Sun Prairie Library Director Svetha Hetzler in her home kitchen.
Svetha Hetzler, Director of the Sun Prairie Public Library, loves to cook. So it’s not surprising that she decided to combine her passion for libraries and cooking with the series, Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings.
Each five-minute episode focuses on one cookbook in Sun Prairie’s extensive library of cookbooks. Because Svetha was born in India, she began the series with the cookbook My Indian Kitchen by Swayampurna Mishra. Now on its 23rd episode, the series has included recipes from all kinds of cookbooks including The Joy of Seafood, Black World Baking, Wisconsin Cheese Cookbook and even a magazine, Cooks Country Magazine.
The first episode of Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings was shot in the Sun Prairie Media Center studio in September of 2019. Svetha cooked the dishes at home and brought them in. But when the pandemic hit, Svetha moved the show to her own kitchen, and there we’re treated to colorful close-ups of the ingredients and snippets of the cooking process. “We don’t actually go through the recipe due to copyright considerations,” said Svetha. She always has a few guests, some recognizable from around town, and once her husband had a chance to compliment her cooking. During the pandemic the focus changed to cookbooks available in the library’s digital collection. Ultimately, Svetha would like to do the show live in the Sun Prairie Media Center studio and have the studio audience interact with her on the set.
Svetha’s personal interests lean toward multi-cultural and ethnic issues. So Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings was always envisioned as a way to highlight the cooking traditions of many different cultures. But last summer, following the murder of George Floyd when public interest in racism was high, the Sun Prairie Public Library Board of Trustees endorsed the Sun Prairie Public Library’s Racial Literacy Plan. Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings naturally fit into the plan. Put simply, “we are striving to be inclusive,” said Svetha. The plan affects everything from staff training, to the programs the library offers, to the books added to the collection to how the library interacts with the community. For example, the library is giving space on its shelves to “own voices,” authors from marginalized groups who are writing about their own experiences and to authors and artists that historically have not been recognized.
Episodes of Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings are posted on the library’s Facebook page and on YouTube. The library links to it on their homepage under “Library Projects.” The show can also be seen on KSUN, Sun Prairie Media Center’s cable TV channel on Spectrum channel 983 (in SD) and TDS channel 13 (in SD) and 1013 (in HD). “Some people think people just consume videos on the Internet, but not everyone does. We use cable because we want to be inclusive,” said Svetha. She noted that KSUN carries community events and coverage of City of Sun Prairie committee and board meetings and said, “You’re not going to find that coverage anywhere else.”
The Sun Prairie Public Library and the Sun Prairie Media Center share a building. “We have a great relationship with the Sun Prairie Media Center and it has grown over time. When we set out to do more outreach, we of course right away thought of working with the Sun Prairie Media Center.” SPMC covers many of its library programs like storytimes, and the library has hosted Media Maker Labs to introduce residents to the equipment, tools, and resources available at the Sun Prairie Media Center. Steev Baker, Head of Access and Circulation Services at the Sun Prairie Public Library, hosts a regular podcast using SPMC’s radio studio. “Having SPMC’s equipment, skills and specialized knowledge just next door to produce television shows and podcasts has been wonderful,” said Svetha.
The Sun Prairie Public Library’s Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings series is one of the many ways the library is promoting itself. Any viewer will tell you that it’s working. The tantalizing food Svetha prepares on each show is just enough of a glimpse to inspire any viewer so inclined to reserve a cookbook and try out some new recipes.
“21st century libraries are no longer just warehouses for books,” said Svetha. “We are much more interactive. Our programs invite people to be engaged as well as entertained.” Books and Cooks: Booktalks & Tastings certainly does just that.
