18th out of 131 books
—
232 voters
Quiet, Please: Dispatches From A Public Librarian
by
Scott Douglas (Goodreads Author)
For most of us, librarians are the quiet people behind the desk, who, apart from the occasional �shush,” vanish into the background. But in Quiet, Please, McSweeney’s contributor Scott Douglas puts the quirky caretakers of our literature front and center. With a keen eye for the absurd and a Kesey-esque cast of characters (witness the librarian who is sure Thomas Pynchon i...more
Hardcover, 330 pages
Published
March 25th 2008
by Da Capo Press
(first published March 24th 2008)
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Disappointing.
I had high expectations of this book. I hoped the author's observations about public librarianship and library school would be amusing or insightful. They were neither.
Some advice to Mr. Douglas:
*"Smelt" is not the past tense of the verb smell, and "desert" is not what comes at the end of a meal.
* Footnotes are a bold choice, and should be used only by those with the skill to pull it off. For good examples, please see Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or the front matter to A Hea...more
I had high expectations of this book. I hoped the author's observations about public librarianship and library school would be amusing or insightful. They were neither.
Some advice to Mr. Douglas:
*
* Footnotes are a bold choice, and should be used only by those with the skill to pull it off. For good examples, please see Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or the front matter to A Hea...more
I loved this book. Why? Because
A) I thought library school was the biggest waste of my time and money and will tell it to anyone who will listen
2) I think librarians by and large are the most socially defunct group of people (I may be included in that)
III) Although I love the patrons, I have repeatedly said "This job would be great if it wasn't for the patrons."
This book reminded me of the many patrons who left me shaking my head (in both wonder and disgust). Two favorites include:
- The man w...more
A) I thought library school was the biggest waste of my time and money and will tell it to anyone who will listen
2) I think librarians by and large are the most socially defunct group of people (I may be included in that)
III) Although I love the patrons, I have repeatedly said "This job would be great if it wasn't for the patrons."
This book reminded me of the many patrons who left me shaking my head (in both wonder and disgust). Two favorites include:
- The man w...more
A review where I find I'm writing more about myself than the book at hand, only because the farther along I read in the book the more I saw myself in the book -- which might not be the best way of reading a memoir.
When I first came across this book I thought 'oh cool - a book about being a librarian', then I thought it will be nice in the biography section with the other book that came out a few months ago about being a librarian, and I'll mean to read it and probably not, or at least until it c...more
When I first came across this book I thought 'oh cool - a book about being a librarian', then I thought it will be nice in the biography section with the other book that came out a few months ago about being a librarian, and I'll mean to read it and probably not, or at least until it c...more
A narcissist tells stories about working in the public library - not a good match between job and personality. If only there were a 0 stars rating.
If you want to read a book about working the public library, try Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks & Gangstas in the Public Library by Borchert. Borchert is funny and also has an ounce of compassion for his fellow man.
If you want to read a book about working the public library, try Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks & Gangstas in the Public Library by Borchert. Borchert is funny and also has an ounce of compassion for his fellow man.
Let me preface this by saying that in no way do I consider myself to be a perfect librarian. On a bad day, you might hear me complain about a difficult patron or a frustrating encounter with a co-worker. I can be impatient and annoyed and upset. More often than not, however, you will hear me sing the praises of my job and the endearingly wacky people I encounter on a daily basis. Honestly, if I ever appear as mean-spirited or bitter as Douglas does in this book, feel free to revoke my MLS degree...more
Supposedly a memoir about Douglas’ work as a public librarian, this book is actually about how Douglas is smart and sane, while everyone else who works at or comes into the library is crazy and dumb. My god: rarely have I read a memoir where the author comes off as more of a pretentious ass. If Douglas were funny it might work, but instead he’s just mean. And not even honestly mean: he keeps trying to turn his mocking into little lessons about the importance of community, or “covering” a chapter...more
Check out my review at http://bookaweekwithjen.blogspot.com/...
