Publisher: Harper Perennial
Original Publication Date: February 2, 2010
Paperback Available: January 25, 2011
Paperback: 282 pages
ISBN: 9780061431616
Price: $14.99
I got my Master's in Library Science in 2008 and I have constantly found myself trying to explain to skeptics what it is about being a librarian that requires a Master's degree. To study the information sciences, there are classes in human information behavior, information technologies, principles of searching, multimedia production, reference services, digital libraries, YA literature, organizing information (like creating indexes), learning theory for the classroom, social software, library management, cataloging, collection development, and I could go on and on. Those are just the classes I took!
When I was contacted about joining the book tour for this book, I knew I had to see what a non-librarian thought of librarians today. I'm pleased to say the author really did our profession justice. It's clear that Marilyn Johnson spent a lot of time hanging out with librarians and really delving into what a complex and wide-ranging skill set librarians have. She watched first hand how a software migration went down in her local library (not well), spent hours on Second Life, went to the ALA conferences, witnessed a shift in services at NYPL, and went to a library opening in Darien, Connecticut. She learned about librarians as archivists, bloggers, political and human rights activists, and teachers.
I live in an area that used to have a wonderful library system--until the recession hit and 84 librarians lost their jobs, branch libraries closed and hours were reduced. It's a tough time to be a librarian, but more critical than ever. Johnson makes a compelling case for librarians, but I worry that this book will never reach the hands of those that need to read it most.
Other tour stops:
January 25th: Reading Through Life
January 31st: 1330v
February 1st: One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books
February 2nd: Man of La Book
February 7th: Boarding in My Forties
February 10th: Stacy’s Books
February 15th: Books Like Breathing
February 16th: Proud Book Nerd
February 18th: A Fanatic’s Book Blog
6 comments:
This one sounds great. I wanted to be a librarian.
I definitely agree with you. I'm reading this now and it's such a great read. I'm hoping this book is one that all libraries buy and the people who need to read it (especially those in office) read.
I'm a library science student and used the book for research on a paper I wrote last semester.
Wow! 84 librarians in your area lost their job? Yikes! I do think librarians are more important than ever, but I have the same fear as you: that this book will not be read by those who need to read it the most.
I'm so glad you were on this tour!
I'm glad to hear that a real librarian appreciated this book. I'm up to review it next week and will start it today. I'm looking forward to it. My friend just got her MLS!
The thing that made me sad about this book is that so little of it covered BOOKS. While there is certainly more to being a librarian than books, books should enter into the equation somewhere.
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