Case Study No. 1992: Unnamed Male Librarian (Der Untergang)

Hitler's Library
0:33
No description available.
Tags: Hitler Library funny
Added: 3 years ago
From: TheLooneytunes5000
Views: 80

[scene opens with a male "Nazi librarian" speaking to Adolf Hitler]
LIBRARIAN: [translated] I'm afraid you're going to have to shut up. This is a library.
HITLER: [translated] What!? How dare you tell me to "shut up?" You shut up!
[the librarian stares at him blankly]
HITLER: [translated] Besides, this is my library! That's a fact! You stroll in here and tell me to shut up, right after I name you Librarian of the Year? Nonsense!
[Hitler points at the librarian]
HITLER: [translated] You stink as a librarian!
[he begins pounding his fist on the desk]
HITLER: [translated] You're fired! You're fired! You're fired!
[the librarian speaks to him calmly]
LIBRARIAN: [translated] I was only following orders ... Your orders.
HITLER: [translated] And you think I didn't know that? I was just testing you! Good job!

---

From knowyourmeme.com:

Downfall, also known as "Hitler Finds Out..." or "Hitler Reacts To..." is a series of parody-subtitled videos based on a pinnacle scene from Der Untergang (2004), a German WWII drama revisiting the last ten days of Adolf Hitler's life and eventual suicide in his Berlin underground bunker. Due to the film's international success and Bruno Ganz' haunting portrayal of the Nazi dictator, numerous segments from the movie soon fell fodder to hilarious parodies on YouTube, spawning hundreds of anachronistically subtitled videos of Hitler getting upset over topical events and trivial gossip.

Origin
Der Untergang is a 2004 German war epic film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and based on the book "Inside Hitler's Bunker." In the climax scene, Hitler (played by Bruno Ganz) hears from his generals that the final counter-offensive against the Soviets never took place and Germany's defeat is imminent. Hitler then orders everyone to leave except the four highest-rank generals, who oblige and listen nervously to his breakdown.

Viral Instance
The earliest known subtitle spoof of Downfall was uploaded by YouTube user DReaperF4 on August 10th, 2006. Titled "Sim Heil: Der untersim" and subbed in Spanish, the video shows Hitler fuming over the lack of new features in the demo trial of Microsoft's Flight Simulator X, which was released in October 2006.

On August 30th, DReaperF4 uploaded the English sub version of "Sim Heil" after popular request in the comments, making the joke accessible to the rest of Flight Sim fans on YouTube. The original YouTube video was deleted upon copyright claim by the film studio on December 26, 2009, as documented by MIT's YouTomb project.

Spread
There are over a thousand estimated derivative videos with subtitles in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and many many other languages, typically discussing topical events and trivial news or gossip.

In April 2009, YouTube channel HitlerRantsParodies was launched to serve as an archival platform and forum for the parody community at large. As of January 2012, the channel remains in active service with over 560 uploads and 29 million views, averaging 29,000 views a day. However, many of the videos on the channel lost their original view counts after a wave of takedowns in April 2011.

Director's Approval
On January 15th, 2010, New York Magazine's entertainment blog Vulture interviewed Hirschbiegel, asking his opinion of how the scene has been used online:

"Someone sends me the links every time there's a new one ... I think I've seen about 145 of them! Of course, I have to put the sound down when I watch. Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud, and I'm laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director."

Production Company's Disapproval
Despite the film's director seeing the remixes in a positive light, the production company did not approve of their footage being used in this manner. On April 19th, 2010, TechCrunch, BoingBoing and LaughingSquid reported that Constantin Films began sending DMCA takedown notices to YouTube. On April 21st, the AP reported that Martin Moszkowicz, head of film and TV at Constantin films in Munich, finds many of the parodies distasteful and trivial in light of the seriousness of the Holocaust and World War II.

Resurgence of Downfall Parodies
Shortly after the beginning of YouTube takedowns, Downfall parodies saw its greatest resurgence in number of uploads, possibly as a result of Streisand Effect. By mid-2010, thousands of such parodies still remained online, including many in which a self-aware Hitler, angry that people keep making or taking down Downfall parodies.

During this extensive period of censorship, many contributors began applying the "mirror effect" on their parody uploads, flipping the original clip before adding subtitles, in order to bypass YouTube's visual-based copyright detection software. In October 2010, the Downfall Parodies Forum users reported that Constantin Film Studio put an end to its YouTube blockade on Downfall-derived parody videos, even placing advertisements on some of them.

Case Study No. 1991: "Imperfect archivist, you're only human"

The Archivist
6:01
The Archivist

Pram

(P) 2003 Domino Recording Co Ltd

Released on: 2003-01-18

Composer: Pram
Contributor: Pram
Contributor: Rosie
Lyricist: Rosie

Auto-generated by YouTube.
Tags: Pram Dark Island The Archivist
Added: 5 months ago
From: Various Artists - Topic
Views: 11

From wikipedia.org:

Dark Island is an album by English band Pram released in 2003. The album features the song Track of the Cat which was used on a BT advert in 2003.

Track listing
1. "Track of the Cat" – 4:13
2. "Penny Arcade" – 4:27
3. "The Pawnbroker" – 3:19
4. "Paper Hats" – 4:05
5. "Peepshow" – 3:28
6. "Sirocco" – 4:25
7. "The Archivist" – 6:01
8. "Goodbye" – 5:06
9. "Leeward" – 3:36
10. "Distant Islands" – 6:03

---

From knowyoursong.com:

As the clocks so solemnly declare it
Strike each single hour down without malice
Nothing lasts long, nothing stays in place
You find you can't recall things as you wanted
And no photograph can hold the image
Nothing lasts long, nothing stays in place

Imperfect archivist, you're only human
Although you wish to savour all that you can
You won't live as long as you think you will
You'll find yourself betrayed by your own body
As what you know to be yourself is murdered
By time's progress through each single cell

Hold on to the chances you took
You can only make it if you
Don't let minutes and seconds past you
Don't let time's perspective throw you
Nail each moment down so that it matches your heartbeat

Case Study No. 1990: Karen George

Pranktz - Bail Bondsman calls Karen the Librarian
4:27
http://www.you tube.com/watch?v=EMUx01YI-mE


October 2012
Tags: chris the hacker pranktz fc2u rqkai bail bondsman fred herbert frank garrett duncan construction
Added: 1 year ago
From: SlightBloodierMargie
Views: 1,408

[the sound of a phone ringing can be heard, then cut to a still image of a female librarian]
KAREN: Public library, Karen.
[cut to footage from Alexander Pistoletov's "Pirates of the Caribbean" video (where he sings in Russian while naked)]
KAREN: Hello?
[the music continues, then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Um, if you're playing that for my benefit, fine. I can't understand a word he's saying. Can I do something for you?
[the music continues, then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Sir, as bad as I hate to say this, I'm recording this call for the police department, so ... bye.
[cut to a black screen (as the sound of a phone ringing can be heard again), then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Hello?
[cut to a still image of a bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: I've got your phone number and I'm gonna wring your fucking neck!
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Sir? Thank you ... Uh, I guess I should--
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: What?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Let you know that these messages are being recorded. Uh ...
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: This isn't a recording.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: And the police station has access to them, so you're not only talking to me--
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: What sheriff's department?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: You're also talking to the fine police department here in Stilwell.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Well, if it's the sheriff, tell him to come to my office.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: And the state ... Now bye!
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Bye.
[cut to a black screen (as the sound of a phone ringing can be heard again), then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Public library, Karen.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Do you wanna give me your name and number, and I'll give it to bail bonds?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian (as she says nothing), then back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Hello?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: [pause] Yes?
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Well, hi!
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Can I tell you something?
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: May I help you?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Uh, sure.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Well, waddaya want? Hi, this is Fred. I'm away from--
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: [pause] Well ...
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Who's this?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: I don't know. We're kinda looney here ...
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman (as the sound of a phone ringing in the background can be heard)]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Okay.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Hello? I'm fine.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman (as the ringing phone continues), then back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: You're so--
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Hi, this is Fred.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Yeah? Hi Red, this is Purple. How are you doing?
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Okay.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Uh, yeah.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Okay.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Yeah.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman (as the ringing phone continues)]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Is this somebody pranking me?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Okay. That will work.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman (as the ringing phone continues)]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Hello?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: I'm looking for my start button and can't find it.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Hello?
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Oh my ... I don't want the radio, I want the DVD.
[cut to a black screen (as the sound of a ringing phone can be heard again), then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: This is Karen, may I help you?
[cut to a still image of the librarian superimposed over the face of the bail bondsman]
KAREN SOUNDBOARD: Look, we know you're not Frank Garrett.
[cut to a still image of a construction worker superimposed over the face of the bail bondsman]
DUNCAN: Asshole!
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed librarian]
KAREN SOUNDBOARD: The police department's already got the report--
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed construction worker]
DUNCAN: Asshole!
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed librarian]
KAREN SOUNDBOARD: Frank's already filed a report against you--
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed construction worker]
DUNCAN: Fuck you!
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed librarian]
KAREN SOUNDBOARD: I've already turned you in to YouTube--
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed construction worker]
DUNCAN: You're a stupid cocksucker!
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed librarian]
KAREN SOUNDBOARD: So give it up, okay? Bye!
[cut back to the still image of the superimposed construction worker]
DUNCAN: Asshole!
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Gosh!
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Well, I can see you guys haven't grown ...
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Wow!
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: And you're not mature yet. So, uh, why do you have to bug us?
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: Okay.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: What kinda thrill do you get outta doing that?
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: I'm afraid this is a prank call.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: I mean, you know Frank's dead. You know most of the people that you're calling. We know we're on the internet, we know we're on YouTube. We know you made Leanne cry and everything ... Bullcrap.
[cut back to the still image of the bail bondsman]
BAIL BONDSMAN: No.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Just leave us alone.
[cut to a black screen (as the sound of a ringing phone can be heard again), then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Public library.
[cut to a drawing of a yellow smiley face with a tear running down its cheek]
XXVIDEOPERSONXX: I'm, uh, just ringing to apologize for all this.
[cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Okay, bye.
[cut back to the smily face]
XXVIDEOPERSONXX: Apologize for all these calls and stuff like that ...
[cut to a black screen (as the sound of a ringing phone can be heard again), then cut back to the still image of the librarian]
KAREN: Public library.
[cut back to the smiley face]
XXVIDEOPERSONXX: Well, it's just probably your reactions. I'm sorry.
[the camera zooms in on the smiley face, as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" plays in the background]

