Librarians To The Rescue

The Librarians as heroes who gallantly come in the nick of time to save the day is hardly an overused theme in movies, literature or other art forms. Maybe its time to change that. After all, there is a librarian action figure doll that has caused some librarians to groan. Why? Perhaps, it's becasue she looked too much like the "sterotypical" librarian. Bun in her hair. Practical low-heeled shoes with plain blue business suit. Of course, there is the reading glasses to make the look complete. (The model for this doll is Nancy Pearl, who is a librarian in "real" life.) Her weapon of choice: The Dewey Decimal System combined with a push button Shusher action that is out of this world. What's not to love? For the librarians who embraced this doll, which has been out now for years, it is a fun reminder that what we do everyday can change lives. Maybe one day we will all be able to don on a red cape and go out to save the world.

Librarians can have some comfort in knowing that there are books, and films which place librarians in a hero's light. (No, the Music Man is not one of the films in mind, but having said that, the movie is wonderful.) For example, Kellogg's The Mysterious Tadpole is a wonderful tale of a young boy who needs to find a good place for his ever growing tadpole. To whome does he turn to for help? The librarian at his public library. After dutifully researching the tadpole's origin and background, she found that the tadpole was related to the Loch Ness Monster. Nothing can be done but have a fundraiser to help build a pool for the tadpole.

For a real "super" strength hero-librarian, look no further than Library Lil by Suzanne Williams. This wonderful book published in 1997 tells of a little girl who has always wanted to be a librarian. She smart, strong and knows how to balance a stack of encyclopedias in one hand while reading a volume in her hand, using her teeth to turn the pages. How tough is she really? Tougher than the moter cycle crowd who think reading is for "lily-livered cowards." She's a true librarian at heart when she teaches the leader of the biker group to be a library assistant. Now that's quite an accomplishment that not many librarians may be able to achieve. (However, there is at least one librarian who pens a blog who is trying on a new cape as this posting is being typed.)

Noah Wyle (of ER fame) starred in the film The Librarian. His character Flynn Carsen applies for the position because he likes to learn and belives that a librarian's job is well suited to fill that need. However, what he comes to find out, once employed by the Metropolitan Public Library, is that the job entails protecting famous historical and magical items. It's kind of like an Indian Jones of the library world. This could be used as a tool to entice new blood into the field, but it may be a tad misleading. On any given day, in public libraries around the world, librarians do protect the most important historical and magical items of all time: the written word. How noble!

However, as we get our sites back down to earth, two titles to consider that show how librarians really have an impact on the lives of children is Mora's Tomas and the Library Lady and Winter's Biblioburro: A true Story From Columbia. In Mora's book, Tomas' family are migrant workers who never stay in one place for very long. Fortunately for Tomas, he discovers the local public library and the helpful librarian that enables him to discover a whole new world. Luis Soriano's true story is in Winter's book. What Soriano did for a Columibian communityis equivalent to Bookmobies going to urban areas that do not have access to libraries. Both tales inspire to reach out to help those who do not know the magic of books.

The Secret Lives of Librarians

We all know and have seen the stereotypical librarians, haven’t we? The hair is always in a tight bun. Their wardrobes always consist of sensible shoes, dull suits and glasses. One of the hallmark characteristics of librarians is the shy demeanor with a vocabulary that consists of one or two words: quiet or sh! After working in a library for over twenty-five years, none of my colleagues fits this description. Heck, at my wedding, the loudest and funniest table was filled with noisy, prankster librarians. Get them out of their elements and those wacky librarians go crazy. The closest I come to “knowing” a librarian fitting that description is my librarian action figure which fits the bill and it is based on a real life librarian, Nancy Pearl. Don’t get me wrong. It is okay if the public likes to think of about our profession as polite, well-educated and professional. We could very well be super heroes, who by day provide patrons with information and great literature. By night, we conquer the world with our super-charged shusher, and Dewey Decimal System. (You are aware that Decimal is just a code word for disintegrate, right?) All kidding aside, the stereotype of the librarian is a far cry from reality, but there are some books out there that portray librarians in a manner that looks at our profession from a different perspective. Which is a good thing for younger readers, they need to see that librarians come in all shapes and sizes.

Eth Clifford’s Help! I’m Prisoner in the Library is a tale of two sisters who are trapped in the library during a blizzard. Everything is fine until the library is dark. The large dolls that were wonderful and interesting in the light, now seem a bit scary. A talking bird flies above their heads scaring them and the moaning coming from the second floor is not what the girls would like to hear. After a climb up the stairs to find the source of the moaning, the little mysteries are solved and the girls find that Miss Finton, the librarian not only runs the library but also lives there. All ends well, when the girls’ father finally finds them the next morning. At first the librarian in this book seems old, mean and unable to bend the rules. Raise your hand if you have ever met a woman like this in your library? Miss Finton does warm up to the girls and confesses that the library may close to make room for a newer, modern library. The story ends with the girls admiring the library and the librarian. . .

Richard Peck, a veteran childrens author, tells the story of Pee Wee, a tomboy who loves automobiles and adores her older brother Jake. Here Lies The Librarian takes the reader back in time to 1914 when the rural life was becoming complicated with the birth of the automobile. When the local library is demolished due to a tornado, everyone in town pitches in to restore it. In come four librarians, fresh out of library school, who know just how to get the library going again. A good thing too, because this gives Pee Wee a glimpse into what she might like to do in the future. As for the deceased librarian, she did cast her presence in the story, but it was more heartwarming than scary. This is definitely a story to warm the heart with nostalgia.

The book that has the ability to help librarians laugh at ourselves, is The Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. Author Jarrett Krosoczka delivers smile after smile with his depiction of librarians who are tired of competing against video games to gain childrens attention. It’s Lunch Lady to the rescue to stop the nasty librarians for destroying the latest video game and conquering the world. (Goodness, how many times have I wanted complete World Domination? Once or twice, perhaps!) It is a charming little graphic novel that gives Lunch Ladies a chance to be in the spotlight. However, everyone knows who the real heroes are in our communities and schools. Shhh…. it’s the librarians.

As stated before, it’s okay to think of librarians as mild-mannered, spinster and shy women. There are many stories out there that share the “secret life” of a librarian with readers. We are, after all, heroes in our community. Just ask Bat Girl.