Category Archives: Pop culture studies

Follow the leader

I’m still on the librarian-image-has-a-deeper-meaning kick (see last week’s post on theories behind — hee hee — the anal-retentiveness of reel librarian portrayals). Now let’s explore more about the librarian as a cinematic representation of an ethical and intellectual leader.

“Today’s Librarian Wordle” by The Unquiet Librarian via Flickr

Ann O’Brien & Martin Raish wrote in their article, “The Image of the Librarian in Commercial Motion Pictures,” that “[o]ften a figure of wisdom and benign authority, the librarian was the custodian of positive social and educative forces” (63). Libraries are places where one can access information and all kinds of knowledge; transferring those qualities of wisdom and collected intelligence to the librarian(s) makes sense. Librarians in real life also tend to be master generalists — we know a little about a lot of things. Noah Wyle as Flynn Carson in The Librarian TV movies is a great example of this, with his umpteenth degrees and vast array of esoteric knowledge that helps him get out of all sorts of tricky situations.

The librarian’s role in film has also periodically included being the moral center of the community. This “morality” does not necessarily take on conservative or overbearing overtones; rather, the librarian stands for what is right and good in a society, a highly positive image. Whew, a positive image for reel librarians! Well, we were due. ;)  In the article I referenced in last week’s post, “Power, Knowledge, and Fear:  Feminism, Foucault, and the Stereotype of the Female Librarian,” Marie and Gary Radford comment that “the library has long been taken [...] as a metaphor for rationality” (254) and “[l]ibraries are segregated places of intellectual activity” (255).

Click for larger image

Storm Center (1956) adheres to the notion that librarians represent rationality and ethical judgment, as Bette Davis plays a librarian in a small town who stands up against censorship. And passes out lollipops to kids (not kidding, see left, as well as my post on advertising the reel librarian). But I digress… the censorship issue also emerges in Rome Adventure (1962), and in a more heated environment in Pump Up the Volume (1990), as well. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) features a more benign librarian hero, played by Jason Robards, but he still stands up for what he perceives as right; he literally represents the “good” pitted against Mr. Dark’s “evil” (deliciously played by Jonathan Pryce).

In a more diluted form, the librarian can stand for good ol’ common sense, as exemplified by Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set (1957) or Greer Garson in Adventure (1945). And who doesn’t love a bit of common sense?

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Between perfect order and perfect chaos

Merriam Webster’s definition of “anal-retentive”

Does “anal-retentive” have a hyphen?

(Yes, usually, but it depends — probably on whether you’re British or American, as the Oxford English Dictionary does not include a hyphen, whilst Merriam Webster does, see right). But that’s not the point… or is it? ;)

Having watched this week the most recent David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method (2011) — all about Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Sabina Spielrein, and the early years of establishing psychology as a science — it felt like a good time to explore more into why reel librarians are so often portrayed with anal-retentive qualities.

I’ve touched on this subject before, including this post about Myers-Briggs types of real librarians, the librarian as nightmare image, as well as in my explorations of the Spinster Librarian and Anti-Social Librarian character types. And please note that I’m talking here about broader archetypes and stereotypical characteristics; I’m not making a critical judgment on the profession in general or commenting on any specific person.

There are many kinds of onscreen tension lurking behind the cinematic portrayals of librarians (power struggles, battle for knowledge vs. battle between the sexes, etc.). One such tension is anal-retentiveness, a trait that shows up quite often in film portrayals of librarians, usually in smaller roles. Examples of anal-retentive behavior include loudly shushing any noisemakers in a library (City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold, 1994, see below); expressing anxiety when a book is late or damaged (as parodied in UHF, 1989); and showing reluctance to check any books out, thereby hoarding knowledge (for a most extreme example, see The Name of the Rose, 1986).

Shushing Lady in ‘City Slickers II’

Poor social skills also show up in conjunction with these characteristics, which seem to be rooted in the conflict or tension between order and chaos. In their 1997 article “Power, Knowledge, and Fear:  Feminism, Foucault, and the Stereotype of the Female Librarian,” the Radfords have noted that libraries, and thus librarians, are “structured by the values of order, control, and suppression” (255). Studying cataloging and organizational systems is standard practice for librarians, and shelving, carding, and stamping materials become essential in any well-organized library (see my post on library qualifications and job duties). It is this want — this need — of an organized system of resources that makes it easy, or at least manageable, for any user to find a resource he/she wants in a library’s system.