---

From wikidot.com:

The 2008 Duncan Scare (less commonly known as the first Duncan Scare or Library Incident) was an incident in April 2008, which resulted in the Soundboard Prank Call community removing almost all Duncan-related prank calls, soundboards, and media from both YouTube and various other websites such as Realm of Darkness (which removed all victim soundboards and calls), based on the erroneous fear of legal repercussions. Such fears were seemingly credible at the time, though would later come to be proven as baseless.

Background
Behind the whole thing was a short recording of a Duncan prank call to the Stilwell Public Library in Frank Garrett's hometown. This in itself, was nothing new, as they had been pranked multiple times with the Duncan soundboard before and had threatened each time to involve the police. This time, however, one of the librarians revealed that they now knew it was not the real Frank Garrett who had been calling them. Additionally, she claimed that both they and Frank had already filed reports with the police department about it and that they knew about the YouTube videos and had reported them. The fact that they somehow found out about the YouTube videos gave a frightening amount of credibility to the supposed threat and has lead some people to speculate that they were tipped-off by a rat in the prank call community.

Not long after it was made, the call was released anonymously through the webmaster of one of the various prank call websites and the alarm quickly began to spread throughout the Soundboard Prank Call community. Xaozzz, who had been behind many of the Duncan prank calls, even posted a video telling people about the call and warning anyone with Duncan-related media or calls on their YouTube accounts to get rid of them ASAP, due to the threat of legal problems. The warning was heeded and incredibly, within about a week's time, the number of Duncan-related videos on YouTube dropped from hundreds, down to one single call, Duncan calls Domino's, which continues to survive today as the oldest Duncan call still on YouTube.

Fortunately for all, the whole thing turned out largely to be much ado about nothing. In the end, nobody was arrested and only a few people actually had their YouTube accounts suspended over it. Sadly, however, there was one lasting effect of this incident, from which the Soundboard Prank Call community has never fully recovered: although most have since been restored, more than a few of the prank calls and parodies that were removed are seemingly lost forever, as some people (especially the more prolific pranksters) even went as far as deleting the original copies off of their own computers, in case they were seized by the authorities.

---

From knowyourmeme.com:

About
Frank Garrett, also known as just Duncan, is the owner of Duncan Construction which is in Stilwell, Oklahoma. He is one of the most famous soundboard prank call victim of all time. He is known for his fiery temper and use of profanity in response to prank calls, and also for his quick witted responses and defiance in the face of any legal threats made against him.

Origin
The original calls to Duncan were made by a pranker known as w3baholic using a Deacon Frost soundboard sometime in late 2007. W3baholic had been using an expired phone book while calling random liquor stores in Oklahoma and to his surprise, accidentally called Duncan at his job. His fast, bitter and witty responses despite relatively nothing offensive being said led quickly to his very on soundboard which was an immediate success. The original name for the soundboard being "Drunk Guy" after being mistaken for being drunk. However he eventually took the name Duncan, being mistaken for his actual name.

Duncan or Frank Garrett calls quickly became a success with the youtube prank call community even though relatively few calls had been made to him during the early stages of his success. "Hello." "Duncan Construction." "You stupid cocksucker." "Fuck you." "This is a business phone, get off of it!" and the ever-popular, "Well I don't give a shit." among others. In one of these Pranks the legendary "Tom the Pissed off Roofer" was contacted who would also end up receiving his own soundboard.

This was also during a time in which pranksters contacted frank every few weeks to keep things things from getting out of hand. Unfortunately this led to the change of Duncan Construction number and for a while Pranks came to a halt. How ever Duncan's new number (which is also posted on his website) was recovered. Frank to this day hasn't changed his phone number and the pranks continue.

---

From wikia.com:

Karen the Librarian (real name: Karen George) is a victim who was pranked multiple times by the Duncan soundboard. She is the former branch manager of the Stilwell Public Library, located in Stilwell, Oklahoma, the same town where Frank Garrett lived and worked, prior to his death. As such, she knew who he was and easily recognized the name Duncan Construction as a local company.

As of August 2014, Karen no longer works at Stilwell Library.

Name: Karen Alvira George (nee Smoot)
Category: Prank Call Victim, Victim Soundboard
Occupation: Former Branch Manager / Librarian at the Stilwell Public Library
Age: 1949 (age 65–66)
Nationality: American
Residence: Stilwell, Oklahoma

History
She accused Duncan of being an alcoholic, and remarked that she was not scared of him, saying that she had "put up with a damn drunk stepfather all [her] life." She claimed to have been in the process of filing a police report in a later call, which had echoed a remark made by another librarian named Denise a moment before. She later figured out that Frank Garrett was not actually calling the library and somehow discovered the YouTube videos of the calls, leading to the suspicion that she had been tipped-off by a rat in the prank call community. She alleged that Frank Garrett had filed a report with the police, and that she had contacted both the police and YouTube. This incident led to what would become known as the 2008 Duncan Scare.

She was also called at one point with a soundboard of another Stilwell resident, Charles from A to Z Pawn, as well as a soundboard of Frank Garrett, whom she was told was a Sheriff's deputy. Karen then proceeded to explain what had been happening to her library and claimed that she knew exactly who was prank calling her.

Karen is now well aware of the Prank Calling Community and no longer responds to prank calls, except to half-heartedly threaten to call the police. A victim soundboard of her is also available (see external links below). A final call was made to her by Pranktz on October 19, 2012, again confirming her being aware of the call series on YouTube, making her the last called Stilwell victim of the "Duncan-era". She and the Stilwell Public Library were featured in a special Thanksgiving Day call for The Bail Bondsman Games.

In August 2014, Officer Rivieri called the library with Duncan in the hope to prank Karen. When a different lady answered, another caller asked for her specifically to be told by the other worker that "Karen no longer works here, she retired." Fittingly, Rivieri then chimed in with the famous Duncan line "Awwoh piss!"

Quotes
* [Stilwell] Public Library, Karen.
* I'm sorry?
* That's what I do best (re: Duncan: Bitch.)
* Oh, I know it. I'm so bad.
* Ohhh! Well, you may have to take some wormin' medicine. (re: Duncan: Hey, has your mama still got, uh...worms crawlin' out her pussy?)
* Well, I dunno! It smells pretty good. (re: Duncan: Stupid son of a bitch, I'm gettin' tired 'o your shit!)
* I just finished writing up a report for the police.
* Yeah, I know! No, you'll go to hell, [a] long time before I do, Frank. (re: Duncan: Oh, go to hell, ya son of a bitch!!!)
* No, no, no, Frank, you're not really [unintelligible] and your family's not going to buy you out of problem---trouble, so just get ready for it: you're gonna sober-up in jail, man! Goodbye!
* You need to try [performing oral sex on a man], you might like it.
* Uhhuhh. Pruh-Probably is [has "worms crawling out her pussy"], she's rottin' in a grave. Just like someday we'll all be like that.
* Well, that's true, 'cause she has been dead a few years. (re: Duncan: Sittin' around watchin' the worms crawl out of your mama's pussy?)
* I don't think so, sweetheart.
* No, 'fraid not. (re: Duncan: Shit. Scared to death.)
* No, you're the one who started it, not me.
* Well, the same to ya.
* I'm trying to type and talk to you too.
* Well I can't [come see you], I don't have a car. Why don't you come see me?
* No, I don't think I've ever sucked any cocks. Have you?
* No, no, that's just...FRANK! Listen to me! You pulled this shit last week and we called the cops! Now if you're gonna pull it this week, I'll call the cops again and I'll go out and I'll have 'em arrest your sorry ass and throw it in jail! So you either sober-up and throw this number away, or you're gonna rot in hell! Okay?! Bye, Frank!
* Well, let me tell you, Frank: there's nothing you can say that's gonna upset me or make me run and hide, because I have put up with a damn drunk stepfather all my life and I know how you drinkers act. So...SCREW IT!! Bye!
* Look, we know you're not Frank Garrett. The police department's already got the report, Frank's already filed a report against you, I've already turned you in to...YouTube, so give it up, okay? Bye.
* [sarcastically] I love these calls! You record them and you put them on YouTube and it's soooo funny!
* Well, I...I'll tell ya what, I know who's doing this, so if the deputy wants to come down here to the library, I'll fill him in on the phone calls that we were getting. And they found the people who were doing it, because what they do is they call...they record peoples' voices without telling 'em they're recording them and then...for us, it was Frank Garrett that was calling all the time.

