Books about Librarians and Libraries!

Posted March 20, 2024 by Isabella Rodrigues

It’s not surprising that a great way to have a deeper understanding of library science is to read about it! Of course, many SLIS students will have read articles, research papers, and textbooks about information science, but I am going to list some “not-so-academic” fiction and nonfiction titles that will help you learn and also get you learning. 

1. I Work At A Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories From the Stacks by Gina Sheridan. 

Enjoy the odd cases and questions that come to Gina Sheridan’s circulation desk at her public library. These true short stories are a celebration of libraries and patrons as well as the quirks of working as a reference librarian. 

2. Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf 

A deep dive into the more scientific side of libraries. When is it important for children to start reading on their own? What is the difference between reading on screens and reading on paper? How are libraries going to look in the future? Maryanne Wolf contemplates all this and more in her musings in this non-fiction work. 

3. The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur de Weduwen 

Historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur de Wedewen explore both the whimsical and dark past of libraries and their keepers. This book documents the development of some of the world’s most private collections of rare manuscripts. If you are interested in antiquarianism, I would highly recommend it. 

4. The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

A fiction book about a retired librarian who starts volunteering at a senior center’s library. A great story about the librarian/patron relationship that is heartwarming and fun. 

5. The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga 

A flood in 1966 Florence, Italy damages a convent library’s collection. Margot Harrington joins the team to help restore the materials when she comes across a book of racy drawings and poems that was supposed to be lost centuries ago. Margot unravels the mystery of the lost book and who, in a nun’s convent, hid it from destruction. A lively story about censorship and banned books. 

6. The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

If you’re in the mood for something light and spooky, this young adult novel might be just the thing. A young girl works at her prep school library, only to find it haunted by a dead student who is very enthusiastic about the library of congress subject headings.