Mary (Parker Posey) in Party Girl (1995) throws a funny light on the serious business of shelving when she yells at a patron for randomly shelving a book (see below).  “Let’s put the book any damn place we want!”

The librarian is also charged with compiling the most complete collection he/she possibly can — whether that means digital or print resources — that reflects the community that library serves. But that collection can NEVER be complete, because users continuously check out those materials — thereby “disrupting” that so-called perfect harmony of the complete and ordered collection. Thus, cinematically, the librarian often displays characteristics of an uptight, sheltered, and, at times, almost manic personality in order to eliminate, sometimes at all costs, the potential disruption of stability. In The Name of the Rose (1986), abbey librarian Malachia strives to hoard the books in the abbey’s library. However, “it is this knowledge, rather than the texts themselves, that is so fanatically protected by the monks” (Radford, 257), leading to murder, arson, and chaos — or freedom, depending on whether you root for Malachia or not.

This tension between order and chaos felt by librarians (who want to protect the materials and their organizational order) and the users (who strive for knowledge by borrowing or accessing those materials) finds itself depicted in many screen portrayals of librarians. This tension is not gender-driven, however; both male and female librarians are depicted onscreen as people who are “obsessed with the order that rationality demands of them” (Radford, 261). Among others, Miss Anderson in Citizen Kane (1941), the librarian played by John Rothman in Sophie’s Choice (1982), and Elvia Allman in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) all exhibit the hypertension caused (or created?) by the inherent conflict between perfect order and perfect chaos.

What do you think? If you’re a fellow librarian, have you been able to find a personal balance between order and chaos? Or, like the question about the hypen in “anal-rententive” that started us off, does it even matter in the end? (Hee hee.) ;)

And now for something not-so-completely-different… the patented shushing super power from the librarian action figure.

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Advertising the reel librarian

There are a fair number of films featuring leading roles for reel librarians, but how are they depicted in the movie posters for those films? Are the words librarian or library even mentioned on the posters? Intrigued, I took a look at movie posters for movies in the Class I category, films in which the protagonist or other major characters are librarians. It wasn’t until after the first draft of this post that I realized I had chosen at least one film from each decade, spanning the 1930s through the 1990s. So meta.

So let’s take a peek at advertising the reel librarian through the decades, shall we? :)

Notes: I’ve arranged the following in order of the U.S. release dates. Also, click the poster thumbnails to view larger images of the posters, almost all of which are available through Amazon.com.

Forbidden (1932)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline:  Her greatest dramatic role!

This illustrated movie poster highlights star Barbara Stanwyck and her glamorous look seen later in the film, NOT the “old lady four eyes” side depicted in the first part of the film. This was quite early in her movie career, so it’s interesting that the studio was already heavily promoting her as a major star. Stanwyck had gained notice the year before, in the 1931 Night Nurse (saving two children from Clark Gable in a rare villainous turn!), but she was still a year away from Baby Face (1933) and five years away from her first Oscar nomination in 1937, for Stella Dallas.

No Man of Her Own (1932)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

No taglines necessary; the title says it all, right? (Sigh.)

Clark Gable gets some adoring looks, along with the prominent name-above-the-title attention on these posters. No hint that the glamorous Carole Lombard depicted in these ads plays a librarian. The real-life romance between Gable and Lombard didn’t begin until four years after this film — which, incidentally, tells you a lot about this film.

Adventure (1945)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click the poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline:  Gable’s back and Garson’s got him!

This poster seems to visually echo the 1939 instant classic Gone With the Wind (click here to view a sample). This make sense, especially considering that both films starred Clark Gable and were directed by Victor Fleming. And Gone With the Wind was a massive hit. This movie? Not so much. The poster doesn’t reveal anything about the plot, which is quite similar to 1932′s No Man of Her Own (see above), Gable’s earlier foray into sweeping reel librarians off their sensible heels. The poster instead emphasizes its leading stars, Clark Gable and Greer Garson, and their so-called chemistry by featuring a kiss (which turns out kind of creepy-looking, no?). Unfortunately, the movie does not live up to its adventurous title.

