List of librarians in SF: Difference between revisions

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SF fans and writers = bibliophiles; bibliophiles love librarians; and therefore librarians show up disproportionately in SF.  Which is interesting because librarianship in real life is a disproportionately female profession.
SF fans and writers = bibliophiles; bibliophiles love librarians; and therefore librarians show up disproportionately in SF.  Which is interesting because librarianship in real life is [[gendered]] profession, disproportionately female (and gay).


* "Batwoman"
==Female librarians==
* "The Mummy" feature film, 1999
* "[[Batwoman]]"
* Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (TV series)
* [[Evelyn Carnahan]] in "The Mummy" feature film, 1999
* Alderman, Gill. The Archivist
* [[Cimerone]] in [[The Enchanted Forest Chronicles]] by [[Patricia C. Wrede]] spends a lot of time working in the library and at one point holds the title Head Cook and Librarian.
* Ellison, Harlan. "Enter the Fanatic, Stage Center," in Gentleman Junkie (1961)
* [[Jane Fletcher]]. The World Celaeno Chose (Dimsdale: London, 1999) - a librarian plays an important role (although by the time of the plot she is an ex-librarian)
* Fletcher, Jane. The World Celaeno Chose (Dimsdale: London, 1999) - a librarian plays an important role (although by the time of the plot she is an ex-librarian)
* [[Lirael]] in [[Garth Nix]]'s [[Old Kingdom Books]].
* Le Guin, Ursula K. The Telling (2000) (The whole thing is about libraries, really.)
* seven librarians in [[Ellen Klages]]' short story, "In the House of the Seven Librarians" (''Firebirds Rising'' anthology)
* Ursula K. Le Guin. short story in Sea Road (not science fiction, but completists may want to read it just because it's by Le Guin)
* a protagonist in [[Joanna Russ]]'s ''[[The Female Man]]''
* Joanna Russ' The Female Man (one of the protagonists is a librarian)
* librarian protagonist and gay black male librarian cohort, in [[Nancy Springer]]'s ''[[Fair Peril ]]''.
* Springer, Nancy. Fair Peril (librarian protagonist / gay black male librarian cohort)
* a stereotypical shy librarian without social skills in [[Cynthia Ward]]'s short story, "Brass in Pocket" in ''[[New Amazons]]'' edited by [[Margaret Weis]], 2000.
* Sturgeon, Theodore. "If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" (the Master Archivist, on an interestingly-described library-sort-of-planet, is the recipient of this tale which is otherwise not about librarians. The MA -- as an upper-echelon male -- has an attractive female secretary.)
 
* Ward, Cynthia. "Brass in Pocket" in New Amazons edited by Margaret Weis, 2000. (not a very nice librarian; in fact a librarian that is one of the stereotypical shy women without social skills)
==Male and other-gendered librarians==
* Wren, M. K. A Gift Upon the Sea (tale centers around a post-holocaust archivist of books and the threats posed by fundamentalist christians)
* Rupert Giles in "[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]" (TV series)
* Sean McMullen, ''Souls in the Great Machine''
* the title character in [[Gill Alderman]]'s ''The Archivist''
* The gay black male librarian cohort in [[Nancy Springer]]'s ''[[Fair Peril]]''
* Flynn Carsen iin ''[[The Librarian: Quest for the Spear]]'' (fall 2004) and ''[[The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines]]'' (2006) (linked TV movies)
* Mr. Raven in [[George MacDonald]]'s ''[[Lilith (1895 novel)|Lilith]]'' (1895) (the ghost of Mr. Raven, a librarian, haunts Mr. Vane's library)
* The [[Librarian (Discworld)|Librarian]] of the Unseen University in the [[Discworld series]] who was turned into a orangutan early in the series and refuses to be changed back
* The Master Archivist in "[[If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?]]" by [[Theodore Sturgeon]] on an interestingly-described library-sort-of-planet, is the recipient of this tale which is otherwise not about librarians. The MA -- as an upper-echelon male -- has an attractive female secretary.)
* protagonist in "Paper Cuts Scissors" by [[Holly Black]] (in ''[[The Poison Eaters and Other Stories]]'')
 
==Unsorted==
* [[Jorge Luis Borges]]. ''The Library of Babel.''
* [[Keith Donohue]]. ''The Stolen Child''
* [[Rosemary Edghill]]. ''[[The Sword of Maiden's Tears]]''
* [[Harlan Ellison]]. "Enter the Fanatic, Stage Center," in ''Gentleman Junkie'' (1961)
* [[Ursula K. Le Guin]]
** [[The Telling]] (2000) (The whole thing is about libraries, really.)
** short story in ''Sea Road'' (not science fiction, but completists may want to read it just because it's by Le Guin)
* [[Laurie J. Marks]]. Librarians, generally offstage, play a crucial role in the [[Elemental Logic series]], particularly in preserving the letter which [[Zanja na'Tarwein]] sends to Emil in ''[[Water Logic]]''.
* [[Sean McMullen]]. ''[[Souls in the Great Machine]]''
* [[Audrey Niffenegger]]. ''[[The Time Traveler's Wife]]''
* [[Carlos Ruiz Zafon]]. ''[[Shadow of the Wind]]''
 
==Notable non-SFnal librarian works==
* ''Desk Set'' (Katharine Hepburn's character)
* ''The Music Man'' (stage musical and film), featuring Marian, the librarian, who has a whole song devoted to the rhyme of her profession and her name
* ''Party Girl'' the movie and ''Party Girl'' the TV series
 
==Further reading==
* [http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=10097 LibraryThing discussion thread on librarians in fiction]
* [[The Librarian Hero (WisCon 30 panel)]]


[[Category:Characters by occupation]]
[[Category:Characters by occupation]]
[[Category:Lists of characters]]
[[Category:Character names needed]]

Latest revision as of 17:42, 17 April 2012

SF fans and writers = bibliophiles; bibliophiles love librarians; and therefore librarians show up disproportionately in SF. Which is interesting because librarianship in real life is gendered profession, disproportionately female (and gay).

Female librarians

Male and other-gendered librarians

Unsorted

Notable non-SFnal librarian works

  • Desk Set (Katharine Hepburn's character)
  • The Music Man (stage musical and film), featuring Marian, the librarian, who has a whole song devoted to the rhyme of her profession and her name
  • Party Girl the movie and Party Girl the TV series

Further reading