Prank Calls
Date: 2008-2011
Title: Duncan calls The Library
Caller:
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes: Original calls. An individual listing is not possible due to the 2008 and 2011 Duncan Scares.

Date: N/A
Title: Stilwell Library has a chat with Stilwell Police Department
Caller: Whoruandwherdulive
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library, Stilwell Police
Notes: Three-way call between Karen and the Stilwell PD.

Date: September 22, 2011
Title: Frank haunts Stilwell library
Caller: Whoruandwherdulive
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes:

Date: October 11, 2011
Title: Deputy Garrett and Charles - Call Stilwell library
Caller: Whoruandwherdulive
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes:

Date: October 19, 2012
Title: Bail Bondsman calls Karen the Librarian
Caller: Pranktz
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes:

Date: November 2012
Title: Charles and Bail Bondsman call Karen
Caller: Pranktz
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes: Part of the Bailbondsman Games series

Date: November 23, 2012
Title: A Bail Bondsman Thanksgiving 420
Caller: Pranktz
Victim(s): Stilwell Public Library
Notes: Part of the Bailbondsman Games series

Case Study No. 1989: Staff of Unnamed Library (Anasognosia)

Anosognosia : Illusion of Salvation
1:30
Story:
This video is inspired from Bertrand Russell's short story, The Theologian's Nightmare.


Script:
A theologian dreamt that he died.
He thought he was prepared and had no difficulty in finding his way.
As he was pursuing his course toward heaven, he was not recognized at the gate.
He was told that nobody up there has ever heard of the creature called "man".
However, they gave him a chance of consulting their librarian.
Long after, the librarians discovered Milky Way, earth, and at last human.
He devoted his long life to his creator that was not even aware of his existence.
Tags: Anasognosia Illusion of Salvation Bertrand Russell Sarabande Handel The Theologian Nightmare
Added: 2 years ago
From: shokoohproduction
Views: 845

["Anasognosia" appears on screen, as the scene opens with a man kneeling in a church and praying]
NARRATOR: A theologian dreamt that he died.
[someone off camera reaches over and smacks the man in the back of the head, then he slumps over as the screen fades to black]
[cut to the man running through a cemetery with a confused look on his face]
NARRATOR: He thought he was prepared, and had no difficulty in finding his way.
[cut to the man banging on a gate in the cemetery, as a woman in a black dress and wearing a white mask approaches him from the other side]
NARRATOR: As he was pursuing his course toward heaven, he was not recognized at the gate.
[cut to the man talking to the woman, as she simply shrugs]
NARRATOR: He was told that nobody up there has ever heard of the creature called "man".
[cut to the woman opening the gate, then leading the man to one of the gravestones, where she points and motions for him to wait]
NARRATOR: However, they gave him a chance of consulting their librarian.
[cut to various shots of a young female librarian (dark hair in a bun, blue scarf, black dress) conversing with an older male librarian (balding, glasses, pink shirt, white pants) while searching through several books in a library]
NARRATOR: Long after, the librarians discovered "Milky Way," "Earth" and at last "human."
[cut to the two librarians looking at one particular book and celebrating with a high five, then to the woman walking up to the man and again shrugging her shoulders]
[cut to the man with a look of disbelief on his face, as the woman waves her hand and walks away]
NARRATOR: He devoted his long life to his creator ...
[cut to the man walking away from the camera, through a grassy path in the woods]
NARRATOR: That was not even aware of his existence.
["End" appears on screen]

---

From kent.edu:

The Theologian's Nightmare
by Bertrand Russell
from Fact and Fiction, 1961

The eminent theologian Dr. Thaddeus dreamt that he died and pursued his course toward heaven. His studies had prepared him and he had no difficulty in finding the way. He knocked at the door of heaven, and was met with a closer scrutiny than he expected. "I ask admission," he said, "because I was a good man and devoted my life to the glory of God." "Man?" said the janitor, "What is that? And how could such a funny creature as you do anything to promote the glory of God?" Dr. Thaddeus was astonished. "You surely cannot be ignorant of man. You must be aware that man is the supreme work of the Creator." "As to that," said the janitor, "I am sorry to hurt your feelings, but what you're saying is news to me. I doubt if anybody up here has ever heard of this thing you call 'man.' However, since you seem distressed, you shall have a chance of consulting our librarian."

The librarian, a globular being with a thousand eyes and one mouth, bent some of his eyes upon Dr. Thaddeus. "What is this?" he asked the janitor. "This," replied the janitor, "says that it is a member of a species called 'man,' which lives in a place called 'Earth.' It has some odd notion that the Creator takes a special interest in this place and this species. I thought perhaps you could enlighten it." "Well," said the librarian kindly to the theologian, "perhaps you can tall me where this place is that you call 'Earth.'" "Oh," said the theologian, "it's part of the Solar System." "And what is the Solar System?" asked the librarian. "Oh," said the theologian, somewhat disconcerted, "my province was Sacred Knowledge, but the question that you are asking belongs to profane knowledge. However, I have learnt enough from my astronomical friends to be able to tell you that the Solar System is part of the Milky Way." "And what is the Milky Way?" asked the librarian. "Oh, the Milky Way is one of the Galaxies, of which, I am told, there are some hundred million." "Well, well," said the librarian, "you could hardly expect me to remember one out of so many. But I do remember to have heard the word galaxy' before. In fact, I believe that one of our sub-librarians specializes in galaxies. Let us send for him and see whether he can help."

After no very long time, the galactic sub-librarian made his appearance. In shape, he was a dodecahedron. It was clear that at one time his surface had been bright, but the dust of the shelves had rendered him dim and opaque. The librarian explained to him that Dr. Thaddeus, in endeavoring to account for his origin, had mentioned galaxies, and it was hoped that information could be obtained from the galactic section of the library. "Well," said the sub-librarian, "I suppose it might become possible in time, but as there are a hundred million galaxies, and each has a volume to itself, it takes some time to find any particular volume. Which is it that this odd molecule desires?" "It is the one called 'The Milky Way,'" Dr. Thaddeus falteringly replied. "All right," said the sub- librarian, "I will find it if I can."

Some three weeks later, he returned, explaining that the extraordinarily efficient card index in the galactic section of the library had enabled him to locate the galaxy as number QX 321,762. "We have employed," he said, "all the five thousand clerks in the galactic section on this search. Perhaps you would like to see the clerk who is specially concerned with the galaxy in question?" The clerk was sent for and turned out to be an octahedron with an eye in each face and a mouth in one of them. He was surprised and dazed to find himself in such a glittering region, away from the shadowy limbo of his shelves. Pulling himself together, he asked, rather shyly, "What is it you wish to know about my galaxy?" Dr. Thaddeus spoke up: "What I want is to know about the Solar System, a collection of heavenly bodies revolving about one of the stars in your galaxy. The star about which they revolve is called 'the Sun.'" "Humph," said the librarian of the Milky Way, "it was hard enough to hit upon the right galaxy, but to hit upon the right star in the galaxy is far more difficult. I know that there are about three hundred billion stars in the galaxy, but I have no knowledge, myself, that would distinguish one of them from another. I believe, however, that at one time a list of the whole three hundred billion was demanded by the Administration and that it is still stored in the basement. If you think it worth while, I will engage special labor from the Other Place to search for this particular star."

It was agreed that, since the question had arisen and since Dr. Thaddeus was evidently suffering some distress, this might be the wisest course.

Several years later, a very weary and dispirited tetrahedron presented himself before the galactic sub-librarian. "I have," he said, "at last discovered the particular star concerning which inquiries have been made, but I am quite at a loss to imagine why it has aroused any special interest. It closely resembles a great many other stars in the same galaxy. It is of average size and temperature, and is surrounded by very much smaller bodies called 'planets.' After minute investigation, I discovered that some, at least, of these planets have parasites, and I think that this thing which has been making inquiries must be one of them."

At this point, Dr. Thaddeus burst out in a passionate and indignant lament: "Why, oh why, did the Creator conceal from us poor inhabitants of Earth that it was not we who prompted Him to create the Heavens? Throughout my long life, I have served Him diligently, believing that He would notice my service and reward me with Eternal Bliss. And now, it seems that He was not even aware that I existed. You tell me that I am an infinitesimal animalcule on a tiny body revolving round an insignificant member of a collection of three hundred billion stars, which is only one of many millions of such collections. I cannot bear it, and can no longer adore my Creator." "Very well," said the janitor, "then you can go to the Other Place."

Here the theologian awoke. "The power of Satan over our sleeping imagination is terrifying," he muttered.

