Newsletter (Fall 2009)
FALL 2009 LIBRARIAN FUN
Monthly newsletter pertaining to the topic of librarians.
Fact or Fiction?
Guess which of the following are facts, and which are not. Answers appear at the end of this email.
1. 101 year old former librarian tackles thief.
2. Florida library director once protected President Reagan.
3. Librarian qualified to compete in the Winter Olympics.
4. Utah librarian the “World’s Strongest Librarian”
5. Tattooed librarians grace the pages of a calendar.
6. Librarian served as war correspondent in Iraq.
Reading List
Two books I can’t wait to read hail from abroad. The first book is Benny and Shrimp, bySwedish writer Katarina Mazetti. Already a bestseller in her native country, the book is described as a love story between a widowed librarian who goes by the name of Shrimp, and a dairy farmer named Benny. The book has already been translated into over a dozen languages. An English language edition is available from Penguin.
The other book that promises to be a good read doesn’t seem to be available in English just yet. At present it’s available in Welsh. But Y Llyfrgell (The Library), by Fflur Dafydd, definitely sounds like a fun book. In the Daily Post (Liverpool, 8/5/09), the author describes the book as a “satirical novel with a large dose of black humour which lampoons librarians, academicians, civil servants, politicians and janitors, and throws them mercilessly together in a sinister and bizarre crisis.” The crisis occurs when two armed female librarians occupy the National Library of Wales. I can’t wait to find out why!
And since I seem drawn to books with librarian characters, even minor ones, I’m adding William Trevor’s Love and Summer to my long list of books I need to read. Set in 1950s in Rathmoye, Ireland, the London Sunday Times (8/16/09) states that “among the familiar inhabitants of the town is Orpen Wen, once librarian at Lisquin, out of his wits in his threadbare overcoat, still fancying that a descendant of the St. Johns will return to restore the place to its former glory.” The book is published by Viking.
On a darker note, a book that’s gotten some press lately is Stella Sands’ Behind the Mask: A True Story of Obsession (St. Martin’s True Crime, 2009). It reportedly tells the story of William Coday, a Ft. Lauderdale public librarian who brutally murders one woman, then twenty years later in 1997, murders a second woman. It’s disturbing to think of a librarian being a murderer.
Library Lodging
The next time you’re in New York, you can book a stay at the library-themed Library Hotel (www.libraryhotel.com). Or better yet, if you’re in Wales, you can stay overnight at a real library, St. Deiniol’s Library. The library, with over 250,000 materials focusing mainly on theology and Victorian Studies, is recognized “as the most important research library and collection in Wales after the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.” The library offers 30 rooms, all with phones and ISDN lines. And the rates include dinner, bed and breakfast. You can find out more about the library and accommodations available at www.st-deiniols.com.
If you’re looking for something in the U.S., you may want to consider a stay at the Old Library Inn in Colorado. This bed and breakfast is an old Carnegie Library that first opened its doors in 1918. You can find out more at http://lodging4vacations.com/old-library-inn.
Need Some Diversion?
If you need to de-stress during the holidays, below are three sources of diversion. There’s always the online hang-man type game of Reshelving Shuffle http://tinyurl.com/yfcc8c8, and Library Science Jeopardy at http://tinyurl.com/yj5qy88. Plus, on Edmund Rossman’s website for his book Castles Against Ignorance, you can download a PDF “Libraries Rock!” crossword puzzle at www.castles411.com/librock.pdf.
Gift Basket Ideas
Since the holidays are just around the corner, below are a few ideas for gift baskets for your favorite librarian.
Wild and Whacky Basket
Stuff this basket with:
Tattooed Ladies of TLA calendar (www.txla.org/temp/tattoo.html) – an 18 month calendar featuring tattooed librarians
Laura Bush Bobble head (http://tinyurl.com/yh8ws6g) – a bobble head of a famous librarian
Librarian themed underwear (http://tinyurl.com/ykdsrh2) – both thongs and boxers are available with a variety of librarian themed images and sayings
Idiocrazy DVD (http://tinyurl.com/3v6ut) – although this satire has a lot of profanity and sexual content, how can you resist a movie where a military librarian awakes from a botched military experiment to find he’s the smartest person in the nation
Humor Basket
Stuff this basket with:
Rex Libris, Volume 1, (http://tinyurl.com/yjw74ve), the compilation of James Turner’s adventure series about the combat trained, intergalactic traveling Head of the Middleton Library.
Casanova Was a Librarian: A Light Hearted Look at the Profession (http://tinyurl.com/6o56tl). Okay, I’m not above a little shameless promotion for my book.
Biblia’s Guide for Warrior Librarians (http://tinyurl.com/yeux38k), the classic humor book by Amanda Credaro that every librarian should be familiar with.
Librarian Action Figure (http://tinyurl.com/ykhwhwl). Who can resist a librarian figure that gestures you to be quiet?
The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag DVD (http://tinyurl.com/yfzqsz2) or Foul Play DVD (http://tinyurl.com/ntajf). These older movies, the first starring Penelope Ann Miller, and the second starring Goldie Hawn, as librarians, never cease to amuse me.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear DVD (http://tinyurl.com/66hvtk). The first of the three Librarian movies starring Noah Wylie as the librarian, this is by far the funniest of the three.
Basket for the Librarian Who Seems to Have Everything
Stuff this basket with:
In the Library perfume or room spray (http://tinyurl.com/649rtg).
Librarian Wall Clock (http://tinyurl.com/ylckxmw)
Personalized Librarian Cartoon Print (http://tinyurl.com/22u4kb)
Librarian Ornament (several sources - http://tinyurl.com/ytrhrx, http://tinyurl.com/yhh3k2g, http://tinyurl.com/yace8gf)
FACT OR FICTION? ANSWERS
1. Fact. Criminals beware - elderly librarians are far from easy targets. From London comes the story of 101 year old Kazimierz Michalski who tackled a thief. The Daily Mirror (9/18/09) and The Daily Mail (http://tinyurl.com/yaz48nw) reported that Michalski, former chief librarian at the Bodleian Library, saw the thief stealing money from his wallet. He grappled with the thief and held him in a bear hug. This librarian wasn’t going to let himself become a victim!
2. Fact. Real life librarians can protect themselves and other from harm. One example is Jo-Ann Glendinning, director of the Fruitland Park Public Library. According to an article in the September 13th Orlando Sentinel (http://tinyurl.com/y8ddbku),from 1984 to 1990 Glendinning served with the White House detail of the U.S. Secret Service which protected President Regan. Patrons of her library are bound to feel safe in her presence.
3. Fiction. As far as I can determine, no librarians have presently qualified to compete in the Winter Olympics.
4. Fact. Some librarians have both brains and brawn. One example is Josh Hanagarne, director of the Rose Park Library. The Salt Lake Tribune (9/9/09) ran an article on this weight lifting librarian who goes by the title of the “World’s Strongest Librarian.” You can read the article at http://tinyurl.com/m68txm.
5. Fact. In 2008, the Texas Library Association produced The Men of Texas Libraries calendar as a fundraising tool for disaster relief. Now, they’ve come out with a new calendar featuring tattooed librarians. You can find more information, and order the calendar at www.txla.org.
6. Fact. Seeking adventure, an Augusta (Maine) librarian served as an embedded journalist in Iraq. The lack of a journalistic background didn’t stop this resourceful librarian from becoming a war correspondent. You can read more about her journal in an article that appeared in the Morning Sentinel at http://tinyurl.com/y9nvmbj.
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!