May 07, 2008
Grace
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Employees at my library system, or at any library
Scott Douglas is brilliant! And he is, at the same time, just a regular guy. As a 5-year library employee (who would like to eventually get her Masters, but has to wait for financial reasons for a few years more), I could relate to so many of his stories, both of crazy patrons, and intra-office drama/gossip. His unique perspective of having worked at both a smaller and larger library ensures that librarians of all sorts will be able to relate to something in his book. For me, it was his old (fir...more
God damn this is a good book. As an ex-library worker I might be biased, but this book is so funny, and smart and sincere.
Scott Douglas is relatable. We like the same things, and we're enraged by the same things. If we hung out, we'd probably drink wine and talk about our favorite movie librarians (mine would have to be Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption, I'd imagine his would be Parker Posey's Mary in Party Girl, because who doesn't love her? (this is of course eliminating Sylvia Marpol...more
Scott Douglas is relatable. We like the same things, and we're enraged by the same things. If we hung out, we'd probably drink wine and talk about our favorite movie librarians (mine would have to be Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption, I'd imagine his would be Parker Posey's Mary in Party Girl, because who doesn't love her? (this is of course eliminating Sylvia Marpol...more
Every so often I get a nagging feeling that I should have become a librarian. Many thanks to Scott Douglas for an engaging behind-the-stacks look at this career. He is clearly meant to be a librarian, though he sort of wrestles with that notion, and I am clearly not, as I learned through reading this book. Librarians, Douglas points out, don't just sit around reading and revering books and dispensing knowledge; they also serve the public, and, well, I really can't deal with the public. Douglas s...more
Feb 25, 2008
Roland
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
librarians, library technicians, library assistants, library clerks, library pages, library aides
Recommended to Roland by:
Scott, obviously
A great story about one man's quest to...work in a library. Much better than that other piece of crap library book on the market, which is the equivalent of listening to a cranky old man bitch about his job for a few hundred pages.
Oh, and my being in the book in no way colors my review of it.
Oh, and my being in the book in no way colors my review of it.
Is this what working in a library is like? Well yes and no. Every library is different and from what I've seen in my time in the profession, every library worker's experience of the library is different. Mr. Douglas, whether through his own mentality or through exaggerations meant to obtain what he thought would be a funny book, seems to see librarianship as long stretches of boredom punctuated by encounters with crazy patrons and co-workers. It's one legitimate experience of the library, one th...more
Jun 10, 2008
Mary Jo
added it
Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian held such promise, the initial flip through the pages had me wanting more, it seemed so clever really the way the chapters were set up, the funny little footnotes~ until one actually sat down to read it word for word. What was initially taken as clever and insightful was actually a very sad account of someone who is clearly in the wrong profession. In all fairness to the author and the book I had to apply book club rules - read the first 50 pages...more
Apr 13, 2008
Jenny
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all of my librarian friends
Shelves:
librarian-nonfiction
It is shocking how many similar our library stories are. The most notable one is when he tells a co-worker that it's a small library and sometimes you have do things that aren't in your job description. I have two co-workers that like using the phrase "But it's not in my job description." Finally my boss printed out their job descriptions and most of the stuff they weren't doing was in fact in their job description. Plus we do work at a very small branch.
Another thing is I, like Scott, also som...more
Another thing is I, like Scott, also som...more
Mar 19, 2009
Khaya
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People with a sense of humor seeking an inside scoop into the library
Recommended to Khaya by:
margueya
This book, a memoir about working as a public librarian, was readable, often funny, and usually interesting though occasionally tedious and repetitive. What was actually more interesting than reading this book, though, was reading the range of goodreads reviews. People loved it, hated it, and fell in the middle.
Reading the reviews of this book was actually reminiscent of reading the trails of comments following particularly snarky reviews of popular books on goodreads. I read a lot of these revi...more
Reading the reviews of this book was actually reminiscent of reading the trails of comments following particularly snarky reviews of popular books on goodreads. I read a lot of these revi...more
Folks seem to have either loved the book, or hated it. Me, I fall in between.
Started out great with pieces on how the author came to become a librarian, including (the irrelevance of) library school. After that, the entries vary from gossipy, regarding patrons and co-workers, to meaningless (to me anyway) fake interviews. Good intentions, but the parts don't make a whole. Sometimes blogs are best left as blogs.