Case Study No. 1988: "My local librarian is a wrinkly, balding, very old man"

My Local Librarian
2:15
Track title: My Local Librarian

Description: A song about being old, gay and desperate. Yes, it is autobiographical!!!! ;O(

LYRICS:

My Local Librarian

My local librarian is a wrinkly, balding, very old man
So I asked him what he does for sex now he's past his shag by date

His lips are thin and his nipples are saggy he's got a double chin and his buttocks are baggy
Oh it must be awful being 28

But he says his sex life is active still
Just now he's old he think of lots of different things to getting a thrill

So he'll make you touch his penis by pretending it's a snake
Make you like his bottom by hiding in a cake
Sits on young men on the bus and say it was just a mistake, but he always gets hard
Faints in front of Fireman so they give him mouth to mouth resuscitation, but he's really wide awake

And he says when you're old you have to get it where you can,
So he manipulates his nipples watching Richard and Judy with a Tescos finest flan.

He'll run naked through the park scaring people on the benches
Flashes at Chessington world of adventures
Hides in the changing rooms erect at Marks and Spencer's, and looks at mens pants
Stimulates one nipple with his zimmer frame and the other with his dentures

He goes to the hospital a nurse undresses him
Pulls down his trousers, her hands caresses him
Puts a finger where the sun don't shine and asks if it stresses him, he simply smiles
Then he stands naked by the buttons in a lift and waits till someone presses him.

Lyrics by: Robert White

Music By: Robert White

Performer: Robert White

All copyright of all parts of this song belongs to the musical comedian Robert White

Contact:

robertt homaswhite [at] yahoo.co.uk
07815 473896
Twitter: @robertwhitejoke

Website etc. :

http://www.robertwhite comedy.com/

http://www.comedycv.co.uk/robertwhite/index.htm
Tags: Robert white comedy gay piano song original comedian keyboard Librarian (Profession) Piano (Musical Instrument) Comedy (Film Genre)
Added: 4 months ago
From: Robert White Comedy Songs
Views: 14

From chortle.co.uk:

After graduating in music, Robert White spent eight years doing various jobs before trying comedy in 2004. He was finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act Of The Year competition in 2006 and in 2010 won the Malcolm Hardee award for comic originality at the Edinburgh Festival.

Case Study No. 1987: Gina Sheridan

I work at a public library
0:36
Entry for the "I Work at a Public Library" contest.
Tags: YouTube Capture
Added: 10 months ago
From: joshberkbooks
Views: 1,493

[scene opens with a male patron leaning "seductively" on the reference desk while chewing a piece of gum and holding a piece of paper]
PATRON: Can you help me find this book?
[cut to the young female librarian (long blonde hair, red lipstick, red sleeveless dress) at the desk, as she smiles and points off camera]
LIBRARIAN: Our readers' advisor would be happy to help you. They're located right over there ...
[cut back to the patron, who points at the librarian]
PATRON: Uh, I asked her already. She said only you--
[he winks and clicks his tongue]
PATRON: Can help me find this book.
[cut back to the librarian, with a confused look on his face]
LIBRARIAN: Are you sure? That's a little unusual ...
[cut back to the patron, who again points and gives a creepy smile]
PATRON: You are the only person who can help me find this book ...
[cut back to the librarian]
LIBRARIAN: Alright, what's the title?
[cut to the patron sliding the piece of paper across the desk towards the librarian]
[cut to a closeup of the librarian looking at the piece of paper, which reads "How to Get a Date With a Cute Librarian" surrounded by little red hearts]
[cut to a closeup of the librarian's face, with a look of both realization and disdain]
LIBRARIAN: Oh.

Cute Librarian ... Micky
Creepy Patron ... Josh
Cinematographer ... Erin

---

From amazon.com:

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

Straight from the library--the strange and bizarre, ready to be checked out!

From a patron's missing wetsuit to the scent of crab cakes wafting through the stacks, I Work at a Public Library showcases the oddities that have come across Gina Sheridan's circulation desk. Throughout these pages, she catalogs her encounters with local eccentrics as well as the questions that plague her, such as, "What is the standard length of eyebrow hairs?" Whether she's helping someone scan his face onto an online dating site or explaining why the library doesn't have any dragon autobiographies, Sheridan's bizarre tales prove that she's truly seen it all.

Stacked high with hundreds of strange-but-true stories, I Work at a Public Library celebrates librarians and the unforgettable patrons that roam the stacks every day.

---

From neatorama.com:

Gina Sheridan is a librarian in St. Louis. Over the course of her career, she's collected stories of the weird things, people, and situations that arise at the library from her personal experiences. The result is the book I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks. Neatorama is happy to bring you a sampling of the stories from this funny book.

*****

Reference Work

You don't know if you don't ask. What better place to bring your inquiring minds than the place with the most massive wealth of knowledge in town? It's like the internet, only the information isn't 90 percent false. Anyone can walk into the library and ask anything they please. And we will provide an answer. But when I think about my master of library and information science degree in relation to my average day at work, I have to laugh. Information science. I think about those two words when people approach the desk with questions like, "Where is the bathroom?" or "Can you open this tin of oysters?" or "Where can I copy my face in private?" Information. Science. Peruse the following stories as a frame of reference, and keep in mind, common sense is often past due.

Questions, Fielding

While standing at the desk, you never know what crazy questions will come out of left field.

Patron 1: Can you tell me what babies were born in Cleveland in June 1965? I think I am one of them! I just found out stuff about my family.

Patron 2: Where is the nearest waterfall? I want to dunk my head in it.

Patron 3: Do you have a knife so I can cut this onion?

Patron 4: What is the best way to cure hiccups, 'cause this kid is driving me nuts!

Patron 5: What is the standard length of eyebrow hair?

Patron 6: Has my wife seen this movie?

At, Where I'm

Web chat exchange:

Patron: I'm having trouble finding information through the library's website. Can you help me?

Me: Sure. Are you at the library's homepage now?

Patron: No, I'm at my apartment.

Dislikes, Likes and

Man: Can you give me a list of fun things to do in Seattle?

Me: I'm sure we could find you a travel book and get some ideas from the Chamber of Commerce!

Man: That sounds good!

Me: Okay, what are some things you like to do?

Man: Let me ask you this: What are some things you like to do?

Me: No, seriously- pick one: hiking, fishing, museums...

Man: But I really want to know what interests you. Come on, don't be shy!

Me: Are you going to Seattle, sir?

Man: If I were, would you go with me?

Me: That is inappropriate.

Man: I really can't afford it anyhow. Can you help me find a job?

Biographies, Dragon

I was helping a mother and her teenage son.

Mom: We need a book on dragons.

Me: I think most of those will be in the children's room, but let me check.

Mom: We want a biography of a dragon. No, an autobiography!

Eunuchs, The Everything Guide To

Patron: I am looking for a book on eunuchs, and it has to have lots of pictures, because that's the way I learn best.

Me: So, you need a book with illustrations. Should this book explain the history or culture of eunuchs?

Patron: Um, no. I need it to take me step by step through the process. And I need lots of pictures so I can follow along.

Me: So you need a manual? On eunuchs? Is there any particular stage of the process you are concentrating on?

Patron: Well, I'm just starting out, just the basics of how it works. How to write the code, you know?

Me: Oh! You're looking for an illustrated manual for Unix!

Databases, Internet Versus

As a librarian, I help a lot of students with research. Often that means educating them on the difference between Internet resources and electronic databases. One day, I was showing a young man how to find good, quality articles using the library's online databases.

Student: Oh, my teacher says I can't use the Internet.

Me: I'm sure he or she just meant you can't use Internet sources, but databases are different. You need the Internet to access them, but they are made up of encyclopedia articles and scholarly journals-

Student: Yeah, I don't think that will work. Do you carry any books here?

Meteorologist, Librarian as

It's been raining like crazy and a man just walked up to the desk to ask about the forecast.

Me: It looks like a flash flood warning is in effect for the metropolitan area until 9PM tonight.

Man: Do you think it will stop raining anytime soon?

Me: Well, this report shows it will likely rain until midnight.

Man: No, do you think it will stop raining soon?

Me: Me? I don't have any expertise with meteorology. We can only go by the weather report.

Man: I'm asking for your opinion.

Me: --

Man: [staring at me] --

Me: Um. Yes, I think it will stop raining soon.

Man: Thank! [Walks away.]

Geography, United States

At my library in California, this surprising exchange occurred.

Woman: Do you have books on different countries?

Me: Yes! What country are you looking for?

Woman: Hawaii.

*****

I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan is available at Amazon and at your local bookstore -and possibly the local public library! The book has its own blog, where librarians share even more funny stories from the stacks.

---

From iworkatapubliclibrary.com:

From: Librarian, Checking Out the

A patron approached the reference desk holding a title request slip.

Patron: "Can you help me find this book?"

Me [pointing to the next desk over]: "Our Readers' Advisor will be happy to help you!"

Patron: "Oh, um, I asked her already. She said only you can help me."

Me: "Are you sure? That's unusual..."

Patron: "You are the only person who can help me find this book."

Me: "All right. What's the title?"

Patron: "How to Get a Date With a Cute Librarian."

Me: "Oh. I see."

