Monday, 8 March 2010

Why are there no songs about librarians?

I have been renewed

Metophorically.  Reinvented more like.  I am to be a library assistant. It's a bit of a change from my last job in PR, a down-sizing, de-scaling, and yet wholly appropriate.

There'll be more about this anon, but first some interesting stuff about librarians:

After graduation from secondary school in 1918, Chairman Mao secured a job as an assistant librarian at Beijing University, a hotbed of revolutionary thought. Giacomo Casanova spent the last thirteen years of his life as the Count of Waldstein’s librarian in the Count’s château at Dux, giving him time to work on his famous memoirs.  Benjamin Franklin, credited with founding the first American Library, served as librarian for a brief period.  Golda Meir, before becoming Prime Minister of Israel, once worked as a Librarian in Milwaukee and Chicago. J. Edgar Hoover worked as a cataloger for the Library of Congress. Apparently he was very interested in information.

I'm not sure what my point is here.

There are also many fictional librarians who are also attractive and heroic: Giles, the school librarian, is also The Watcher in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batgirl's day job is head librarian of the Gotham City Library, and Henry De Tamble the 'chrono displaced' hero of The Time Traveler's Wife.  We won't mention the librarian who has been magically turned into an orangutan in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.  No songs though.  I'm not at all sure what my point is here.

"Make thy books thy companions. Let thy cases and shelves be thy pleasure grounds and gardens."   Judah ibn-Tibbon (12th century)"

Post script: Of course it turned out there were loads of songs about librarians - as you can see here.

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. You're a Librarian?
    Welcome to our country!

    (Yay! I am SO pleased for you. Not least because of the above! xxx)

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  3. Maybe no songs, but they do have movies.

    The Librarian

    ...starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts.

    You will let us know if they put you in that department, right? :o)

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  4. I'm a library assistant! Not bad as re-inventions go ... not very glam, but you'll be surrounded by books all day long. What's not to love? :o)

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  5. ...maybe we should make up a song about librarians ...

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  6. Welcome aboard! I'm an Information Scientist/Librarian by profession (now retired - early) but I started out as a library assistant and spent many happy years at the 'sharp end'. Enjoy!

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  7. There's "Marion the Librarian" in "The Music Man"

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  8. OK, so I'm surrounded by librarians! Thanks for all the comments.

    Thanks for sending me looking for that song, Lane (Mr Savant?)... I especially like the line where librarian is rhymed with carrion.

    My search took me to Spotify where there are loads of songs about librarians including Librarian by the Evil Urges (classic line: "Take off those glasses and let down your hair for me.")

    In fact why are there so many songs about librarians? hmm? hmm?

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  9. I can't resist the old (and somewhat tired) gag which makes reference to the tweed skirts and sensible shoes........and that's just the fellas!

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