on libraries are both on the rise, but we can fight back. We can rise above. Links Music

You can have it your way, on your hardware, with software you prefer. Your little free Cyberpunk Librarian gets into the philosophies and basics of self-hosting! Links Music

It’s a full episode follow up and we’re gonna talk about a free and open source library project that Dan is building with his own three hands! Links Music Goodies Check out my shop on RedBubble! Ya know, if you want to.

The Cyberpunk Librarian is back! Again! I think? Anyway, Dan finally got some time to make podcasts again so welcome back to the high tech, low budget world of Cyberpunk Librarian! As things go, Dan’s been busy working on a lot of library tech goodies, and that makes for an extra geeky episode. Grab a...

Holy crap! The Cyberpunk Librarian is back with a new episode about his favourite operating system that’s not actually an operating system. But then again, it may as well be, because that’s what he’s using most of time. Join Dan as he walks you through Firefox, how to use it better and more efficiently, how...

Build your own Netflix with free, open source software and the Cyberpunk Librarian. Join Dan for part three of the cyberpunk community library series and learn how to set up your own media streaming server! Screenshots Support & Charity Donate to Tornado Recovery Efforts in Kentucky – On the night and early morning of December...

You thought it was done. You thought it was over. But it’s not over, and nothing is ever done. The Cyberpunk Librarian and the L0WL1F3 Podcast are back for part two of their descent into madness – a deep dive into Super Mario Bros: The Motion Picture. Note This one is tagged explicit for a...

Join me for a special crossover episode with the L0WL1F3 gang from the LOWL1F3 Podcast! We dive into a forgotten piece of cyberpunk media, so forgotten that some people don’t even realize it’s cyberpunk. So get your red coveralls, strap on your stompers, and grab your toolbelt. This is part one of a deep dive...

You’re a librarian for a small community and someone hands you an SSD. Opening it up you discover three folders named eBooks, Magazines, and Comics. Total file count: 6,271. You nod, fire up some software, and tell your community “Yeah, I can make this work.” Links Calibre – The best eBook management system Calibre – Supported...

Your community, your library. Whether you’ve got a small group of friends, or a small town, the Cyberpunk Librarian has the solutions for your ILS problems! Join Dan for an introduction to a fantastic, easy to use ILS that’ll make your library life easier without breaking your budget! Links The Shane Company – Advertising slogan:...

Whether you’re disconnecting out of necessity or choice, you don’t have to shut down when you go offline! Join the Cyberpunk Librarian for tips, tricks, and tactics for working and keeping yourself entertained when the lights go out and/or your phone says “Searching for signal.” Listen via Video YouTube PeerTube Mind Map Links Entertainment –...

Oh my god, he’s back! After over a year of craziness and massive life changes, the Cyberpunk Librarian is back! Join Dan in this comeback episode where he helps you get acquainted with static site generators and introduces you to the one he prefers! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube. Links Tanglewood Hill –...

Are you tired of paying for content? Do you have four or five services you subscribe to for music, eBooks, or movies? Maybe even more than five? Feeling a bit burned out pitting one service over another? Well Dan has just the thing for you: Free digital content from your public library! Release yourself from...

The Cyberpunk Librarian is back and he’s talking about software… His own software! Join Dan for a look at The FOSSiL Projects and discover what he’s been working on for the past couple of months! And hey, maybe there’s something in the Projects that can help make your library life just a little easier! YouTube...

Holy crap! Cyberpunk Librarian is back! On this episode, Dan talks about the projects that have been holding up the show and what’s going on in his life. It’s a conversation over coffee with your friendly neighbourhood Cyberpunk Librarian! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube. Links Blogging Blog post: Blogging, RSS, and Social Network...

Join Dan for a special episode of Cyberpunk Librarian where he looks at what it is to be human in an increasingly technological world, and within the world of one of the greatest novels in the cyberpunk genre! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube. Links Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep on WorldCat and...

Sometimes it’s far harder than it should be to find that academic paper or research article. Papers and journals are locked behind paywalls, paywalls that don’t matter to your patrons. So let Dan help you break the walls down, and get those articles you and your patrons need! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube....

