Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian

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Overview

For most of us, librarians are the quiet people behind the desk, who, apart from the occasional "shush,” vanish into the background. But in Quiet, Please, McSweeney’s contributor Scott Douglas puts the quirky caretakers of our literature front and center. With a keen eye for the absurd and a Kesey-esque cast of characters (witness the librarian who is sure Thomas Pynchon is Julia Roberts’s latest flame), Douglas takes us where few readers have gone before. Punctuated by his own highly subjective research into library history-from Andrew Carnegie’s Gilded Age to today’s Afghanistan-Douglas gives us a surprising (and sometimes hilarious) look at the lives which make up the social ...

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Overview

For most of us, librarians are the quiet people behind the desk, who, apart from the occasional "shush,” vanish into the background. But in Quiet, Please, McSweeney’s contributor Scott Douglas puts the quirky caretakers of our literature front and center. With a keen eye for the absurd and a Kesey-esque cast of characters (witness the librarian who is sure Thomas Pynchon is Julia Roberts’s latest flame), Douglas takes us where few readers have gone before. Punctuated by his own highly subjective research into library history-from Andrew Carnegie’s Gilded Age to today’s Afghanistan-Douglas gives us a surprising (and sometimes hilarious) look at the lives which make up the social institution that is his library.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist
Clear[s] away stereotypes about public-service librarians and affirms their worth.Offers unique and utterly engaging insights, valuable for public librarians, managers, and trustees.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780786720910
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press
  • Publication date: 3/24/2008
  • Pages: 320
  • Product dimensions: 6.41 (w) x 9.09 (h) x 1.11 (d)

Meet the Author

Scott Douglas is a librarian at the Anaheim Public Library, a job he has been chronicling for the McSweeney’s Web site since 2003.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews
  • Anonymous

    Posted August 22, 2008

    Another view from the inside

    Equal parts witty, thoughtful, and pretentious, Scott Douglas' ''Quiet, Please'' is a generally enjoyable memoir from the frequent McSweeney's contributor. Last year when Don Borchert's ''Free for All'' was released, numerous librarians jumped on it, mostly because Borchert did not have his master's degree, therefore he should not be able to call himself a librarian. At least one review on this website wished for a book from Scott Douglas. Well, here it is, and guess what? It's not all that different from Borchert's. The format is mostly the same -- each tells how they came to their current profession, and spins a number of anecdotes [some amusing, some heart-wrenching, and some in between] peppered with their thoughts on the role of libraries in our communities. They certainly take different perspectives on the latter. Scott Douglas -- who was by his own estimation on the intellectual side to begin with -- takes an historical view and is full of passion for all aspects of the library profession. Borchert's book is a bit more blue-collar, and he's certainly not one to wax philosophical about what he does for a living. That doesn't really make one book better or worse than the other. They're simply *different*, and both deserve to be read because they both have worthwhile things to say. The only major drawback to ''Quiet Please'' is the pretentiousness I mentioned earlier. Douglas knows his library history. He knows a lot of stuff, for that matter, and he loves to show it off. Each chapter contains a ''commercial break'' where he interrupts the narrative to briefly discourse on topics as varied as Henry Adams and his praise for the invention of the dynamo, the history of popcorn, and the practice of human sterilization. By and large they're distracting and add little to the book itself, except as little nuggets of data to file away for Trivial Pursuit night. Still, I recommend you read this book, especially if you are a librarian or you're thinking of entering the library profession.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 1, 2008

    Funny, witty and smart!

    This is a great coming of age book with a lot of dry wit and humor in it. Scott Douglas is honest, smart and quick to write a great memoir. I read this book and all the times I have been in the library thought 'So true!'. It is relatable and funny and surprisingly heart warming. This is a book I did not want to end.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2008

    A reviewer

    Great book for all librarians and library lovers alike!

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    Posted December 4, 2010

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    Posted March 23, 2010

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    Posted December 15, 2010

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