Librarians in popular culture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a collection of descriptions of librarians in popular culture, i.e., literature, film, television, and games.

1 Literature
2 Television
3 Film
4 Toys and hobbies
5 Computer and video games
6 Music
7 Comic strips
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Literature

Neal Stephenson's novel, Snow Crash features both the "Central Information Congress" (a commercialized melding of the Central Information Agency and the Library of Congress) and a virtual librarian which assists the main character, Hiro Protagonist.^[1]
In the Discworld book series by Terry Pratchett there is a librarian who has been magically turned into an orangutan. In these stories, librarians frequently have supernatural powers related to books and library work, including access to a form of hyperspace known as L-Space.^[2]
In the comic book series Batman, Barbara Gordon is a computer-savvy librarian using the name Oracle. Before she was shot by the Joker, restricting the use of her legs, she was known as Batgirl.
Lucien, from Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman, tends to The Dreaming's library, where all the books that are dreamt of, but never written, are contained.
Jack and Annie in The Magic Treehouse series of children's books become "Master Librarians".
Irma Pince is the librarian in several of the Harry Potter novels. She is a minor character as a disciplinarian in the Hogwarts library.
Malachi is the scholarly librarian in Umberto Eco's medieval murder mystery The Name of the Rose who unlocks the secrets of a labyrinthine library to the novel's protagonists.
In Elizabeth Peters' mystery novels, Jacqueline Kirby of Coldwater College, Nebraska, has the unique ability to transform herself from a stereotypical librarian -- complete with glasses and sensible shoes -- to a glamorous knockout.
In Jo Dereske novels, Helma Zukas of Bellehaven, Washington (her way of swearing is "Oh, Faulkner!").
Laurali R. Wright has a series of crime novels set in British Columbia featuring Cassandra Mitchell, librarian and partner of a Royal Canadian Mountie
In "It" by Stephen King the central narrator is Mike Hanlon, a librarian in the small town of Derry, Maine. He is described as "the keeper of the lighthouse"
In Kingsley Amis' comic novel That Uncertain Feeling, a Welsh librarian bored with his marriage casts his eye upon a new girl in town. In the film version, Only Two Can Play, the librarian was played by Peter Sellers.
The manga series Read or Die (a.k.a. R.O.D.) features protagonist bibliophile Yomiko Readman, who works for the Library of England in search of rare and powerful books.
Richard Peck's book, Here Lies the Librarian. "This book is dedicated to Living librarians everywhere And to my Dean Beth Mehalick Paskoff," who is Dean of Library and Information Sciences at Louisiana State University. On the cover is a cemetery with a gravestone that reads, "SHH!".

[edit] Television

In most animated cartoon series, like Baby Looney Tunes to Rugrats, and even Doug, the librarian is often shown silencing the main or pivotal characters, especially younger children, when they're in a library area. Some even ban the characters from the libraries for many rude or strange noises.
On the television series All That, there are several sketches that feature a silence-obsessed librarian (known as "The Loud Librarian" to some) that scolds someone for even making a coughing sound. She is eventually "fired" when Lori Beth Denberg leaves the cast in 1998.
In the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anthony Stewart Head played the role of Rupert Giles, school librarian in earlier episodes and Buffy's watcher.
In a Star Trek episode All Our Yesterdays, Ian Wolfe plays librarian Mr. Atoz: "The library serves no purpose unless someone is using it." Mr. Atoz's name apparently derives from the phrase "A to Z", a reference to his occupation as a librarian.
In the 1967 episode of The Avengers (TV series), "Murdersville," a gun is used with a silencer after the librarian points to the SILENCE sign.^[3]
In an episode of Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) dates a librarian from the New York Public Library, much to the chagrin of the "library cop."
In one episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus wild animals are interviewed for the position of librarian.
In one episode of The Simpsons a librarian questions Reverend Lovejoy about a Bible he has checked out every weekend for the past 12 years, asking wouldn't it be easier just to buy one, to which the Reverend replies, "Perhaps...on a Librarian's salary..."

[edit] Film

A wretched alternate fate is revealed for Mary Hatch Bailey (played by Donna Reed) in the movie It's a Wonderful Life: "She's closing up the library!"
Vox (played by Orlando Jones), a holographic entity possessing a "compendium of all human knowledge," works at a futuristic New York Public Library in the movie The Time Machine (2002).
Mary (played by Parker Posey) is the ultimate Party Girl who discovers, "I want to be a librarian!"
Librarian Bunny Watson (played by Katharine Hepburn) teaches Richard Sumner (played by Spencer Tracy) a few things about modern research methods in the movie Desk Set.
Heather Stephens plays Jill, the awkward librarian (and closet dominatrix), in the movie Tomcats.
Shirley Jones stars as the no-nonsense "Marian the Librarian" in the movie The Music Man.
Jocasta Nu is an archivist in the film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
Evelyn Carnahan is proud to be a librarian in the movies The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.
Noah Wyle's character in the television movie The Librarian: Quest for The Spear. His mother: "Sixteen years of college and they've got you putting books on shelves?"
Jet Li's character in the movie Black Mask works as a librarian.
Last Life in the Universe is an intriguing tale about a male Japanese librarian.^[4]
Bette Davis, in Storm Center (1956), plays a librarian who refuses to remove a book on Communism from the public library and is thereafter ostracized.
In No Man of Her Own (1932), Clark Gable is a big city con man who falls for a local librarian (Carole Lombard) while on the lam.
Ingrid Pitt plays a "nymphomaniac librarian" (as she described it) in the classic British movie The Wicker Man, who is found naked by Edward Woodward's virginal Christian policeman.
Goldie Hawn dons cat-eyed glasses when she plays San Fransisco librarian Gloria Mundy who helps Chevy Chase solve an assassination plot in the comedy Foul Play (1978).
In A Very Brady Sequel, Roy Martin (Tim Matheson) informs Greg Brady (Christopher Daniel Barnes) that he should date someone more of his "own speed," suggesting a librarian as an example.
A librarian assists Thora Birch's character in the 1994 film Monkey Trouble with information on a monkey she has found.
Alice Drummond plays the librarian in Ghostbusters who first encounters the book-stacking ghost of a former librarian in the famous New York Public Library.
"Weird Al" Yankovic plays Conan the Librarian, in a brief segment of the 1989 film UHF.
Michelle Williams (actress) plays a small part as a young, blonde, out-of-wedlock-pregnant, love-torn local librarian in The Station Agent.
Virginia Mayo plays a librarian in Wonder Man (film), but the great quote is from Danny Kaye who plays the bookworm Edwin Dingle: "I enjoy it here very much ... uh, I love the smell of leather bindings."

