Let’s face it — most reel librarians are burdened with pretty stereotypical traits! But there are some — usually major characters, with enough screen time to allow viewers to witness more fully rounded characterizations and glimpses of a personal life — that go beyond stereotypes.
Age: Variety of ages
Clothing: Usually modern, but not necessarily fashionable
Physical Appearance: Usually attractive; male librarians allowed to be masculine and female librarians allowed to be feminine
Personality: Intelligent; Well-rounded characters with lives outside library
Examples:
- Parker Posey in Party Girl (see YouTube video below)
- Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set (see image above)
- Helen Mirren in Cal
- Rene Russo in Major League
- Rosel Zech in Salmonberries
- Javier Bardem in Before Night Falls
Cool! I wasn’t actually aware of all of these – stuff to watch! Yay!
Yes, so many movies, so little time!
If you haven’t already, you might also check out the Class I and Class II pages under the Reel Substance section — those are the movies with librarians as main characters. Go for the good stuff first!