[Part of our Cast of Characters Contest. Submit today! Thanks to the great folks at Bethlehem Area Public Library!]

About the Challenge:
Submit your best interpretation of your favorite I Work at a Public Library post in any medium and I'll post them throughout the month. My favorite entry will be announced on July 31 and the winner will receive a $250 (USD) Visa gift card and a signed copy of the book. Open to all ages in all countries. Submit here or send to gina [at] ginasheridan [dot] com. Multiple entries welcome.

Also: you are all invited to the book launch party in St. Louis, MO on Tuesday, July 29. Details and RSVP here, space is limited!

Case Study No. 1986: John Ayala

Conversation with John Ayala - Advice for Librarians
1:46
Advice for Librarians - Part of a conversation with John Ayala "El Padrino de REFORMA", retired Dean of Libraries from Fullerton College and life member of Orange County Chapter of REFORMA (CA). Video courtesy of Monica Lopez, REFORMA National Chapter Representative and OC Chapter member.
Tags: Librarian (Profession) Library (Industry) Latino (Ethnicity)
Added: 6 months ago
From: REFORMAnational
Views: 10

[scene opens with an older male librarian (white hair, moustache, glasses, blue shirt, black shorts) speaking directly to the camera]
JOHN: Well, as an administrator, I always told my new librarians "learn the job."
[he smiles]
JOHN: Make sure you learn the job, and for library school students ... Uh, get everything you can out of your education, and when you apply for jobs, don't dismiss any job.
[he waves his hand]
JOHN: Because that might be the job that you like. And the other thing is ... if you wanna be a public librarian, and you can't get a public librarian's job, then apply at an academic library. Or apply part time someplace, if you can't get any full time, so you get that experience.
[he pauses]
JOHN: And, by applying to get these part time positions, you're networking ... and then, if you're a new librarian, get involved with your professional organizations and network.
[he smiles]
JOHN: Because that'll open up avenues of other employments, so you can move up ... or you can move side to side, and get other positions.
[he pauses]
JOHN: So, that's my advice, y'know ... Network, get to know people. Uh, join your professional organizations. Uh, don't get deeply involved with a professional organization right away. Wait 'til you've been at work for a year, and then start doing--
[he pauses]
JOHN: And then become deeply involved with, y'know, committees and ... but the first dynamic is to learn your job, and learn it well, and then do it well.

---

From fullertoncollegecentennial.com:

John Ayala's library career began as a bookmobile driver for the Long Beach Public Library in 1963. He eventually left the library to serve in the Air Force in Vietnam for two years before returning back to his driver position. In 1971 he went on to complete his Masters of Library Science at the Immaculate Heart College and soon found work as an outreach librarian for the Los Angeles County Library after graduate school. He left that position to become Director of the Library of the Pacific Coast Campus at Long Beach City College, working in that placement for 18 years before coming to Fullerton College in 1990.

For 16 years, Ayala served as Dean of the Library and Learning Resource Center at Fullerton College. During this time, he pitched the original proposal to build a new library on campus in 1992, and contributed to its architecture and look by suggesting a more Spanish Colonial design. Ayala has been an advocate for bilingual service in the community and has authored and co-authored publications that support special library services for Latinos. For his accomplishments and community service, he has won numerous awards.

Ayala feels really proud to have co-founded the non-profit organization, REFORMA (the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Spanish Speakers). He retired as Dean of the Library on February 16, 2006, but still visits the campus and its library from time to time.

Date of Birth:
August 23, 1943

Dates at Fullerton College:
1990-2006

Education:
1970: BA Modern History - CSULB
1971: MLS (Master of Library Science) - Immaculate Heart College
1982: MPA (Master in Public Administration) - CSULB

Professional Experience:
1963-1970: Long Beach Public Library - Bookmobile Driver
1966-1968: Airman First Class, Aerial Port Squadron, Military Airlift Command, USAF
1971-1972: Los Angeles County Library, Bilingual Reference & Outreach Librarian
1972-1990: Director of Pacific Coast Campus Library, Long Beach City College
1990-2006: Dean of Library & Learning Resource Center, Study Abroad Administrator, Fullerton College
2006-2007: Interim Director of Library/Learning Resources, Compton College

Professional Associations:
1971: Founding member of REFORMA
1974-1976: President, REFORMA
1976: Nominated and ran for President, CLA (California Library Association)
1976-1990: Member of Faculty Senate, Long Beach City College
1985-1987: President, Faculty Senate, Long Beach City College
1980-1987: Chairman, Latino Faculty/Staff Assn., Long Beach City College
1992-2000: Chairman, NOCCCD (North Orange County Community College District) Latino Faculty/Staff Assn.
1971-present: ALA (American Library Assn.) member

Publications:
1972: "Special Issue on Chicano Library Service." California Librarian Magazine. (Considered a monograph)
1998: "Library Services to Latinos." Latino Library Service in Community Colleges. Salvador Guerena, ed. (monograph)
2012: Co-editor with Salvador Guerena. Pathways to Progress: Issues & Advances in Latino Librarianship.
Chapter author: "Historical Perspectives on the Recruitment of Latinos to Library Service: The Committee to Recruit Mexican American Librarians - A Legacy for Latino Leadership"

Case Study No. 1985: Charity Royall

Summer, By Edith Wharton
1:03
"Summer", by Edith Wharton. Short trailer for feature in progress directed by Carl Sprague. Principal Imaging by Kevin Sprague. Featuring Ardis Barrow and Tom Frelinghuysen. (C)2009 Kevin Sprague
Tags: summer edith wharton hvr-z7u sprague
Added: 5 years ago
From: k2pro
Views: 17,413

From summerthemovie.com:

Summer is a dark romance of sexual awakening and the journey from passion to love. Set in a remote New England hilltown just before the First World War, the novel is one of Edith Wharton's greatest and most original – the only one centered on an explicit physical relationship. She called it “the hot Ethan Frome”.

The action unfolds from the viewpoint of Charity Royall – just turned twenty and overflowing with rootless, unformed desires. Born into poverty in a mountain lumber camp, Charity is taken in as a child by the local lawyer, Mr. Royall. After Mrs. Royall's early death, Charity is left to grow up alone with Royall, who finds himself increasingly attracted to his home-grown beauty.

Then Lucius Harney, a city boy fresh from architecture school in Boston, walks into Charity's refuge in the dusty village library. Lucius is attractive, intelligent, and well-connected. He falls for Charity on sight.

The story spirals in ever-tighter circles – Charity's wary journey to adulthood, the bitter frustrations of her ambiguous relationship with Royall, and the lush, blossoming dream she shares with Lucius. The turning point comes among the crowds, fireworks and bunting of a feverish 4th of July celebration. Encompassing all is the cycling backdrop of New England seasons – spring into summer, fall into winter. Summer ends so that it will come again.

---

From berkshireeagle.com:

Edith Wharton's 'Summer' comes home
By Sharon Smullen, Special to Berkshires Week
Posted: 08/26/2010 10:58:24 AM EDT

LENOX -- It's the summer of "Summer" at the Mount, and Wharton Salon theater director Catherine Taylor-Williams has brought Edith Wharton's steamy romantic novella to the stage at the author's storied Lenox estate.

Set in the Berkshires in 1890, Wharton wrote "Summer" (which she referred to as the "hot Ethan") in France in 1917 as a counterpart to the earlier, better known "Ethan Frome," once titled "Winter." It tells of the passionate affair of a young woman, Charity Royall, with a handsome young man above her class, over the course of a relentlessly hot summer.

Fending off unwelcome marriage intentions from her guardian, she finds herself competing for her lover with a more "suitable" match and embarks on a journey to come to terms with her new situation -- and herself.

On a steamy August afternoon under a welcoming shade tree by the Mount's Stables Auditorium theater, Taylor-Williams and actors Diane Prusha and Alyssa Hughlett took time from rehearsals to talk about the production, part of the Wharton Salon's second year.

"I was very attracted to the story," said Taylor-Williams. "It's about passion, about forgiveness and growing up. It's got beautiful exposition and poetic descriptions of the Berkshires."

"[Wharton] tells of the blossoming and coming of age, the opening of the sexuality and sensuality of a young woman through nature that is just exquisite," added Prusha. "It's like poetry, and it's so real."

The stage adaptation is one of many that Dennis Krausnick (husband of Shakespeare & Company founder Tina Packer) wrote for Shakespeare & Company while the troupe's tenure at The Mount.

"It's one of Dennis's best adaptations," Taylor-Williams said. "He was able to capture Edith's voice in a unique way."

While the Wharton Salon marks a new era of theatrical collaboration at the Mount, it brings back many longtime Shakespeare & Company members such as Taylor-Williams and Prusha, whose daughter Rory Hammond was raised at the site and now appears alongside her in "Summer."

Rory's father is fellow Shakespeare & Company actor Michael Hammond.

"For me, having been here the first time, I see it as a coming home," said Prusha, who plays several pivotal roles in the production. "I love doing Edith's work and keeping it alive.

"I feel like I grew up here. I first came here when I was 23 -- I've been here for most of my adult life."

