It's no surprise to me -- nor is it to many of you, I reckon -- that librarians are awesomely cool, but I think this article kind of misses the point that one can have a love of classic books and a perpetual annoyance with talkative patrons, AND still rock the stacks like nobody's bidness.Librarians? Aren't they supposed to be bespectacled women with a love of classic books and a perpetual annoyance with talkative patrons — the ultimate humorless shushers?
Not any more. With so much of the job involving technology and with a focus now on finding and sharing information beyond just what is available in books, a new type of librarian is emerging — the kind that, according to the Web site Librarian Avengers, is "looking to put the 'hep cat' in cataloguing."
This article did get me thinking about one thing, though: the largely unaknowledged sub-genre of library films. The piece cites Party Girl and Desk Set, of course, both of which I've seen several times and loved (and if I can figure out who borrowed my copy of Party Girl and, ironically, didn't return it, there'll be heck to pay). But are there others? Do tell.
How about the Music Man, with its "Marian the Librarian"song and stacks-carts-staircase dance number?
ReplyDeleteThe Name of the Rose is great - but in library school, we all considered Party Girl to be the gold standard in terms of really understanding the way librarians think of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched any movies with a librarian theme. Not that I remember anyways. I will have to check out some of these recs.
ReplyDeleteI'm in library school right now, and the Noah Wyle LIBRARIAN action movies are enjoyed with reckless, ironic abandon--in spite of the fact that he does very little that actually has to do with librarianship.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a great Bette Davis movie called "Storm Center" in which she plays a small-town librarian who takes a stand for intellectual freedom--something real librarians do all the time.
Thanks for the shout-out!
Librarians are truly made of win.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about thinking librarians are awesome, since I wanted to be one for a second (can't afford the schooling right now) but the people in the article seemed pretty full of themselves, like they had to overdo the coolness as a preemptive measure against any bros who might be like, librarians are nerds.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe that's just me.
My mother, a former law librarian, called to tell me about this article, and she was actually sort of choked up with gratitude that librarians were finally emerging from the horrible shushing stereotype that everyone inflicted on her before she retired.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of cool librarians, have you seen this link for pimped out book carts? Got it from BoingBoing, and it's pretty awesome. These should be library standard issue.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.unshelved.com/blog.aspx?post=745
Librarians: We're not what you think... http://www.tk421.net/essays/nwyt.html
ReplyDeleteAND
Because Librarians are good at cataloging things:
Librarians in the Movies: An annotated filmography...
http://emp.byui.edu/raishm/films/introduction.html
I like Good News -- June Alyson's character isn't a librarian, but she works in a library. And there's another stacks dance when Peter Lawford is after her.
ReplyDeleteThere's also the that premiered at the American Library Association Conference in D.C. a few weeks ago. I heard it was great!
Oh my goodness. Lisa, YOU are made of awesome.
ReplyDeleteThere are also the Mummy movies - Rachel Weisz's character is a librarian, and at some point proudly proclaims this.
ReplyDeleteOh, also? Salmonberries, the kd lang movie of a few years ago. I didn't really enjoy it, but it certainly highlights that libraries are everywhere, even in remote Northern communities.
ReplyDeleteAnd didn't people take shelter in a library in Day After Tomorrow?