I really wish I'd heard more about the job itself, beyond office politics and the occa...more
Started out great with pieces on how the author came to become a librarian, including (the irrelevance of) library school. After that, the entries vary from gossipy, regarding patrons and co-workers, to meaningless (to me anyway) fake interviews. Good intentions, but the parts don't make a whole. Sometimes blogs are best left as blogs.
I really wish I'd heard more about the job itself, beyond office politics and the occa...more
I expected to like this. He's a librarian, I'm a librarian, and the few excerpts I'd read sounded like he had some interesting crazy patrons stories.
But in fact I hated it. I *forced* myself to read to page 156, and then skimmed through the rest in about 5 minutes. The problem is, the author is a pretentious jerk. And while I'm happy to read a book by a jerk if he makes me laugh, this guy is also not funny in any way, which is a huge problem in a book that doesn't have anything else going for it...more
But in fact I hated it. I *forced* myself to read to page 156, and then skimmed through the rest in about 5 minutes. The problem is, the author is a pretentious jerk. And while I'm happy to read a book by a jerk if he makes me laugh, this guy is also not funny in any way, which is a huge problem in a book that doesn't have anything else going for it...more
I loved, loved LOVED this book. I picked it up totally randomly at a book store (!) while waiting for the bus after eyeing it a few times - it looked sort of interesting, then I skimmed it and was hooked.
This is an annecdotal memoir of a man's experience or sort of coming of age in, of all places, the library as he climbs the library ladder to become a librarian. In short, it is hysterically funny as well as touching and insightful.
There were so many amazing lines that made me stop and laugh out...more
This is an annecdotal memoir of a man's experience or sort of coming of age in, of all places, the library as he climbs the library ladder to become a librarian. In short, it is hysterically funny as well as touching and insightful.
There were so many amazing lines that made me stop and laugh out...more
May 05, 2008
Julie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Julie by:
Anne Flounders
Shelves:
non-fiction
As a current library student, this book left me with the sinking feeling that all my time as a librarian would be spent fighting off the world's most undesirable humans, who also happen to be the most common library patrons. I clung desperately to Douglas' bright spots, mostly about how he does feel like librarianism is the profession for him (despite the lunatics, and the coworkers). Most inspiring (and most in line with my thoughts as a future librarian) was the description in the epilogue of...more
May 04, 2008
Marie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
librarians and anybody who thinks we all sit around reading books all day
Point one: it seems that my favorite books all make liberal use of footnotes: Terry Pratchett's oeuvre, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, even The Mezzanine.
Point two: I think I will force a copy into the hands of any patron who dares utter some variation on the theme "so this must be such a lovely, quiet job, getting to sit around and read all day."
Point three: I'm going to make my mother read it immediately so as to judge its effect on non-librarians. Will she laugh? Will she cry? Will she onl...more
Point two: I think I will force a copy into the hands of any patron who dares utter some variation on the theme "so this must be such a lovely, quiet job, getting to sit around and read all day."
Point three: I'm going to make my mother read it immediately so as to judge its effect on non-librarians. Will she laugh? Will she cry? Will she onl...more
May 09, 2008
Debra
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone considering a career in librarianship, any librarian, and any library user
Recommended to Debra by:
review in USA today
I've worked for 29 years in libraries 2,000 miles from Anaheim -- but Scott has captured the highs and lows so well. Nothing is more satisfying than making a room full of children laugh and love a book you've introduced to them. Or tracking down an obscure answer to an impossible question. Or getting to know wonderful patrons. Librarianship is fun.
But then there are the nasty patrons of all stripes. The endless stream of meetings and committees. The days that I try to find another career.
I parti...more
But then there are the nasty patrons of all stripes. The endless stream of meetings and committees. The days that I try to find another career.
I parti...more
It's very refreshing to read of what Librarianship is - for me - truly about; people. Douglas relates tales of his library as it really is. Some tales are funny, some heart-wrenching, all have the ring of truth, with the focus always on people.
I can envision some of those I've worked with in his characters (coworkers).