In contrast, both the experience and Wharton's story are new to Alyssa Hughlett, who plays the principal character, Charity. Originally from Texas, Hughlett captures the rebellious, restless nature of a young Berkshire girl unhappy with her lot and locale.

"I feel I'm actually being given the chance to blossom into Wharton," she said. "It's a story that is very familiar of how I grew up and how many young women grew up."

Adam Gauger, Reilly Hadden, Miles Herter and Robert Serrell also appear, with live violin music composed and performed by Alexander Sovronsky. Carl Sprague, who is adapting "Summer" as a screenplay, designed the sets, and Arthur Oliver created the costumes.

Last year's inaugural Wharton Salon sold-out staging of "Xingu" in the Drawing Room of the main residence got the company, and Taylor-Williams' directing career, off to a rousing start -- much to the delight of The Mount's executive director, Susan Wissler.

"It was a step forward and a real addition to bring Wharton's work back in a theater piece to the Mount," said Wissler. "In Catherine and her group we have found the perfect collaborator.

"The public response to it has been very warm and very positive, and it's just one more way that we can honor Wharton that has life and breath to it."

Compared to last year's comedy, this year's selection offers a more thoughtful and intense look at both the joys and the social, economic and moral constraints affecting young love, combined with an unblinking look at the realities -- and consequences -- of unfettered passion.

"It was something that seemed in my mind to belong here at the Mount," said Taylor-Williams, "first and foremost as a way of introducing people who may not know Wharton's work to her stories so that it expands the meaning of what being here is all about."

---

From wikipedia.org:

Summer is a novel by Edith Wharton published in 1917 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The story is one of only two novels to be set in New England by Wharton, who was best known for her portrayals of upper-class New York society. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, Charity Royall, and her cruel treatment by the father of her child, and shares many plot similarities with Wharton's better-known novel, Ethan Frome. Only moderately well received when originally published, Summer has had a resurgence in critical popularity since the 1960s.

Plot summary
Eighteen-year–old Charity Royall is bored with life in the small town of North Dormer. She is the town librarian and ward of North Dormer’s premier citizen, Lawyer Royall. While working at the library, Charity meets visiting architect Lucius Harney.

When Harney’s cousin, Miss Hatchard, with whom he is boarding, leaves the village, Harney becomes Mr. Royall’s boarder, and Charity his companion while he explores buildings for a book on colonial houses he is preparing. Mr. Royall, who once tried to force his way into Charity's bedroom after his wife's death, and later asked her to marry him, notices their growing closeness. He tries to put a stop to it by telling Harney he can no longer accommodate him in his house. Harney makes it appear as though he has left town, but only moves to a nearby village and continues to communicate with Charity.

On a trip to Nettleton, Harney kisses Charity for the first time and buys her a present of a brooch. Afterwards they run into a drunken Mr. Royall, who is accompanied by prostitutes. Mr. Royall verbally abuses Charity, causing her to become overwhelmed with shame. After the trip, Charity and Harney begin a sexual relationship.

At a ceremony during North Dormer’s Old Home Week, Charity sees Harney with Annabel Balch, a society girl whom she envies. Afterwards, Charity goes to the abandoned house where she and Harney usually meet. Mr. Royall unexpectedly shows up and, when Harney arrives, Mr. Royall asks him sarcastically if that is where he intends to live after he marries Charity. After an angry Mr. Royall leaves, Harney promises Charity that he is going to marry her, but that he has to go away for a while first. After Harney has left the town, Charity’s friend Ally lets slip that she saw him leave with Annabel Balch, to whom he is engaged to be married. Charity writes a letter to Harney telling him to do the right thing and marry Annabel.

Charity has been feeling unwell, so she goes to Dr. Merkle ("a plump woman with small bright eyes, an immense mass of black hair coming down low on her forehead, and unnaturally white and even teeth"), who confirms her suspicion that she is pregnant. After the examination Dr. Merkle charges five dollars, and Charity, not having enough money to cover it, has to leave the brooch Harney gave her. When she gets home she reads a letter from Harney that makes her realize that, despite his promises, he is unlikely to break his engagement to Miss Balch.

Charity decides she cannot stay at home and so makes her way to the mountain, intending to look for her mother. On the way she sees the minister, Mr. Miles, and her friend Liff Hyatt. They are on their way to the mountain because Charity’s mother is dying. When they arrive, Charity’s mother is already dead, and the three of them bury her.

Charity stays on the mountain overnight, where she sees the abject poverty and resolves not to raise her child there. She decides that she is going to be a prostitute, and with the money she earns she will hire someone to take care of her child. On the way home she meets Mr. Royall, who has come to pick her up. He offers to marry her.

After Charity marries Mr. Royall in Nettleton, she realizes that he knows she is pregnant and has married her only to protect her. He gives her money to buy clothes, but instead she goes to Dr. Merkle to get her brooch back. Dr. Merkle has heard of her marriage to Mr. Royall and demands a large sum for returning the brooch. Rather than paying the money, Charity quickly grabs the brooch and rushes from the office (in a few editions of the novel, she leaves the money with Merkle).

Charity writes a last letter to Harney, telling him about her marriage, and finally returns to North Dormer to live with Mr. Royall.

Case Study No. 1984: Marjorie Hendershott

Chester, You Owe My Bird an Apology
1:17
A play by John Lazarus
Tags: librarians broadway chester you owe my bird an apology
Added: 5 months ago
From: ToonLib
Views: 8

Life is tough for poor Chester.
He's middle aged and living with his sister Hattie.
She's overbearing and malicious, but that's nothing compared to her obnoxious pet cockatoo Belladonna.

But one day, Chester meets a lovely librarian named Marjorie.
She makes him feel as if his life may finally be worth living.
And yet, when Chester attempts to introduce his new lady friend to his sister, snide remarks and sparks fly.

---

From amazon.com:

Babel rap ; Chester, you owe my bird an apology : two one-act plays
by John Lazarus

Playwrights Co-op, 1972 - 102 pages

A hen-pecked, middle-aged man is driven to distraction by his nagging sister and her loud-mouthed cockatoo.

---

From google.com:

Librarian Marjorie Hendershott visits her friend, 47-year-old Chester, and Chester's dominating older sister, Hattie. Shortly after their introduction, Hattie tells Marjorie "it doesn't take much in the way of brains to be a librarian."

Marjorie, described as "elegant" and "poised," possessing "a youthful energy, enthusiasm and sense of humor," does her best to help Chester break free from bondage to his harpy sister and her repulsive pet cockatoo.

Case Study No. 1983: Unnamed Female Librarian (Mentos Grape Candy)

Mentos Library Commercial
0:15
The crazy Japanese Mentos commercial I was in in 2007 - very fun to film.
Tags: Mento15FINALsm
Added: 5 years ago
From: 7alisonjane
Views: 4,004

[scene opens in a public library, as an elderly female librarian (black hair, glasses, grey sweater, white blouse, long grey skirt) approaches a table of young patrons and shushes them]
LIBRARIAN: Shh!
[cut to the entrance of the library, as the camera shows a man (wearing a purple cape and a spherical white "helmet" on his head) from behind while disco music suddenly begins to play]
[cut back to the librarian, who looks up and gasps]
[cut back to the man (shot from the front to reveal his full white disco outfit) as he dances into the library]
[cut to a closeup of the man's right hand, as a pack of Mentos Grape appears from under his sleeve]
[cut to the man sliding across the table, as he "shoots" pieces of Mentos out of the pack and into the patrons' mouths (the final piece shoots into the librarian's mouth) as they start to chew]
[cut to the patrons dancing around the table, as the librarian (while tossing some papers into the air) dances on top of the table]
ANNOUNCER: Good times! Mentos!

Case Study No. 1982: Miss Alice Rumphius

Miss Rumphius Audio Book
12:42
by Barbara Cooney

Narrated by Tara Rose Stromberg
Produced by The End Audio Productions
Mix by Roman Chimienti
Edited by Jessica Rondash (Verbatim Studios)
Tags: audio book rumphius the end
Added: 3 years ago
From: sailorzortian
Views: 41,872

Miss Rumphius
Story and Pictures by Barbara Cooney

To Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children, sailors, and maidens

The Lupine Lady lives in a small house overlooking the sea. In between the rocks around her house grow blue and purple and rose-colored flowers. The Lupine Lady is little and old. But she has not always been that way. I know. She is my great-aunt, and she told me so.

Once upon a time she was a little girl named Alice, who lived in a city by the sea. From the front stoop she could see the wharves and the bristling masts of tall ships. Many years ago her grandfather had come to America on a large sailing ship.

Now he worked in the shop at the bottom of the house, making figureheads for the prows of ships, and carving Indians out of wood to put in front of cigar stores. For Alice's grandfather was an artist. He painted pictures, too, of sailing ships and places across the sea. When he was very busy, Alice helped him put in the skies.

In the evening Alice sat on her grandfather's knee and listened to his stories of faraway places. When he had finished, Alice would say, "When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea."

"That is all very well, little Alice," said her grandfather, "but there is a third thing you must do."

"What is that?" asked Alice.

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said her grandfather.

"All right," said Alice, But she did not know what that could be.

In the meantime Alice got up and washed her face and ate porridge for breakfast. She went to school and came home and did her homework.