[edit] Toys and hobbies

The "Librarian As Shusher" is a consistent cultural stereotype that can be seen in such products as the Librarian Action Figure, an action figure of the stereotypical librarian holding a finger up to her lips, indicating silence.^[5] (The figure is modeled after Nancy Pearl, librarian at the Seattle Public Library).

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Librarians are superhuman fighters with potent psychic powers, rather than just being deskbound intellects. Wielding force staffs and psychic abilities, they are found on the battlefield battling alongside their non-psychic battle brothers delivering justice to the Emperor's enemies, while at the same time advising the Space Marine Commander.

[edit] Computer and video games

Miss Bluegarden, from the game Secret of Evermore.
Myrna Bookbottom, the stereotypical meek English librarian, from the game Freaky Flyers.
Brisketta, from the game Brave Fencer Musashi.
The Daguerreo Librarian, the unnamed overseer of the Daguerreo Library in Final Fantasy IX.
Darian, an anthropomorphic car from the childrens' educational game Putt-Putt Travels Through Time.
Alan Dinsdale, Velma's former school librarian, from the game Scooby Doo: Mystery Mayhem.
Eike, the librarian of Budehuc Castle, from the game Suikoden III.
Geelo, from the game Icewind Dale.
Aldus T. Giles, Assistant Correspondence Clerk of the Tarantian Library, from the game Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.
Grendor, a Rhynoc, from the game Spyro: Season of Ice.
Jaard, from the game Soulbringer.
Kairn, a librarian/vampire, from the game Veil of Darkness.
Manaka Komaki, from the game ToHeart2.
Kordava Librarian, the unnamed librarian of the city of Kordava, from the game Conan: The Dark Axe.
Lady, from the game Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django.
Librari, the Elder of the Town Minish, from the game The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Marcus, from the game Siege of Avalon.
Maria, from the game Harvest Moon 64.
Mary, from the game Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town.
Master Librarian, the caretaker of Dracula's Long Library, from the game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Mop Top Island Librarian, an anthropomorphic onion, from the childrens' educational game Pajama Sam 3: You Are What You Eat From Your Head To Your Feet.
Nightshade, the super-hero alter ego of librarian Mark Gray, from the game Nightshade.
Natsume Oguro, a 15-year-old girl, from the game .hack//INFECTION.
Onett Librarian, the unnamed caretaker of the Onett Library, from the game EarthBound.
Phatt Island Librarian, the unnamed lady in charge of the library on Phatt Island, from the game Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge.
Hester Primm, from the game The Sims Bustin' Out.
Victorian Principles, from the game Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail!.
Mrs. Stapleton, from the game Fallout.
Mr. Sullivan, from the game Clock Tower.
Swofford, from the game Geneforge 2.
Tar-Meena, an Argonian located within the Arcane University, from the game Elder Scrolls IV.
Trish, from the game Wild Arms Alter Code: F.
Sherman Trout, head of the Library of Congress, from the game The Final Scene.
Cedrin Zil, from the game Icewind Dale II.
World of Warcraft features several librarian characters: Mae Paledust, Brother Paxton, Donyal Tovald, and Milton Sheaf.

[edit] Music

Sweet Librarian by Railroad Jerk, from The Third Rail album
The Librarian’s Nightmare by Phil Hammon from The Librarian’s Nightmare album
"Love in the Library" by Jimmy Buffett, from the Fruitcakes album
"Karen" by the Go-Betweens, from the Lee Remick/Karen 7" single
Tales of a Librarian, album by Tori Amos
The Librarians, defunct Californian power pop band
Librarians, rock band from West Virginia
Librarian by Jonathan Rundman, from Public Library album
Library by Cursor Minor, from Library / Our Day Will Come 7"^[6]

[edit] Comic strips

Unshelved is an online daily comic strip set in Mallville Public Library reflecting changes in the real world of libraries and with an eye for popular culture.^[7]
Questionable Content is another webcomic that recently began featuring a character who works in an academic library setting.
One Big Happy often features Ruthie at Story Time at her local library. The Library Lady is often despairing of Ruthie's non-sequtorial interruptions.^[8]
Zits recently features a strip where Jeremy is in a library and text messages his mother, who is at home, to look up a word for him on the internet.