National Library Week (2022): Books about Libraries

Fiction

Cart, Michael (ed.). In the Stacks - Here, in one volume, noted author and librarian Michael Cart has assembled a fascinating collection of twentieth century short fiction about libraries and librarians: from such classics as Ursula K. McGuinn's "The Phoenix," Borges's "The Library of Babel" and Isaac Babel's "The Public Library." Discover these literary treasures and tales of behind-the-scenes action in the Libraries. Discover it here: King Library, 2nd floor: PN6120.95.L554 I52 2002 .

Christie, Agatha. A Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery. Thankfully, we haven't found any bodies in the Libraries here at Miami, but well-known author Agatha Christie uses another library as the setting for one of her many murder mysteries. Discover it here: As a video:  King Library IMC: PN1992.8.D48 M577 2015 ; As a book, request it from Miami's Rentschler Library in Hamilton, Ohio: PR6005.H66 B7 2011 .

Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair. Jasper Fforde’s beloved New York Times bestselling novel introduces literary detective Thursday Next and her alternate reality of literature-obsessed England. Fans of Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse will love visiting Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, when time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously: it’s a bibliophile’s dream. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy—enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel—unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix. Discover it here: King Library (2nd floor): PR6106.F67 E97 2003

Niffenegger, Audrey. The Night Bookmobile. A graphic novel from the author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetries.   The Night Bookmobile tells the story of a wistful woman who one night encounters a mysterious disappearing library on wheels that contains every book she has ever read. Seeing her history and most intimate self in this library, she embarks on a search for the bookmobile. But her search turns into an obsession, as she longs to be reunited with her own collection and memories. Discover it here: King Library (2nd floor): PN6727.N547 N54 2010 .

Non-Fiction

Hammer, Joshua. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the Worlds Most Precious Manuscripts. This work, a true-life story which reads like an adventure story, describes how a group of Timbuktu librarians enacted a daring plan to smuggle the city's great collection of rare Islamic manuscripts away from the threat of destruction at the hands of Al Qaeda militants to the safety of southern Mali. Discover it here: King Library (2nd floor): Z659 .H22 2016 .

Hankins, Rebecca; and Juarez, Miguel (eds.) Where are All the Librarians of Color? The Experiences of People of Color in Academia. This book offers a comprehensive look at the experiences of people of color after the recruitment is over, the diversity box is checked, and the statistics are reported. What are the retention, job satisfaction, and tenure experiences of librarians of color? The authors look at the history of librarians of color in academia, review of the literature, obstacles, roles, leadership, and the tenure process for those that endure. What are the recruitment and retention methods employed to create a diverse workforce, successes and failures? Finally what are some mentoring strategies that work to make the library environment less exploitative and toxic for librarians of color? Discover it Here: King Library (2nd floor): Z682.4.M56 W48 2015 .

Johnson, Marilyn. This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can Save Us All. Those who  predicted the death of libraries forgot to consider that in the automated maze of contemporary life, none of us--neither the experts nor the hopelessly baffled--can get along without human help. And not just any help--we need librarians, who won't charge us by the question or roll their eyes, no matter what we ask. Who are they? What do they know? And how quickly can they save us from being buried by the digital age? This book is a romp through the ranks of information professionals and a revelation for readers burned out on the clichés and stereotyping of librarians. Here are bloggers, radicals and visionaries who fuse the tools of the digital age with their love for the written word and the enduring values of free speech, open access, and scout-badge-quality assistance to anyone in need.--From publisher description. Discover it Here: King Library (2nd floor): Z682 .J65 2010 .

Pawley, Christine. Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Library in  Cold War America. This study of an effort to extend library services into several counties analyzes the history of tensions between various community groups, and delineates the long-standing antagonisms arising from class, gender, and ethnic differences which contributed to a suspicion of official projects to expand education. Relating a seemingly small story of library policy, she teases out the complex interaction of reading, locality, and cultural difference. In so doing, she illuminates broader questions regarding libraries, literacy, and citizenship, reaching back to the nineteenth century and forward to the present day. Discover it here: https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://muse.jhu.edu/books/9781613760574/

Pettegree, Andrew and Der Weduwen, Arthur. The Library: A Fragile History. Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children's drawings - the history of the library is rich, varied and stuffed full of incident. In this, the first major history of its kind, Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library, from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today. Along the way, they introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections, trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts. Request it here: Gardner-Harvey Library (Middletown): Z721 .P48 2021