And pretty soon she was grown up.

Then my Great-aunt Alice set out to do the three things she had told her grandfather she was going to do. She left home and went to live in another city far from the sea and the salt air. There she worked in a library, dusting books and keeping them from getting mixed up, and helping people find the ones they wanted. Some of the books told her about faraway places.

People called her Miss Rumphius now.

Sometimes she went to the conservatory in the middle of the park. When she stepped inside on a wintry day, the warm moist air wrapped itself around her, and the sweet smell of jasmine filled her nose.

"This is almost like a tropical isle," said Miss Rumphius. "But not quite."

So Miss Rumphius went to a real tropical island, where people kept cockatoos and monkeys as pets. She walked on long beaches, picking up beautiful shells. One day she met the Bapa Raja, king of a fishing village.

"You must be tired," he said. "Come into my house and rest."

So Miss Rumphius went in and met the Bapa Raja's wife. The Bapa Raja himself fetched a green coconut and cut a slice off the top so that Miss Rumphius could drink the coconut water inside. Before she left, the Bapa Raja gave her a beautiful mother-of-pearl shell on which he had painted a bird of paradise and the words, "You will always remain in my heart."

"You will always remain in mine too," said Miss Rumphius.

My great-aunt Miss Alice Rumphius climbed tall mountains where the snow never melted. She went through jungles and across deserts. She saw lions playing and kangaroos jumping. And everywhere she made friends she would never forget. Finally she came to the Land of the Lotus-Eaters, and there, getting off a camel, she hurt her back.

"What a foolish thing to do", said Miss Rumphius. "Well, I have certainly seen faraway places. Maybe it is time to find my place by the sea."

And it was, and she did.

From the porch of her new house Miss Rumphius watched the sun come up; she watched it cross the heavens and sparkle on the water; and she saw it set in glory in the evening. She started a little garden among the rocks that surrounded her house, and she planted a few flower seeds in the stony ground. Miss Rumphius was almost perfectly happy.

"But there is still one more thing I have to do," she said. "I have to do something to make the world more beautiful."

But what? "The world already is pretty nice," she thought, looking out over the ocean.

The next spring Miss Rumphius was not very well. Her back was bothering her again, and she had to stay in bed most of the time.

The flowers she had planted the summer before had come up and bloomed in spite of the stony ground. She could see them from her bedroom window, blue and purple and rose-colored.

"Lupines," said Miss Rumphius with satisfaction. "I have always loved lupines the best. I wish I could plant more seeds this summer so that I could have still more flowers next year."

But she was not able to.

After a hard winter spring came. Miss Rumphius was feeling much better. Now she could take walks again. One afternoon she started to go up and over the hill, where she had not been in a long time.

"I don't believe my eyes!" she cried when she got to the top. For there on the other side of the hill was a large patch of blue and purple and rose-colored lupines!

"It was the wind," she said as she knelt in delight. "It was the wind that brought the seeds from my garden here! And the birds must have helped!"

Then Miss Rumphius had a wonderful idea!

She hurried home and got out her seed catalogues. She sent off to the very best seed house for five bushels of lupine seed.

All that summer Miss Rumphius, her pockets full of seeds, wandered over fields and headlands, sowing lupines. She scattered seeds along the highways and down the country lanes. She flung handfuls of them around the schoolhouse and back of the church. She tossed them into hollows and along stone walls.

Her back didn't hurt her any more at all.

Now some people called her That Crazy Old Lady.

The next spring there were lupines everywhere. Fields and hillsides were covered with blue and purple and rose-colored flowers. They bloomed along the highways and down the lanes. Bright patches lay around the schoolhouse and back of the church. Down in the hollows and along the stone walls grew the beautiful flowers.

Miss Rumphius had done the third, the most difficult thing of all!

My Great-aunt Alice, Miss Rumphius, is very old now. Her hair is very white. Every year there are more and more lupines. Now they call her the Lupine Lady. Sometimes my friends stand with me outside her gate, curious to see the old, old lady who planted the fields of lupines. When she invites us in, they come slowly. They think she is the oldest woman in the world. Often she tells us stories of faraway places.

"When I grow up," I tell her, "I too will go to faraway places and come home to live by the sea."

"That is all very well, little Alice," says my aunt, "but there is a third thing you must do."

"What is that?" I ask.

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful."

"All right," I say.

But I do not know yet what that can be.

---

From amazon.com:

Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney (Author)

Age Range: 5 and up
Grade Level: Kindergarten and up
Series: Picture Puffins
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Viking Books (1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140505393

Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went. Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication.

---

From blogspot.com:

In this book, you watch a little girl named Alice grow into an old old woman, a retired librarian named Miss Rumphius. Her life is filled with exciting adventures, but as she grows older, none of it feels like enough to her. She keeps recalling some advice her grandfather gave her when she was a child. He told her that in order to live a good life, she had to "do something to make the world more beautiful." But even as an old woman, she can't figure out what to do. Finally, realizing the joy she's always gotten from flowers, especially lupines, she decides to share that joy with others by scattering lupine seeds everywhere she goes. She completely transforms the rocky landscape around her home. In the end, she tells her story to her young niece, who wonders how SHE will make the world more beautiful. And so the cycle continues.

Case Study No. 1981: "The State vs the Librarian"

The State Vs. the Librarian
4:01
The State Vs. the Librarian

Not One Is Upright

(P) 2011 Red Cord Records

Released on: 2011-09-30

Auto-generated by YouTube.
Tags: Not One Is Upright God Is Not A Watchmaker and The World Is Not Ticking The State Vs. the Librarian
Added: 1 year ago
From: Various Artists - Topic
Views: 3

From apple.com:

God Is Not A Watchmaker and The World Is Not Ticking
Not One Is Upright

Genres: Christian & Gospel, Music
Released: Sep 30, 2011

1. The Mental Propensities of Phineas Gage
2. Wake Up, #37, Wake Up
3. So I Asked the Gatekeeper
4. Where There Is Shame, There Is Fear
5. Unrefined, My Paradigm
6. The State Vs. the Librarian
7. Axes and Owl Eyes
8. The Watchmaker
9. Aren't You Very Afraid
10. No, I Am Full of Joy

---

From musixmatch.com:

Words ignite silent stirs in men
Repress
Keep them locked away
Deflate humanity from the man
As she travels a vacuum trails behind
The name of Christ is on the crutches of these columns strewn across the land
You are subject to his grace
Where else do you find life but in breath?
This capsule has carried us long enough
Obsolete
Fire rages behind the barrier. What point is a fire if we can't feel it's warmth? While the trembling disenfranchised receive the lukewarm ashes, intangible, coals of fear and not of love glow, with the backlight of restless resentment. Division. division and dominance. But brothers and sisters, the curtain is torn, the dead have buried their own, the King is come. The King has come. The King has come.

Case Study No. 1980: Unnamed Male Librarian (ADVS Productions)

Overdue
2:40
This is my attempt at film noir. I hope to expand the script in the future. I dedicate this film to all the working stiffs out there who can't catch a break, who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. Shot on an iPhone. Starring Triz Jolivette and Dimitri Batista Simpson. Music by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, from their album RACE RIOT SUITE. I claim no ownership of their music, PLEASE DON'T SUE.
Tags: Film Noir Student Jazz Crime Surreal Librarian Drama Black and White Overdue Mental Breakdown Snap Working Stiffs Collar Dark Comedy Short Independent Thriller Independent Film (Film Genre)
Added: 3 years ago
From: ADVSProductions
Views: 60

Aaron D. Van Scyoc Presents
Overdue

Starring Triz Jolivette
And Dimitri Batista-Simpson

[scene opens with an extreme closeup of the male librarian's face in black and white]
[cut to a man walking into a public bathroom, soon followed by the librarian (African American, short hair, glasses, trenchcoat)]
[cut to a closeup of the man's face]
FRANK: Why are you doing this?
[cut to a closeup of the librarian's mouth]
LYLE: Nine years ...
[cut to a closeup of the baseball bat that the librarian is holding in his left hand]
LYLE: You had that book out for nine years, and I've been a librarian for twenty five.
[cut to a shot of the librarian standing in front of the man]
LYLE: This is where I draw the line!
[cut to a shot of the baseball bat in the librarian's hand, then to slow motion footage of the bat falling out of his hand and dropping to the floor]
[cut to a shot (from the bat's POV?) as the librarian bends down to pick it up]
[cut to a shot of the librarian crouched down on the floor, as he adjusts his glasses and then looks up (seemingly nervous) before picking up the bat]
[he looks down at the bat in his hand, then drops it to the floor again (in slow motion) and grabs at the sides of his head (as if in pain) before collapsing to the floor]
[cut to a shot of the man bending down and putting his hand on the librarian's shoulder, as if to comfort him]

Overdue
An Aaron D. Van Scyoc Film

Dedicated to
The Working Stiffs

Starring
Triz Jolivette
and Dimitri Batista-Simpson

Written, Directed, and Shot
by Aaron D. Van Scyoc

Triz Jolivette
as Lyle the Librarian

Dimitri Batista-Simpson
as Frank

Music

"Third Prayer", "Grandfather's Gun", and "Prelude"
from Race Riot Suite
by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Special Thanks

