Librarians in Fiction: A Critical Bibliography

All entries include complete bibliographic data, followed by a lengthy annotation that discusses how the librarian fits into the story and gives insight to how he or she is depicted. Title and author indexes are provided for further utility.

Library Journal

In his witty introduction, Burns, a reference librarian for 21 years, reviews librarians' obsession with their public image and the ways fiction writers have portrayed librarians. Alas, the negative stereotype usually prevails. Nevertheless, this is a vastly entertaining and functional guide to "good and interesting fiction featuring librarians" published in English during the last century. Listed are eligible works that feature characters who are librarians (not paraprofessional library workers) and who had a significant role in the work. Young adult and children's fiction, romance novels, and Christian fiction are excluded. The five categories novels, short stories, plays, secondary sources, and "Bibliographer's Choice"are arranged alphabetically by author. The annotations identify the librarian character and provide a plot summary, stereotyping alerts, and an assessment of the quality of writing. There are cross references for pseudonyms and an index. Burns's obvious biases in no way detract from the usefulness of this guide. Recommended for academic and public libraries and personal collections.Betty J. Glass, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno