Guess what? It’s Libraries Week – an annual celebration of the best libraries have to offer. As I write a mystery series about a crime-solving librarian for Quercus Books, I thought I’d share my top five fictional librarians to pay tribute to all the library staff out there that help people find the stories and information they need.
1. Veronica Mars. Whereas Kitt Hartley, the fictional librarian I created, is a librarian first and a private investigator second, for Veronica Mars it’s very much the other way around. All four seasons of this often overlooked TV show (and the crowdfunded fan movie) follow the father-daughter duo at Mars investigations. When you’re raised by a sheriff-turned-PI and your best friend is murdered before you finish high school, it’s perhaps no surprise that investigation would become an obsession for you. Veronica works in her university library for a good chunk of the third season of the show and uses her role as librarian to move a case forward more than once. Luring people to your place of work with the threat of late book fees can be quite handy, as it turns out.
2. Rupert Giles. Having binged-watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer numerous times during my teens and early twenties, the show had more than a little impact on my writing. In fact, I loved the show so much there is a direct reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the opening pages of my novel Murder by the Minster. It’s perhaps not surprising then, that I wound up writing books in which a band of friends spend their time trying to solve mysteries in the library after hours. I loved the paranormal twist to this show but, above all, it was particularly gripping because of the relationships. Rupert Giles was Buffy’s watcher and the school librarian. He fulfilled a sort of fatherly role and true to the librarian archetype, there was little Giles didn’t know about or couldn’t find in a book. Despite the copious amount of banter exchanged between him and his young charge, it was clear he had great respect and affection for Buffy, and she for him. I really enjoyed the interplay between two platonic characters with a significant age difference between them. This relationship trope appears in my work through the interplay between Kitt and her younger, cheeky assistant Grace.
3. Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell. Evie from The Mummy movie franchise is not just insanely knowledgeable about ancient Egypt (surely one of the coolest topics to be knowledgeable about?) but is a fantastic example of the action heroine. Over the course of the two films Evie transforms from a clumsy librarian to a knife-fighting bad-ass. I think these stories still hold up as pure escapist fun and at the time these films were released it was refreshing to see a female character gain such a huge amount of agency. It is Evie’s knowledge that ultimately stops the titular Mummy from unleashing his evil on the world but she also holds her own in numerous physical fights across the franchise. My fictional librarian hasn’t got into any knife fights as yet, but she is definitely not short on agency thanks to the inspirational Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell.
4. Mary. There aren’t many stories out there about illegal ravers turned librarians but the cult 1995 movie Party Girl delivers just this. In order to pay back her godmother for bailing her out of jail, Mary agrees to work at her library. This party-loving free spirit played by Parker Posey doesn’t seem the most likely person to get to grips with the Dewey Decimal System, but, just as so many others have, Mary does find her rightful path among the book stacks. Mary is not only one of my favourite fictional librarians, she represents one of my favourite acting performances of all time. Posey is completely irrepressible throughout and, in my opinion, creates a character that you just can’t help but love. This movie totally redefines people’s perceptions of librarians, the kind of background they might come from and the kind of recreational activities they might partake in. Busting stereotypes is something that I’m also very interested in when it comes to writing my books.
5. Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon. So, I can’t pretend to be a comic book expert. I sort of know that if I open that door my house will be full of comic books by the end of the year. And with my love for literature our house is already arguably enough of a fire hazard as it is. I’ve watched a fair few superhero movies however and love to find out little snippets about the characters here and there from more knowledgeable fans. In researching my favourite librarians, I discovered that Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon has a doctorate in library science and is head of Gotham City Public Library. Why haven’t we seen that movie? Given that those of us who have made libraries our safe space over the years tend to think of librarians as superheroes, librarian-to-caped-crusader is surely a story that thousands of fans out there would love to see get the Hollywood treatment? Again, this is a story that redefines the typical librarian stereotype and underscores how much power great knowledge affords us. What’s not to love about that?
Think I’ve missed someone super-important? Probably! I only had five slots. Why not Tweet me about which fictional librarians have entertained and inspired you? And don’t forget that real librarians – and real libraries – need your support too, so please find your own way to celebrate their valuable work this week.
P.S. I am a huge fan of the TV show Once Upon a Time in which Belle technically looks after the library in Storybrooke. For me however, her role doesn’t play a big enough part in the narrative to warrant knocking somebody else off this list.
You can find the books featuring my crime-solving librarian Kitt Hartley, here.