Good News (1947)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline:  M-G-M’s Terrific Technicolor Musical!

I had seen the first movie poster before — the one with no slogan or tagline — but was intrigued by the second, longer poster. Both feature leggy females, but wow, the legs on that second poster! Despite the similar hair color of the leggy blonde, I strongly doubt it’s a depiction of star June Allyson, as she built a film career on her chirpy “good girl” persona. It looks like a pin-up exaggeration of a movie theater usherette, trumpeting the news of “M-G-M’s Terrific Technicolor Musical!” Both posters feature bright colors and the promise of romance, with nary a sight of the college library where the two co-stars meet. See this post to view the song they sing while closing up the library.

Storm Center (1956)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • Bette Davis hits the screen in a cyclone of dramatic fury!
  • In all the years, no picture has said this!

Those taglines say a whole lot of nothing, don’t they? And what was the “long-awaited event” highlighted in that fourth poster? Maybe the decades-long return of silent screen star Mary Pickford, who was originally set to play reel librarian Alicia Hull? Maybe that it took 5 years of delays and title changes (originally entitled The Library) and casting switches to get to the big screen? The storyline is one to make librarians stand up and cheer — standing up to censorship in a small town — but the end result? When even TV Guide describes the film as “dismal,” then you know you got a problem.

But the film looks pretty exciting from the movie posters, right?! It’s all abstract cyclones and burning buildings and face-eating flames, designed by legendary graphic artist Saul Bass (who also put together the very cool title credit sequence for this film, as well as for 1960′s Psycho). Except for that VERY weird poster (perhaps a lobby card?) on the top right, which highlights Bette Davis giving a kid… a lollipop. THUD. Like she’s some kind of smirking dentist instead of a librarian. I’m sure Saul Bass had nothing to do with that oddity.

Desk Set (1957)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn… make the office such a wonderful place to love in!
  • Meet the Desk Set… from 9 o’clock coffee to 5 o’clock cocktails — and, oh, those fabulous Christmas parties!

One of my favorite reel librarian movies ever… and NO mention of the library! True, the library in question is a TV company’s research library, not the first kind of library one thinks of. And there IS a fabulous Christmas party in this film (see this post for a clip). I quite like the title logo and silhouette of the couple kissing over a desk, which gets across the idea that it’s a romantic comedy — a departure from the play, as I outlined in a previous post comparing the play and film versions. This poster, as well as the accompanying lobby cards featured in a previous post, definitely play up the zany comedy angle, and highlight its successful stars. Hepburn and Tracy made 9 films together over 25 years, and this was their next-to-last pairing together.

Rome Adventure (1962)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • This was her European plan for learning about love.
  • She wanted to learn about love from a mature, suave Italian with a villa by the sea – until a young, handsome American came along and changed her European plan.

The original title for this film was Lovers Must Learn (read all about it, plus view the movie’s trailer, in a prior blog post here). I wonder how late in the game they changed the title to Rome Adventure, because the whole “learning” aspect is quite prominent in those taglines. Both posters push the romance angle, as well as equate adventure with moped rides. ;) You can also guess the basic plot — and arc of this Liberated Librarian‘s role — in that second poster. But let’s face it, reel librarian Prudence Bell isn’t the main attraction. Italy is!

Only Two Can Play (1962)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline: Two’s company… three’s a comedy!

This one hails from the UK, with Peter Sellers playing a very sexually frustrated librarian looking for a promotion in all the wrong places. And no, that is not a slam against Wales, the setting of the film. I do like the poster’s primary color scheme (the film is in black & white, so is the poster trying to over-compensate?) and cutesy graphics, which kind of remind me of a children’s book. But maybe that’s not the best thing for a pseudo-sex comedy. Hmmmm……

The Music Man (1962)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • We’ve got the man, we’ve got the music, we’ve got “The Music Man”
  • The story of that man and his 76 trombones, and the wonderful, wonderful tune he played on every heart in town!

