Thinking Like a Librarian
November 18th, 2006
Instead of a reference question this weekend, here's another quote from a book I'm reading - Fruit, by Brian Francis. It's a novel about an eighth grade boy, Peter, who, uncomfortable with his body (and his talking nipples), takes a job in his school's library so he doesn't have to go out and play with the other kids at recess. His rational for this is:
The truth is, I'd rather be in the boring old library putting books away and making ditto copies for the teachers than outside with everyone else. It's safer.
So, I wonder how many people working in libraries today are there for this exact same reason.
And speaking of how librarians think, here's another quote from the book. This one comes after an argument Peter has with his nipples, over whose fault it is that they are abnormally large:
I got out the masking tape and shut them up. I was so angry at my evil nipples. Who did they think they were, anyway?
Who among us at the reference desk hasn't thought that before?
November 21st, 2006 at 9:37 am
Wow. I will never look at librarians the same way again. And the next time I hear someone talking to his or herself, I’ll assume that no, he or she is not crazy, he or she just has an evil talking part of anatomy with which (whom?) he or she is conversing.
November 21st, 2006 at 10:35 am
I worry about you.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:32 am
Okay, perhaps I should have pointed out that this book is shelved as fiction.