"Earth, Specs and Cybertexts: Futuristic Librarians in the Reel World, Part 1 & 2
A Select Biblio and Filmography
Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) Conference
BloomingtonConvention Center, Bloomington, IN
May 11, 2006
Co-Presenters:
Noa Wahrman Monique Threatt
(812)855-9204 (812) 855-9857
Select Bibliography
Adams, Katherine C. "Loveless Frump as Hip and Sexy Party Girl: A Reevaluation of the Old-Maid Stereotype." Library Quarterly, Jul 2000:287. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO Publishing. (AN3524895) 11 Apr. 2002. <
Brooks, Jon. “Reel Librarians Don’t Always Wear Buns.” School Library Journal, Aug 1997:43. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO Publishing. (AN9710050305) 31 Oct. 2002. <
Liebold, Louise Condak. “Changing the Librarian Stereotype.” Library Imagination Paper, Spring 19997: 19. Academic Search Premeire. EBSCO Publishing (AN9705292718) 31 Oct. 2002. <
Myers, Marcia J. "Images of Librarians in Science Fiction and Fantasy: Including an Annotated List." Report-Research/Technical. ERIC. EBSCO Publishing. (ER:ED420314) 11 Apr. 2002 <
Robbins, Louise S. The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown: Civil Rights, Censorship and the American Library. University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. Reviewed by Zoia Horn on: <
Scherdin, Mary Jane; Beaubien, Anne K. "Shattering our Stereotype: Librarians' New Image." Library Journal, Jul. 1995: 35. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO Publishing. (AN9507257719) 11 Apr. 2002. <
Schmidt, Steven J. “Reel vs. Real Librarians.”Indiana Libraries: Journal of the Indiana Library Federation & the Indiana State Library 24, no. 2 (2005) : 2-5. 2005
Schmidt, Steven J. Compiler. Top Ten Films Featuring Libraries. IUPUI. 22 Feb. 2002
St. Lifer, Evan. "A Librarian at the White House." School Library Journal, Feb 2002: 11. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO Publishing. (AN:6037381) 11 Apr. 2002. <
Threatt, Monique. “Bad to the Bone: Librarians in Motion Picture. Is it an Accurate Portrayal?” Indiana Libraries: Journal of the Indiana Library Federation & the Indiana State Library 24, no. 2 (2005) : 6-9. 2005
Wahrman, Noa. “Buns of Steel: From Librarian to Woman in Storm Center, Desk Set, Party Girl.” Indiana Libraries: Journal of the Indiana Library Federation & the Indiana State Library 24, no. 2 (2005) : 10-15. 2005
Walker, Stephen and V. Lonnie Lawson. "The Librarian Stereotype and the Movie." MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship, Spring 1993: 16-28. 6 Mar. 2002. <
Yeagley, Beth. "Shelfing, Stamping and Sushing: Librarians in the Movies." Dissertation/Thesis. ERIC. EBSCO Publishing (ER:ED435392) 11 April 2002
Select Filmography:
Librarians in the Movies: An Annotated Filmography by Martin Raish. Maintained by: Martin Raish, David O. McKay Library, BrighamYoungUniversity - Idaho. (Last updated 27 October 2005)
Internet Movie Databases:
Internet Movie Database: <
Movie Query Review Engine: <
Librarians’ stereotypes in Film:
Coming up with a list of exclusive librarian-stereotype categories is almost impossible, as most of them will belong to more than one (for instance, “the old maid” will often be cross-referenced with “the humorist image”, as will “the positive” be cross-referenced with “the information provider”, etc. Hence, we did try and divide them into rough categories but further division is not only possible but, occasionally, highly recommended.
A. Historical Images in Cinema
The Old-Maid
It's a Wonderful Life (1946). In this classic Christmas tale, George Bailey (James Stewart) is given the opportunity to see what life would have been like if he had never been born. During this period, he finds out that his otherwise beautiful wife (Donna Reed) ends up as an old-maid librarian.
Music Man, The (1962).In this musical, con man Harold Hill (Robert Preston) mesmerizes a small Iowa town and the local librarian (Shirley Jones). Jones’ character is dowdy, but towards the end, when love catches up with her, she radically changes her image.
The Humorist
Ghostbusters (1984). In this wickedly funny film about modern day ghostbusters (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray), NYC’s public library is haunted by old ghosts. In a chaotic and hilarious scene as catalog cards fly everywhere, a ghost from the past greets the modern-day librarian with a stereotypical "shush."
Philadelphia Story, The (1940).James Stewart is going to a Philadelphia public library where Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is reading his book of short stories. The librarian is a creature from another century to put it mildly. She speaks in an archaic language and is a typical spinster. Their dialogue exchange is hilarious.
Male Librarians
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). In this popular television series, Rupert Giles (Anthony Head) is portrayed as the intelligent, all-knowing High School Librarian whose undercover job is to prepare and train Buffy (Sarah M. Gellar) to fight local vampires.
Sophie's Choice (1982). In this poignant film set during World War II, Sophie (Meryl Streep) is a polish immigrant who attends evening classes to learn English. She has an assignment to read Emily Dickinson, but another immigrant tells her "Emil Dickins." At the public library, she is treated with disdain and as inferior.