I can envision some of those I've worked with in his characters (coworkers).
the more i think about this book the more maddening it is. call me a newbie, but i actually think librarianship is worthy and rewarding profession. this felt like it was written by someone who says condescending things like "you mean you have to go to SCHOOL to be a librarian?!" instead of an actual librarian who should know better. if you don't like your job, man up and get a new one instead of making fun of it, your coworkers, and your patrons to make some money. a few good parts didn't make u...more
Aug 31, 2012
Cheryl/Aradanryl
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Cheryl/Aradanryl by:
Barnes & Noble Free Nook Book
This short book is basically a series of idle thoughts in no particular order. Definitely tongue in cheek and while I found them humorous at times, it may not strike academic or public librarians the same way.
Some favorites include Dispatch 33-Not Posted Rules of the Library; Aimee Bender is Evil; and Nicholson Baker is a big fat idiot. Just for the record I don't know who Aimee Bender or Nicholson Baker is but clearly some California librarians do and after reading the articles, I was tempted...more
Some favorites include Dispatch 33-Not Posted Rules of the Library; Aimee Bender is Evil; and Nicholson Baker is a big fat idiot. Just for the record I don't know who Aimee Bender or Nicholson Baker is but clearly some California librarians do and after reading the articles, I was tempted...more
Scott Douglas is a reference librarian at the Anaheim Public Library and he’s been chronicling his days as a librarian for McSweeney’s (website) since 2003. He started off as a page and got hooked; his life has never been the same. Other librarians (especially in public library settings) will recognize the trials and tribulations (and joys and exaltations) of librarianship as Douglas describes the patrons he serves, the problems he encounters, and the occasional rapturous moments where he really...more
Jul 21, 2009
Naomi
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like reading funny bitter people, and don't mind hating the author/protagonist.
Recommended to Naomi by:
McSweeneys
Shelves:
non-fiction,
essays
I would have given this a three-star, since it was mostly pretty amusing, except that every couple of pages, Douglas has to remind us that he's racist, sexist, homophobic, and full of antipathy toward the elderly and the mentally challenged. And toward teenagers, but hey, who doesn't hate teenagers? (The guy's twenty-eight. He was in his early twenties when he started working at libraries. How can an early-twenty-year-old hate teens so much?) He keeps writing "What can I say? I'm a jerk!" as tho...more
A quick interesting read. I spent the summer after I graduated high school as a lowly library page, and I can definitely see the validity in all the characters Douglas describes. My second day in, a homeless man had crashed naked through the library windows and wandered aimlessly around the first floor until someone called the police. Honest to God. It's events like those that are just too strange to be believed, so for anyone who doubts the anecedotes that Douglas offers...believe me...it is 99...more
Honestly one of the worst books I've read in a really long time. It started out okay, and it looked promising, but:
#1 His characters are so flat and one dimensional and caricatures of themselves. He even says that they are exaggerated to be funnier, which really doesn't work. In fact, when you make the characters look like they have absolutely no personality except to be a stupid, lazy, bitch, it really doesn't make me want to keep reading about them. This goes for the narrator as well.
#2 The en...more
#1 His characters are so flat and one dimensional and caricatures of themselves. He even says that they are exaggerated to be funnier, which really doesn't work. In fact, when you make the characters look like they have absolutely no personality except to be a stupid, lazy, bitch, it really doesn't make me want to keep reading about them. This goes for the narrator as well.
#2 The en...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet Please vs. Free for All | 2 | 87 | Dec 21, 2008 01:07pm | |
| Library-Themed Short Story | 1 | 13 | Jun 05, 2008 12:13pm | |
| The Times Review of "Quiet, Please" | 1 | 55 | May 23, 2008 03:40pm | |
| Metro Spirit | 1 | 8 | Apr 30, 2008 10:04pm | |
| The Scotsman Review | 1 | 8 | Apr 20, 2008 12:19pm | |
| LA Times Book Review (Discovery) | 1 | 7 | Apr 20, 2008 12:18pm | |
| Orange County Register Profile | 1 | 6 | Apr 20, 2008 12:16pm |
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“There was the smell of old books, a smell that has a way of making all libraries seem the same. Some say that smell is asbestos. ”
—
42 people liked it
“I am convinced that grandkids are inherently evil people who tell their grandparents to "just go to the library and open up an e-mail account - it's free and so simple.”
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31 people liked it
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