Newsletter (July-Aug 2008)
JULY/AUGUST 2008 LIBRARIAN FUN
Monthly newsletter pertaining to the topic of librarians.
New Librarian Song
Rock group My Morning Jacket has a song on their new Evil Urges album titled “Librarian.” I stumbled upon it on YouTube. It’s worth a listen. You can hear it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Es1flO_2M
Librarian with the Write Stuff
The William Saroyan Society, a non-profit organization that promotes interest in William Saroyan, the Pulitzer Prize author, recently announced the winner of its Centennial Prize for Short Fiction. And the winner is a librarian from Connecticut. Elizabeth Edelglass, a librarian at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven (CT) won the prize with her story “Floating Away.” www.williamsaroyansociety.org/
Librarian Leaves Millions of Dollars
I must be doing something wrong since I’ll never accumulate a million dollars. So I’m always amazed when I read stories about librarians leaving millions of dollars behind. The June 7th The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH) ran a story about another librarian who did just that. According to the article, former librarian Mildred Sommer left $5.2 million to her alma mater, the University of Michigan.
Librarian’s Extensive Collection of African American Art
The Hewitt Collection is said to be one of the most extensive collections of African American art in the nation. Over twenty artists are represented in the collection, which the Hewitts sold to Bank of America in 1998. Vivian Hewitt, a librarian, and her husband John Hewitt, a journalist, started building the collection during their honeymoon when they purchased their first piece. They continued to build the collection over the next fifty years. The collection is currently on display at the Charles Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, MI.
The Warrior Librarian is Back!
Hooray! After a brief hiatus, the Warrior Librarian (www.warriorlibrarian.com) is back with the news.
Scream at the Librarian
I really don’t know what to think about the chapbook Scream at the Librarian: Sketches of Our Patrons in Downtown Los Angeles other than it was written by a former reference librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. www.screamatthelibrarian.com
For Your Entertainment
There are always new librarian or library themed videos added to YouTube each month. If you need a break from work, here are just a few of the newer ones that have appeared there.
M.D. Anderson Library Super Hero Commercial
Reading Room
I don’t care if they’re masterpieces of literature, or not worth the paper they’re printed on, I just love reading books about, or with librarian characters in them. So here are some recent books I’m adding to my list of books to be read.
Fiction with Librarian Characters
Blind Instinct, by Fiona Brand. Mira Books, 2008. According to the book blurb, Sarah, a librarian, becomes a target after finding a WWII Nazi Codebook in her attic. http://tinyurl.com/6nqnn5
Chili con Corpses: A Supper Club Mystery, by J.B. Stanely, published by Midnight Ink, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/62fzna
Rex Libris: Book #11 by James Turner is in print. http://tinyurl.com/5am8n6
Forthcoming
Due out from Perseverance Press in September 2008,the blurb for Buffalo Bill’s Defunct: a Latouche County Mystery, by Sheila Simonson, indicates a librarian character aids the main character, a Sheriff’s investigator in solving a case.
Due out in November 2008 from Virgin Black Lace, the book teaser for In Too Deep, by Portia Da Costa, reads “An anonymous and kinky author finds a fan in an eager librarian — but can the sensual stories become more than just fantasy?”
Biographies of Librarians
Eugene Morel: Pioneer of Public Libraries in France, by Gaetan M. Benoit. Library Juice Press, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/6k9u9x
Sex Variant Woman: The Life of Jeanette Howard Foster, by Joanne Ellen Passet. Da Capo Press, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/5m59s5
Books Written by Librarians
If you enjoy reading books written by librarians as well as those about librarians, then you may want to check out the following books written by librarians.
Gary Kurutz, the Curator of Special Collections at the California State Library, has another book now in print. Recollections of the War with Mexico, draws upon the memories of Major Henshaw, an officer in the American invasion of Mexico. Published by the University of Missouri Press, you can find out more about the book at http://tinyurl.com/6lzr37.
Alan Bern, Community Relations Librarian at the Berkeley Public Library (CA), has a second book of poetry in print. In Waterwalking in Berkeley, “Bern recalls his childhood life in the quiet, but dangerous 1950s and then transports the reader abroad in both time and place, especially in Southern Italy, where he has traveled for years.” More information about the book available at http://www.danielpublishing.com/bro/bern02.html.
Librarian Eric Luft’s book title says it all. His book, The Inscribed List: or, Why Librarians Are Crazy: Hilarious Real Names of Real People from Library Catalogs is a list of the real names of real people. http://tinyurl.com/6o25y4
For more information about librarians…
Be sure to purchase a copy of my new book, Casanova Was a Librarian: a Light Hearted Look at the Profession, by Kathleen Low, available from McFarland (www.mcfarlandpub.com), Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and other retailers.
Thanks for reading along with me!
Send an email to Casanovawasalibrarian@hotmail.com with “Librarian fun” in the subject line and you'll receive interesting librarian related information in your email inbox once a month.