The Society for the Performing and Visual Arts
The Chappell Players Theatre Group

Case Study No. 1979: "Donor L edition San Diego Librarian"

Zortrax M200 / Donor L edition San Diego librarian
3:13
Zortrax M200
Donor L edition : San Diego librarian

fantasygraph: web sites that model very cool
Tanks othar999
http://www.maker shop.co/shop/fantasygraph

Layer Thickness: 0.14mm
Speed: Normal
Infill: Medium
Support: Disabled
Fan Speed: 20%

BGM: Takashi Hamada / The Entertainer
Tags: Zortax fantasygraph 3D printer
Added: 8 months ago
From: umasanjp
Views: 2,104

[scene opens with sped-up footage of a Zortrax M200 3D printer creating a sculpture of a female librarian sitting on a pile of books labelled "San Diego Public Library"]

---

From makershop.co:

Donor L edition : San Diego librarian
By fantasygraph

This model was build for a request of the San Diego public library. With a lot of kindness, the owner of the right (warning : see the licence terms that are not the same as my others models) let you download and print this model for free as long as you didn't touch the geometry of the model (apart the scale that you can change)

this model can be printed in 4 hours with a 0.2mm layer, 12% infill and 2 perimeters. if you change the scale to x0.8, you can print it in 3 hours (same parameters)

Case Study No. 1978: Matthias Lane

Book Review | The Archivist By Martha Cooley
0:59
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Where to buy this book?


ISBN: 9780316158466
Book Review of The Archivist by Martha Cooley


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Music from:
http://freemusic archive.org/
https://www.you tube.com/audiolibrary/music

By NOIDE-NG4 10/8 16h48


ID: BD9780316158466-934195
Tags: synopsis book review The Archivist Martha Cooley Little Brown & Company 9780316158466
Added: 4 months ago
From: Voa Kondo 3829735
Views: 1

From amazon.com:

The Archivist: A Novel
by Martha Cooley

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books (April 8, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316158461

Matthias Lane is the proud gatekeeper to countless objects of desire, the greatest among them being T.S. Eliot's letters to Emily Hale. Now in his late 60s and archivist at an unnamed East Coast university, Matthias is--as one of his colleagues tells him--"exceptionally well defended." He's intent on keeping the Hale collection equally remote, and when a young poet first seeks access, Matthias rebuffs her with little difficulty. Still, Roberta Spire does remind him of his wife, Judith, who had also written poetry but had committed suicide 20 years earlier. And he is much taken with the student's self-possession: "Pleading never works with me," he concedes, "but authentic and angry self-interest does."

Betrayal figures heavily in The Archivist. For starters, Roberta feels betrayed by her parents, German Jews who had spent World War II in hiding and emigrated to the U.S. soon afterward, re-creating themselves as Christians. She has only recently discovered her Jewish background. The irony is that Matthias's wife had also been an Eliot adept and had felt violated by a false version of her own past and destroyed when confronted with the realities of the Holocaust. No wonder Roberta sees the Hale letters as a Holy Grail, the key to her questions about religious conversion and identity.

What holds this exceptionally ambitious and layered first novel together is the love all three main characters have for the pleasures of the text and the knowledge they share that time is, as Eliot writes, both preserver and destroyer. Eliot, after all, had wanted Emily Hale to destroy his letters (and in reality they are sealed until 2020, safe at Princeton University). Martha Cooley is deeply concerned, as are her characters, with questions of conscience, privacy, action and inaction, and security--personal and scholarly. If there is one parallel too many in this impressive work, perhaps that is more like life than some of us care to admit.

---

From wikipedia.org:

The Archivist is an American novel by Martha Cooley, first published in a hardcover format by Little, Brown and Company in 1998. The story makes extensive reference to the poetry of T. S. Eliot, and it dwells on themes such as guilt, insanity, and suicide. The book was reprinted in 1999 by Back Bay Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.

Plot summary
Matthias Lane is a widower in his sixties. He works as an archivist at an unnamed library and is told to preserve a set of letters that T. S. Eliot once wrote and sent to Emily Hale. Roberta Spire, a graduate student in her thirties, appeals to Matthias for a look at Eliot's letters.

Emily Hale donated T. S. Eliot's letters to the library and gave specific instructions that they were not to be shown to the public until 2020. Her decision to donate the letters at all, however, went against the wishes of T. S. Eliot himself, who wanted Hale to destroy the letters after she had read them.

Both Matthias and Roberta are highly familiar with T. S. Eliot's poetry, as well as Eliot's personal background. The novel briefly retells the story of how Eliot placed his first wife, Vivienne Eliot, in a mental institution, and how she eventually died. It is gradually revealed that Matthias, similarly, placed his wife Judith in a mental institution, and she eventually committed suicide. Judith's death occurred twenty years before Matthias first meets Roberta. Roberta reminds Matthias of Judith, because both women are of Jewish ancestry, both read and write poetry, and both have done research on the Holocaust.

When Judith was in the mental institution, Dr. Clay forbade her to read newspapers. Yet Judith's parents, Len and Carol, smuggled newspapers into her room, so that Judith could keep up with the aftermath of the Holocaust. After Judith's suicide, Matthias assumes that the newspapers contributed to Judith's insanity. However, later, when Matthias speaks to Roberta about his wife, he admits that his attempts to cut his wife off from the real world were what really made her sick:

"She kept trusting me...I was like a paralyzed man. It's clearer to me now, what she need from me. But I got it all wrong. I tried to shield her from the present, from the city...I tried to conceal the terrifying things, to keep quiet about them. That's what got to her, more than anything else. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear that I, too, was silent."

At the end of the novel, Matthias takes the Hale Letters out of the library and burns them. He believes that respecting the last wish of T. S. Eliot - that the letters be burned and not shown to the public - is a step toward atoning for Matthias's personal mistake of sending his wife Judith to a mental institution.

Historical background
The letters of T.S. Eliot to Emily Hale are, in actuality, kept in the Firestone Library, at Princeton University. The letters are not to be shown to the public until January 1, 2020.

Themes and interpretation
Matthias identifies himself as an "archivist", a "gatekeeper" who controls people's access to information. The term "archivist" applies not only to Matthias, but also to Judith, because she keeps extensive records of Holocaust stories. Judith is emotionally affected by her records; whereas Matthias's relationship to records is merely an effort to protect them, Judith's relationship to records is like that of a fire being fueled. Her passions refuse to be controlled, and she insists on acting upon her feelings, forming a sharp contrast to Matthias's passivity. Judith fascinates Matthias, and terrifies him.

Brian Morton wrote a review of the novel for The New York Times, called it "a thoughtful and well-written first novel." He noted that it brought up serious questions such as morality's relationship with art and religion, and a person's relationship with his or her own past. However, Morton also said that Judith's confinement in a psychiatric ward was limited "by providing Judith with no worthy interlocutors -- with no one who understands her well enough to argue with her in an interesting way."

Arlene Schmuland considers Matthias's final act of burning the Hale letters to be a metaphor for his breaking free of his library's code:

"At the end of the novel, he breaks all of the stereotypes about archivists being passive, dedicated to their collections, and devoted to duty by allowing the woman access to a portion of the closed collection and then carrying the whole collection home and burning it in his back yard."

Matthias's decision to burn the library materials has been criticized from an ethical standpoint. Verne Harris, a librarian in South Africa, asked, "In destroying the letters is he protecting Eliot's rights, serving the writer's desire, or merely playing god?" Eric Ketelaar, Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam, has written, "The aspect I criticized was that of the archivist as a censor who decides that the memory of Eliot should be kept through his poetry, not through these letters. I censured the archivist who was guided by changes in his personal life to take a decision he was not entitled to take, neither legally nor morally."

---

From publishersweekly.com:

The reserved voice of 65-year-old Matthias Lane, archivist at a prestigious Eastern university, opens this remarkably assured first novel, a complex and beautifully written tale of loss, crises of faith and resolution. Then we read the anguished journal of his wife, Judith, a poet who committed suicide in a mental institution in 1965, the same year as T.S. Eliot died. This is just one of the many parallels between the life of the poet and those of Matt and Judith (Eliot, of course, committed his own wife, Vivienne, to an asylum). Grad student and poet Roberta Spire requests Matt's permission to look at the sealed correspondence between Eliot and a Boston woman named Emily Hale, to whom he may have bared his emotions. Roberta has more than an academic interest in this correspondence. She is immensely disturbed by her parents' belated revelation that they were Jews who fled Germany and converted to Christianity in the U.S., and she feels that Eliot's conversion to Catholicism may hold insights for her. She is unaware that Judith's mental breakdown was related to the Holocaust, but Matt is quick to see the relationship and to recognize the parallels between Eliot's reclusive personality and his own emotional detachment. As several wrenching surprises about the past are revealed, Matt is finally opened to his pain and guilt and to an affirmative act of connectedness and trust. With its sinewy interplay of moral, spiritual and philosophical issues, its graceful interjection of lines of poetry and references to jazz, the novel first engages the reader's intellect. Soon, however, the emotions are also engaged, and the narrative acquires unflagging suspense as it peels back layers of secrets. This is an auspicious debut from a writer who already has mastered the craft.