1962 was a banner year for major reel librarian characters, no?

There are several posters and taglines for this hit musical, which was based on the 1957 hit play by Meredith Willson. This movie immortalized “Marian the Librarian” but the title character is Robert Preston’s Harold Hill, the con man who sweeps the town — and the reel librarian — off their collective feet. The posters play up the comedic, feel-good attitude of the film, and the taglines all focus on the central character, not the librarian.

You’re a Big Boy Now (1966)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • The odyssey of a young youth who wants no part of sex. He wants it all!
  • The motion picture that’s happening now!

Oh, those “young youths,” how they tease us! ;) I love the randomness of these movie poster images together. There are the bright colors, kooky graphics mixed in with screenshots, cheesy taglines, cross-eyed hearts. The posters are all so different, yet each also kind of captures the goofy charm of the film in its own way. The only poster that hints at the library setting is the international one, which Amazon.com tells me is the Polish version. That one, with all the hearts, is my favorite. Books = Love. ♥.

Foul Play (1978)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline:  A new comedy thriller from the creators of “Silver Streak.”

Another major reel librarian character (Goldie Hawn as Gloria Mundy) with no mention of that occupation on the poster. True, the plot moves quickly from the library and into the streets of San Francisco, but Gloria’s resourcefulness begins with kicking some butt with an umbrella while locking up the library. And no, that’s not a metaphor.

The poster highlights the chemistry between co-stars Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, while the tagline focuses on the accomplishments of writer/director Colin Higgins, who had a hit two years earlier with the comedy-action flick Silver Streak. Higgins also had another cult classic on his filmography, Harold and Maude (1971), and would go on to write and direct the comedy hits Nine to Five (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). Smart advertising strategy.

Off Beat (1986)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline: The real life adventures of a make-believe cop.

This movie involves a whole host of oddball reel librarians (star Judge Reinhold included), a case of mistaken identity, satiny cop costumes, a dancing cop routine, show tunes, and a bank heist in which well-timed choreography saves the day. Oh, and roller skates, as highlighted on this movie poster. The poster is the cleverest thing about the movie, and I’m actually glad there’s no hint of librarianship in it, except for the book bag he’s about to trip on.

The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag (1992)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Tagline:  She was a nobody, until someone found… The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag!”

Two very different styles of movie posters, with one equally offensive tagline. Although the posters don’t mention her occupation, Betty Lou is a children’s librarian, the “nobody” in the tagline. FAIL.

I actually saw this movie in the theaters, which gives you a clue to how old I am. It’s an odd movie, but I loved it way back when. Mostly because of cute co-star Eric Thal. I don’t recall seeing the first poster — definitely skewed more to adults — so I most likely responded positively to the second poster, which plays up the “screwball comedy” angle.

I also find it interesting that just through these two movie posters, you can see how well her character fits the Liberated Librarian type. First, she’s all about the long hair and timid, “Who, me?” expression, and in the second, it’s all “Look at me!” with the short dress, short hair, and irresponsible backseat driving.

Party Girl (1995)

Read more about the movie and basic plot by clicking here. Click each poster thumbnail to view a larger image in a new window.

Taglines:

  • There’s a new librarian in town!
  • The new queen of the art house

Finally, the word librarian makes it to a movie poster! One more reason to love this film. The posters both feature indie film star Parker Posey (hence, the “queen of the art house” tagline) atop a pile of books, having a fun time as the Party Girl in her chunky high heels and bright layers. So very mid-’90s. She IS the party girl. Ergo, party girl = librarian. These posters make me smile — and not just because I enjoy counting up all the different fonts on that second one. And how befitting are these ads for a movie that features a dance sequence all about learning the Dewey Decimal system? This is truth in advertising. ;)

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Defining ourselves: The whole kit and caboodle

Elton S. Karrmann Library at the University of...

A few years ago, when I worked at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Karrmann Library (see right), a transparency kit called “Defining Ourselves: Myths and Realities for Women in Libraries” got weeded from the collection. Fortunately, I then found the deselected kit in my box — my research interest into librarian portrayals and stereotypes being well-known to our library staff– and I happily found a home for it in my personal collection. :)

The kit was produced in 1980 by the Wisconsin Women Library Workers, written by Donna Barkman and graphics by Marge Loch-Wouters. I was a member of the WWLW during my time in Wisconsin, and you can view their current website here. The kit consists of 18 transparencies and 1 guide with a script and questions. The purpose? To be used in programming on sex roles and stereotyping of women in libraries.

