The Laughing Librarian : A History of American Library Humor

by Jeanette C. Smith

Despite the stodgy stereotypes, libraries and librarians themselves can be quite funny. The spectrum of library humor from sources inside and outside the profession ranges from the subtle wit of the New Yorker to the satire of Mad. This examination of American library humor over the past 200 years covers a wide range of topics and spans the continuum between light and dark, from parodies to portrayals of libraries and their staffs as objects of fear. It illuminates different types of librarians--the collector, the organization person, the keeper, the change agent--and explores stereotypes like the shushing little old lady with a bun, the male scholar-librarian, the library superhero, and the anti-stereotype of the sexy librarian. Profiles of the most prominent library humorists round out this lively study.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the many examples that Smith gives of librarian humor, this librarian did not find herself laughing. Maybe librarian humor is too subtle for my tastes, but this read more like a catalog list of potentially funny jokes and stories that fell flat rather than amused. Smith clearly put a lot of research effort into this book and so if someone is looking for multiple references (a complete history, really) in the topic of librarian related humor- point them towards The Laughing Librarian. If they're looking for a belly laugh, may I suggest I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan or Free for All by Dan Borchert.