Historical/Religious
The Name of the Rose (1986). In this murder mystery set in an Abbey, during the 1300s, priests are dying under strange circumstances. As Sean Connery's character try to solve the murders, images of monks as transcribers, translators and gatekeepers of the books is immortalized.
The Mummy (1999). Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) is an Egyptologist librarian who, along with her brother and the star super-hero (Brendan Fraser), goes on an archeological dig in Humanaptra. They accidently (surprise) awaken the dead and the fun begins. Evelyn is characterized as dowdy, until the sacrifice scene where she is then transformed into beautiful and desireable princess.
The Invisible Librarian as Crucial Information Provider
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). In this delightful film that tackles race-relations in the 1960s, Spencer Tracey's character makes a call to the public library to get the 411 on the man (Sidney Poitier) his daughter wants to marry. The librarian calls back with a background-check a mile long.
All the Presidents Men (1976). Journalists Woodward and Bernstein (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) are exposing the Watergate scandal. While relentlessly searching for information they call up a library (presumably the library of congress) for information. They get information instantly but the information provider him/herself is invisible from the screen or, for that matter, the plot.
Positive Images
Desk Set (1957). The mysterious man hanging about at the research department of a big TV network proves to be engineer Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy), who's been ordered to keep his real purpose secret: computerizing the office. Department head Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) who knows everything, needs no computer to unmask Richard. The resulting battle of wits and witty dialogue pits Bunny's fear of losing her job against her dawning attraction to Richard, whose very existence could be responsible for her undoing at the office.
Matilda (1978). Born to noisy, rude, uncouth and uneducated Wormwood family, unusual child Matilda (Mara Wilson), who is left alone at home by her parents days on end, teaches herself to read and at the age of 4 goes out into the town to find where more books live. In her daily 10-block-walk to the public library she spends hours reading on the premises until the kind and observant librarian lets her into the secret that she can obtain her own library card and thus borrow books to take home.
B. Futuristic Depictions of Librarians in Cinema
Murderer for Attention
The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag (1992). Betty Lou Perkins (Penelope Ann Miller) is a young, quiet, attractive librarian who is tired of being overlooked. After a gangland figure is mysteriously murdered in town, she finds the murder weapon, but can't get anyone's attention to tell them. Finally in a fit of frustration she fires the gun in a restroom, and when taken to the police station insists she is the murderer. In one scene her supervisor says that the goal of a library book is to be returned to the shelf un-mutilated. The library open house scene is a wonderful teaser for libraries.
Male Librarian
Philadelphia (1993). A gay lawyer (Tom Hanks) stricken with AIDS seeks redress for having been fired. At one point he is looking for information in the library, but the male librarian (played by Tracey Walker) is not at all helpful, or even friendly. The scene illustrates the public fear of AIDS, but it is unfortunate that a librarian was chosen to give the negative image.
Independent Thinker
Party Girl (1995). Mary (Parker Posey) is a free-spirited young woman with a run-down New York apartment and a high fashion wardrobe. She calls her godmother, a librarian, for bail money after being arrested for throwing an illegal party. To repay the loan, she begins working as a library clerk. At first she hates it, but when challenged decides to master the Dewey Decimal System and become a great library clerk, while romancing a falafel vendor and helping her roommate in his goal to become a professional DJ. This movie also includes ethnic portrayals mimicking the community the librarians serve.
Futuristic Record Keeper/Archivist
Blade (1998). Even in the vampire world, archives have significance. For instance, Pearl (Eric Edwards) is in charge of the vampire culture’s archives in which she announces to Blade (Wesley Snipes) that no one can possibly translate the old texts.
The Matrix (1999).In this futuristic tale of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the character of Tank (played by Marcus Chong) sits in front of a group of multiple computer monitors looking up documents and manuals that help the main characters save the world.According to Martin Raish website, “he is the ultimate reference/digital services librarian icon in recent Sci-Fi."
Librarian as Educator
Men of Honor (2000). Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a young Black man desperate to join the Navy as a master diver immediately following WWII. In order to pass his entrance exams, he seeks the help of Jo (Aunjanue Ellis), an attractive unmarried Harlem librarian who tutors him in reading. She helps him pass his exams with high scores, and along the way they fall in love. This is possibly the first film to address the disparity of the segregated educational system.
The Old Maid
Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). Jocasta Nu (Alethea McGrath), a librarian/archivist, works in the Jedi Archives. With her grey hair in a bun, she approaches Obi-Wan Kenobi who needs to find the location of a distant planet. Obi-Wan Kenobi is unable to find the information he needs, in which the librarian retorts that if “an item does not appear in our records, it doesn’t exist.”
The Ultimate Virtual Reference Librarian
The Time Machine (2002). This is the ultimate reference virtual librarian! Orlando Jones is Vox #NY-114, a librarian of the future who is the compendium of (no less than) All World Knowledge. He describes himself as a "third generation photonic with verbal and visual link capabilities connected to every database on the planet." We first encounter him in 2030, then later about 800,000 years into the future where he seems to be reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during story hour.