[LM_NET] GEN: A Treat for Librarians

[Ken Umbach <kumbach@UNLIMITED.NET>]

Hi, folks . . .

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the book launch luncheon in 
Sacramento for Casanova Was a Librarian: a Light-Hearted Look at the 
Profession, by Kathleen Low (McFarland and Company, trade paperback, $45; 
ISBN 978-0-7864-2981-3).

Kathy is a long-time (decades) acquaintance of mine and an employee of the 
California State Library, who has written an entertaining and fun 
book--unique, I think--with everything from "Famous Librarians" (yes, 
including Casanova!) to "Facts on Librarians" and "Librarian Jokes, 
Riddles, and Other Humor."  It even includes a section of "Pickup Lines 
Used on Librarians"!

This seems like something that will appeal to many members of LM_NET.

This is the back-cover text, as glommed from Amazon:

"What do Casanova, Pope Pius XI, Benjamin Franklin and first lady Laura 
Bush have in common? At one time, all were members of the librarian 
profession. While librarians are often stereotyped as quiet, shy ladies who 
wear their gray hair in a dignified bun, that doesn't reflect the variety 
and diversity of today's library professionals. As of 2004, 159,000 people 
in the United States held the job of librarian. Although only 18 percent of 
that number was male, the median age for librarians was a young 47—far from 
the gray-haired, bun-wearing ladies of our imaginations! From pick-up lines 
to bumper stickers, this volume takes a light-hearted look at the many 
facets of the librarian occupation. Beginning with statistics, it 
enumerates gender divisions, personality types, salaries and educational 
requirements for various types of librarians including public, academic, 
school and special librarians. Other topics include specific occupational 
health risks, job-related recreation and novelty gifts for library 
professionals. Instances of librarians found in prose, poetry, film and 
musicals are also discussed."

The list price is curiously high, perhaps because of the specialized 
market, but I doubt there is anything else remotely like this book on the 
market.

Ken

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ken Umbach
Columnist, Knowledge Quest
Policy Analyst, California Research Bureau, California State Library
Writer, editor, researcher, consultant, www.umbachconsulting.com
916-733-2159 -- voice mail
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