After a way–to-long hiatus due to some bad craziness with moving, promotions, and upgrades… The Cyberpunk Librarian is back! Join Dan as he shares his tools and techniques for downloading massive amounts of, well… everything! YouTube Listen to this episode on YouTube. Links WordPress.org – My CMS of choice Seriously Simple Podcasting -Podcasting with WordPress...

Just a quick update from Dan on why he’s been radio silent for a while, what’s going on, and no the show isn’t dead!

Dan returns with part two of episode 51 where he finishes up the topic of burner laptops with some software recommendations to keep yourself safe and private in cyberspace and in meatspace! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube. Join me! Imzy – Join the community on Imzy! Facebook – Or find me on Facebook!...

Go dark and get deep as Dan walks you through the basics of setting up a burner laptop! In a special, two part episode, we’re going to look at the hardware, network, software, and physical security you’ll need to think about when you’re setting up a laptop you might eventually walk away from. Here in...

FIFTY EPISODES?! Can you believe it? The show is over three years old and, with fifty episodes on the books, Dan decided to do something special! Join the Cyberpunk Librarian for a look at one the best pieces of cyberpunk art ever created and one of the greatest cyberpunk stories ever crafted. Kore wa, Kōkaku...

Turn on, tune in, and chill out as Dan takes you on a trip through the sounds of ambient and space music! Put your mind at rest, lay back, and let the sound flow over and around you. Relax and get more done thanks to the soundscapes and cosmic wonder of ambient music. Dan delivers...

Almost everybody who uses a computer winds up typing something sooner or later. Heck, Dan is typing this… right now… on a computer! So join him for a show about getting more out of typing with text expansion! YouTube Listen on YouTube Links Text Expander from Smile Software for macOS aText for macOS PhraseExpress –...

Cyberpunk Librarian is back! Do you have to do repetitive tasks on your computer? Gotta do the same thing over and over again, week in and week out? Weren’t computers supposed to make this job easier? Join Dan as he dives into the problems he’s faced with repetitive jobs and how he automated his way...

Join the Cyberpunk Librarian as he digs deeper into the topic of Minecraft and helps the uninitiated get themselves up to speed! After all, you might want to do some Minecraft things at your library, but what do you do when your co-workers don’t know a diamond pick from a Creeper’s behind? You can start...

When things stop working and computers break, you need a trouble ticketing system to get the problems in the hands of the professionals! Join Dan for a ride with eTicket, a FOSS help desk system for everyone! YouTube Listen on YouTube Links eTicket Help Desk Software – A FOSS trouble ticket system running on LAMP....

Dive into the awesome, portable Raspberry PirateBox, a version of the classic PirateBox running on a Raspberry Pi! Dan’s got the information and the ideas to get you started on your own PirateBox project! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube Links PirateBox – Begin at the beginning. Raspberry PirateBox – Build a PirateBox from...

It’s laid back, it’s musical, it’s story time! Dan takes a break and reads a couple of chapters from his new book, Digital Outback: Cyberpunk and Culture on the Edge of the Net. YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube Links Digital Outback – Available on Amazon and DRM free. Feel free to convert as...

Scientists recently discovered gravitational waves and Dan gets atomic with the Atom text editor from GitHub! Let’s talk about writing simply, so you can simply write what you need to write. It’s simple, and with Atom, it’s beautiful. YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube Links ImageMagick – Go hardcore and make images from the...

The Cyberpunk Librarian returns with a show about new year’s goals and self improvement! Find out what he’s got on the agenda for 2016 and stay tuned throughout the year to see how he’s doing with his resolutions! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube Links Hearing Voices: Librarian Produced Podcasts – A feature in...

Join the Cyberpunk Librarian and dive into the weird world of the Integrated Library System. Sometimes, librarians are called on to help set up libraries for small organizations, non-profits, and schools. There’s rarely a lot of money to throw at an ILS so, if you’re looking for free, open source alternatives, Dan’s got your back....