In the slideshow below, I’ve included pics of the script, transparencies, discussion questions, and more.

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I like taking this kit out every now and again. There’s the nostalgia factor, of course, with the fun drawings and heavy ’70s style influence (the guy in the pantsuit and turtleneck is my current fave). But the point is still relevant. Although the focus here is on women in the librarian profession, it’s still all about image and assumptions based on those images. Which of the drawings depicts a “typical” — or rather, “stereotypical” — librarian or library worker? Have times changed all that much?

Let me know what you think and please leave a comment below.

And for those of you who are librarians or library buffs, the kit’s call number was in the HQ’s, specifically HQ 1075, which is the Library of Congress sub-classification for “Sex role.” You can read more details about the “Defining Ourselves” kit in WorldCat here.

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A look at ‘The Hollywood Librarian’

For years, I’d been excited about Ann Seidl’s documentary, The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film (2007) — another librarian who loves movies and is passionate about our profession and how we are portrayed? Count me in! And how cute is that logo?! (see below)

I couldn’t make it to the ALA 2007 Annual Conference where the documentary premiered (see scenes from this world premier here). And when film screening opportunities rolled out the following year, I was disappointed that my library wasn’t able to participate (to screen the film for the public, you had to charge for tickets, which wasn’t allowed for our university library). Then I went overseas for three years, basically putting my film research on hold. So this year, FINALLY, I was able to see this documentary on dvd.

The positives? There are a lot of ‘em. It is well done, a documentary both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Seidl wrote, directed, and narrated the film — it took more than 10 years to realize this goal! — combining film clips of reel librarians and libraries with interviews of real librarians and library supporters and authors, including Ray Bradbury (who wrote Fahrenheit 451, a book about book burning, in a library). Much of what the librarians have to say is meaningful and SHOULD be heard by a larger audience. There are unsung heroes amongst the librarians, along with “superstar” librarians like Nancy Pearl, the author behind the Book Lust series and the (infamous) “shushing librarian” action figure. You can feel Seidl’s passion.

The negatives? There are a lot of ‘em, too. Even though the documentary ends on a positive quote from Nancy Pearl, “People absolutely adore being librarians. And who wouldn’t? I mean, it’s a perfect job,” the tone throughout is not exactly uplifting. But it’s hard to criticize this documentary because it is so well-meaning, and everything in it is of value. But it feels like a documentary splicing together 6 or 7 different documentaries in an hour and a half. The segments highlighting library issues include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • history of women in librarianship;
  • Andrew Carnegie and his legacy of public libraries;
  • benefits of children’s library services;
  • benefits of prison libraries;
  • censorship and intellectual freedom;
  • lack of public funding and the fight to keep public libraries open in Salinas, hometown of author John Steinbeck; and
  • the destruction of libraries and priceless archives during wartime, including Afghanistan and Iraq.

In short — and that previous list is long! — the film tries too hard to fit everything in. Watching it, I felt like I was watching a lot of tangents but not a cohesive whole. And that was frustrating because like I said, everything in it was good, and the points are valuable. But this is, unfortunately, an example where the sum is lesser than its parts.

Was this a conscious choice? Did the project grow too big? Was Seidl (subconsciously?) making a point about how marginalizing librarians onscreen then marginalizes librarians in real life? In an article in American Libraries (June/July 2005), Seidl comments on her goals for the project:

We must insist on our right to define ourselves not only as more than a stereotype, but as a cultural imperative. We must have our positive self-image with the public.

And on The Hollywood Librarian website, she reveals more about her motivations:

The handful of films that exists on this topic [librarianship] neither examine the image and stereotype of librarians, nor portray the real work that librarians do. I want to make a film that does both.

