Minisode 6: More About Lily Dale

Bound by the Cloak

This Minisode is the extended interview with Mandi Shepp from our Lily Dale episode. In this wpisode you'll hear more about the history and culture of Lily Dale, learn which old Hollywood actress would frequent Lily Dale and learn more about what makes Lily Dale so unique.

Amanda M. “Mandi” Shepp received her MLS in Library & Information Science in 2013 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. From 2014 - 2018, she worked for the Lily Dale Assembly as the first professional Librarian of the Marion H. Skidmore Library, a special collections and rare books facility which houses the largest private library collection of Spiritualist and Occult books in the world, and became the Library Director in 2016. In 2017 Mandi was presented with the WNYLRC Excellence in Library Service Award for her role in completely revitalizing the library and bringing it up to modern academic standards. In 2018, she transitioned to The State University of New York at Fredonia’s Daniel A. Reed Library Special Collections & Archives Division where she currently serves as the Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives.

In addition to her professional duties, Mandi presents and writes on topics related to collections and historical subjects within the realms of Freethought, Spiritualism, and the Occult; she also serves as the co-chair of the Harvest Moon Cemetery Tours planning committee. When she’s not elbow-deep in materials from a bygone era, Mandi can be found homebrewing, experimenting in the kitchen, and enjoying life with her happy-go-lucky husband, Chris, and enormous Norwegian Forest Cats, Kujira and Bakemono.