Author: Marilyn Johnson
Title: This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can Save Us All
Genre: Non-fiction
Publication Date: 2010
Number of Pages: 272
Geographical Setting: N/A
Time Period: Present Day
Plot Summary: The library profession is one that is in a constant state of flux. Embracing the plight of this profession in renaissance, Marilyn Johnson takes readers on a journey through the, “ranks of information professionals and readers on technology burn-out.” This collection of twelve essays provides a look at the ups and downs of a profession that is comprised of a vast variety of different people: the obscene bloggers, the tattooed-children’s librarians and couples who quietly (but stoutly) fight the FBI for Intellectual Freedom. Johnson speaks about taboo topics in a witty, almost lighthearted manner; she gracefully ponders what’s funny about finding poop in the drop box. In the next essay, she writes about a town library that is considered to be the state’s wealth of historical information, yet it is run by one full time librarian. Readers are given the opportunity to see library life across the genres: the real life inner workings of a library in a circulation system transfer (horror), special libraries (romance) and libraries without any walls (humor). Whether you’re a library worker or a library patron, there is an essay for you in Johnson’s collection.
Subject Headings: Libraries, Blogs, Cybrarians, Workplace, Nonfiction, Patriot Act, Librarians-Humor
Appeal: compelling, easy, evocative, exuberant, inspiring, unpretentious, eccentric, observant, authentic, inspirational, issue-oriented, smart
3 terms that best describe this book: Eye-opening, Encompassing, Easy
Similar Authors and Works (why are they similar?):
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors
- The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson: A wry study of the cult and culture of the obituary challenges public interest in these unique and morbid human-interest stories.
- Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles: A history of how libraries began and grew beyond just a place to house books.
- A Reader on Reading by Alberto Manguel: In this major collection of his essays, Alberto Manguel, argues that the activity of reading, in its broadest sense, defines our species.
3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors
- Day Job: A Workplace Reader for the Restless Age by Jonathan Baird: This combination of text and illustrations in an unusual format, is guaranteed to furnish some insights, chuckles and a lesson or two about satisfaction in the job market.
- Death Loves a Messy Desk by Mary Jane Maffini: When Charlotte Adams, a professional organizer and occasional sleuth, is hired by Fredelle Newhouse to organize a co-worker’s cluttered desk, she must solve an untidy mystery when the woman behind the mess goes missing, causing workplace tempers to explode.
- Allison Hewitt is Trapped: A Zombie Novel by Madeleine Roux: Maintaining a blog from inside a bookstore where she and five co-workers are trapped during the Zombie Apocalypse, Allison wryly documents the sensational adventures they share while carving their way through ranks of zombies and equally threatening humans.
Name: Jennifer Hovanec
Tags: authentic, compelling, easy, eccentric, evocative, exuberant, inspirational, inspiring, issue-oriented, observant, smart, unpretentious