However, the film clips that are included — the raison d’être I had assumed based on the title — seem more like a sideline, a convenient yet throwaway method to transition between chapters. Toward the beginning, Seidl seems to sum up the reel librarian with “The fussy, bad-tempered librarian is a stock stereotype in film and television. Aside from a few positive roles, being a librarian — according to the movies — is usually anything but a wonderful life,” and a quick montage of clips, including Citizen Kane (1941), Sophie’s Choice (1982), The Music Man (1962), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and of course, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). And about an hour in, she highlights the “sexy librarian” stereotype with a few clips from The Music Man (1962), The Station Agent (2003), and No Man of Her Own (1932), among others.

This review post has taken me awhile to write — I’ve kept coming back to it, just as I’ve kept coming back to my reactions to the documentary. It is an intriguing idea, literally juxtaposing reel and real librarians and issues affecting our profession. Bottom line, I do believe media portrayals, fictional or not, of my chosen profession matter. And this documentary, in the end, also matters. It is, as they say, a noble effort. But I fear that the title will mislead, and frustrate, viewers, and leave them with more questions than answers.

But maybe that’s a good thing.

Have you seen this documentary? What are your thoughts? You can read more reviews here on The Hollywood Librarian website.

Below is a list of the film clips and interviews included in The Hollywood Librarian, arranged in alphabetical order. Please note that not all of the film clips feature reel librarians.

Film Clips*

  • Battlefield Earth (2000)
  • Big Bully (1996)
  • Billy Elliot (2000) *
  • Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) *
  • Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
  • The Cider House Rules (1999) *
  • Citizen Kane (1941) *
  • City of Angels (1998)
  • Cleopatra (1963)
  • Dangerous Minds (1995)
  • David Copperfield (1999?) *
  • The Day After Tomorrow (2004) *
  • Desk Set (1957)
  • East of Eden (1955)
  • Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
  • Foul Play (1978) *
  • Gone with the Wind (1939) *
  • Goodbye, Columbus (1969)
  • I Love Trouble (1994) *
  • It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
  • The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (TV, 2004)
  • Love Story (1970)
  • Matilda (1996)
  • The Music Man (1962)
  • The New Avengers (TV, 1976) *
  • No Man of Her Own (1932)
  • Party Girl (1995)
  • The Philadelphia Story (1940) *
  • Plaza Suite (1971)
  • Sophie’s Choice (1982) *
  • Soylent Green (1973)
  • Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) *
  • The Station Agent (2003)
  • Storm Center (1956)
  • Threesome (1994)
  • The Time Machine (2002)
  • Tomcats (2001) *
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1942)
  • The Truman Show (1998) *
  • The Twilight Zone (TV, 1962)
  • Wonder Man (1945) *
  • Zardoz (1974)

* Uncredited film clips

Librarian Interviews**

  • Chris Ewing (web support librarian, University of Southern California)
  • Martin Garnar (librarian and privacy expert)
  • Ruth Gilbert (retired medical librarian, Denver, CO)
  • Susan Hildreth (State Librarian of California)
  • Molly Kliss (library science graduate student, Madison, WI)
  • Jamie LaRue (library director, Douglas County, CO)
  • Rhea Lawson, PhD (library director, Houston Public Library, TX)
  • Pat Lawton, PhD (professor of library science)
  • Marilyn Martin (library media specialist, Denver Public Schools)
  • Maria Mena (children’s librarian)
  • Jan Neal (head librarian, Salinas Public Library)
  • Nancy Paradise (librarian, Long Beach, CA)
  • Christine Pawley, PhD (library professor, Univ. of Iowa)
  • Nancy Pearl (librarian and author, Seattle, WA)
  • Peg Hepburn Perry (librarian 50+ yrs, 1921-2006)

Katharine Hepburn’s sister! Even MORE reasons to love Desk Set (1957). This could be a documentary all by itself. Dear Universe, this needs to happen. Thanks for listening. ♥ Jennifer

  • Eugenie Prime (head librarian, Hewlett Packard)
  • Maria Roddy (branch manager, Cesar Chavez Branch – Salinas public libraries)
  • Eleanore Schmidt (library director, Long Beach Public Library, CA)
  • Susan Turrell (library director, Tunkhannock Public Library)
** Job titles and workplaces as listed/stated in documentary
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