4 stars
I recently started going to grad school to get my MLIS. I have a psychology background and am fascinated with representations of people and stereotypes and how they can hinder performance and such. One of my professors suggested this book.
This is a book of quotes and photos along with profiles and essays from various authors and library lovers including Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, and Cory Doctorow. I think this book is wonderful for those who love libraries, those who want to learn a bit more about what librarians do, and those who want to be or are working toward becoming a librarian.
Various topics are brought up such as the relevancy of libraries, how they incorporate technology, different views of librarians, and various issues that librarians face. I especially liked the sections that dealt with non-traditional circulation items such as canoes and American Girl dolls.
Because the majority of this is a book of photographs and quotes, it’s not sometime that you necessarily read cover to cover in a few days. It took me over a month to read because I found it best to read a few pages of quotes at a time. It was a good way to really digest the ideas presented. Many of these ideas understandably overlapped, so reading large chunks at a time could get repetitive. It’s a great book to flip through and peruse at various times.
I loved the idea of this book in breaking the stereotype of who a librarians is (a cranky old white woman who shushes people). We rationally know that there is various librarians, but many still have that stereotype at the front of their minds.
Those who have been librarians for a while or who have worked in libraries will probably already be familiar with most of the things brought up in the book (tech issues, funding), but they may also read things that resonate with them or that they can relate to.
Overall, I thought this was a good read that gave perspectives on libraries and librarians and helped change the narrative on what makes a librarian. Wonderful photographs, interesting quotes, and fascinating sections on various topics like tablet archives, library origins, and bookmobiles. This book is all things library and it is exciting to see how they have evolved and changed over time and place to meet patron needs.