The Laughing Librarian: A History of American Library Humor - Softcover

Smith, Jeanette C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786464526 ISBN 13: 9780786464524

Publisher: McFarland & Co, 2012

Synopsis

Despite the stodgy stereotypes, libraries and librarians themselves can be quite funny. The spectrum of library humor from sources inside and outside the profession ranges from the subtle wit of the New Yorker to the satire of Mad. This examination of American library humor over the past 200 years covers a wide range of topics and spans the continuum between light and dark, from silly parodies to portrayals of libraries and their staffs as objects of fear. It illuminates different types of librarians--the collector, the organization fanatic, the keeper, the change agent--and explores stereotypes like the shushing little old lady with a bun, the male scholar-librarian, the library superhero, and the anti-stereotype of the sexy librarian. By highlighting the humor in this seemingly serious occupation, this study provides invaluable insights into many aspects of the profession and encourages a better appreciation of libraries and librarians in society.

About this title

Review

"Should be required reading for all librarians and library-school students"--Booklist; "a must have...recommend"--Library History Buff Blog; "Smith charts the largely unexplored territory of library wit and satire, both inside and outside the profession"--C&RL News; "a serious though most readable study of library-related humour...an enjoyable as well as instructive work"--Australian Library Journal; "Smith, presents a history of American library humor from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century that focuses on humor about libraries and librarians"--Reference & Research Book News.

About the Author

Jeanette C. Smith, a Fellow of the Molesworth Institute, received the first-ever Edmund Lester Pearson Library Humor Award for a cautionary essay on the hazards of reading and driving. She has been a librarian since 1973 and a collector of library humor for almost as long. She lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

About this edition

• Publisher: McFarland & Co
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0786464526
• ISBN 13: 9780786464524
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 239