From the frozen north of Flagstaff, AZ — the Cyberpunk Librarian talks digital signage and setting it up at your library! Join Dan for a special episode of the show, recorded live during his talk at the 2015 Arizona Library Association Annual Conference! YouTube Listen to the show on YouTube. Music and Sound New Life...

Sometimes you need an eBook, article, musical track, movie, or something like that. Sometimes that thing isn’t available through the normal channels. You’ve tried, but you just can’t put your hands on it. The system is letting you down. Facing a time crunch, trying to help, you need to go outside and around the system....

Awww yiss, chummers! Cyberpunk Librarian is back from an unexpected hiatus with a new show about notebooks! Wait, notebook computers? No, paper notebooks! But there is a tech twist to my notational madness as we get into how to keep a notebook where you can actually find the information you wrote down, even if it’s...

After an unexpected hiatus, the Cyberpunk Librarian is back with a show on Getting Things Done! Discover the tools, tips, and tricks for getting the job done and not working so hard to do it! Links Getting Things Done by David Allen – The book that started it all. How to be Productive and Get...

Join us for a new episode of Cyberpunk Librarian where we dig into the markup language that is Markdown. You too can write rich text in a plain text editor and easily share it online! It’s easy to learn and easy to use and will change the way you look at plain text! Correction: In...

Drink the Kool Aid, or take a bite of the Apple, or something like that! Dan gets into the nitty gritty of how he gets it done on his MacBook and what he uses on a regular basis! Links Online Firefox (open source) Reeder Microsoft Remote Desktop Transmission (open source) Multimedia Creation Pixelmator GarageBand Logic...

Putting stuff in the cloud? That’s fine. Getting more out of your cloud storage than just a dumping ground for stuff? That’s even better! Dan offers up a couple of ideas on how to get something extra from your cloud storage solutions!

Join Dan for a special, highly technical episode of Cyberpunk Librarian where he presents a talk at the 2015 Innovative Users Group conference in Minneapolis, MN! Links My slidedeck Music Quantum Leaper, feat. Lady Parsec by Azureflex HyperSpaceAdventure by Skip Belly Dance at Ebisu by Ryo Miyashita

Discover sources of free, public domain and Creative Commons images you can use for your library’s website, print pieces, or social media! Dan navigates you through the world of images and how to stay on the right side of your library’s ethics policies. Links Pixabay Albumarium Compfight The yoga image I selected from Pixabay. Tokyo...

We carry this wonderful computer around in our pockets, but we don’t really use it as much as we could! Join Dan as he spends a week living without a tablet and relying on his smartphone for his on-the-go computer! Links Recirculated: Circulating Ideas Transcripts – Help make Circulating Ideas available to a wider audience...

The Cyberpunk Librarian podcast turns 30! (Well, 30 episodes.) Join Dan for something different and fun, an original story time done in the style of a radio show. It’s pulp sci-fi with a library twist as we blast off with Intragalactic Librarian! Side note: I’ve marked this episode as explicit because of a bit of...

When it’s your job to provide access to information for everyone, why not do the same about your job? Join Dan as he talks about how he keeps his coworkers up to date on what he’s doing! Links Phrase Express – Text expansion software for Windows. Evernote – Notes, online collaboration, awesome usefulness. Dynchronize –...

On this episode of Cyberpunk Librarian, Dan talks Minecraft and how you can do some cool stuff with it at your library! Links Minecraft – Buy and download the game! Minecraft Server – Because you can have your own world. Install Minecraft Server on Linux Install Minecraft Server on OS X Minecraft Wiki – Everything...

Join Dan for an episode full of tips, tricks, tools, and techniques for creating better graphic design! After all, you don’t want a dumb looking sign in your library! Put some thought into your design and it’ll show in the end result! Links Books worth checking out Thou Shall Not Use Comic Sans – Amazon...

Projects at work and projects at home! Join Daniel Messer, the Cyberpunk Librarian, for a look at some of the things he’s working on for money and for fun. Raspberry Pis, LAMPs, Minecraft, and more. After all, busy hands are happy hands! Links KnightWise.com community on Google+ Raspberry Pi Kiosk Screen Tutorial Cherokee Web Server...