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    This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
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    This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
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    This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
    Ebook262 pages4 hours

    This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

    By Marilyn Johnson

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    In This Book is Overdue!, acclaimed author Marilyn Johnson celebrates libraries and librarians, and, as she did in her popular first book, The Dead Beat, discovers offbeat and eloquent characters in the quietest corners. In defiance of doomsayers, Johnson finds librarians more vital and necessary than ever, as they fuse the tools of the digital age with love for the written word and the enduring values of truth, service to all, and free speech. This Book Is Overdue! is a romp through the ranks of information professionals who organize our messy world and offer old-fashioned human help through the maze.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 2, 2010
    ISBN9780061962103
    Author

    Marilyn Johnson

    Marilyn Johnson is a former editor and writer for Life, Esquire, and Outside magazines, and lives with her husband, Rob Fleder, in New York's Hudson Valley.

    Read more from Marilyn Johnson

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    Reviews for This Book Is Overdue!

    3.5/5

    623 ratings74 reviews

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    • 4/5
      With fascinating chapters such as "Information Sickness" and "Follow That Tattooed Librarian," Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue gives the reader a quirky but informative look beyond the librarian stereotype. I am a reader who loves her county library - in fact we're on a first name basis, "The George" and I. I have always had a great appreciation for librarians, but This Book is Overdue has reinforced my belief that public libraries and the librarians who tirelessly work to bring books to the masses, are vitally important to the future of mankind.Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue illuminates the things today's librarians are doing to combat misinformation, to keep up with the latest trends in technology, to fight censorship, to make a difference in their communities, and quite literally, to change the world. There is so much to take in, so many aspects of libraries that I had never thought about before - the amount of information Johnson gives is a little overwhelming. Nevertheless, I think librarians could benefit from reading This Book is Overdue if only to search out new ideas to make their libraries better.The only negative I have after reading This Book is Overdue is a lack of solid organization. With so much information and research, it is important to have a level of focus that was not achieved here. If the chapters had been tied together a bit more tightly, it might have made for a better book overall. On the whole however, This Book is Overdue is an extremely engrossing and thought-provoking look at the future of libraries and librarians. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in the ways technology has shaped and changed the face of libraries forever.
    • 4/5
      A love letter to librarians today. Lots of anecdotes about all the radical things librarians are doing. No real overarching thesis, but an entertaining read. Really, librarians will save us.
    • 2/5
      I tried really hard to like this book, but I felt like it provided me no new insight about the profession and how it is going to help citizens in the current day and age. It read like a love letter to librarians, which, while sweet, was overall disappointing.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed the information I got from this book. Web Sites I could visit and other books I should read.
    • 3/5
      This book is a chatty celebration of librarians in the world today. At their best, the chapters have qualities of a good personal essay, and the author writes well throughout. But, the book has the tone of an expanded human-interest article from the newspaper -- the author gravitates towards characters, and delights in sharing anecdotes that are intended to give a feel for what the librarians she describes are really like as people. In the process, she touches on some really interesting policy issues and conflicts: how much access should law enforcement have to the information librarians keep about patrons? How should libraries relate to the market economy? What is worth saving for the future and what is not? But in every case, Johnson presents a one-sided and usually shallow perspective, because she isn't really engaging with the issues; she's portraying the texture of the personalities of the librarians (or IT people, or archivists) she meets. Based on the author's passing references in various chapters to reading books about library science, she must have done extensive research for this book, but very little of it shows up in the substance of her text. An uncomfortable aspect of the author's heavy focus on personalities is that, for color, she regularly repeats facts and views people shared with her in confidence, at least to judge by her own account of the conversations. Perhaps she's overstating to lend her book an air of pulling away the curtains -- but having read it, I certainly wouldn't speak off the record with this author. I've read other writers of the new non-fiction who handle this much better - you can read between the lines of the conversations they recount, but they never directly put their interlocutors in a compromised position.
    • 3/5
      Yes, we will be the saviors of the world! Nice mix of history and contemporary issues and the role of librarians as the keepers and retrievers of human knowledge. I had hoped for a faster pace and more wit - I hate to see more proliferation of the dour-faced librarian.
    • 5/5
      This book is fantastic. Her understanding and research in and of librarians and libraries is astounding. And so well-written, it's such a fun, informative and I must say-inspiring read. I don't care how you feel about librarians and libraries, you really must read this ...book. I'm immediately seeking out her first book, Dead Beat (about obituaries-which led her to writing this book since she discovered librarians had the most interesting obits) and I am very excited about whatever she might write next.
    • 5/5
      I found it inspiring! I'm going to review it for the May 2010 issue of Information Today.
    • 2/5
      As someone who loves nonfiction and librarians, I thought this one would be a no-brainer for me. Unfortunately it’s such a disjointed mishmash of information it feels more like a Wikipedia page than a cohesive book. Johnson seems to have written anecdotes about things she found as she research librarians without having a real goal or overarching message for the book. At one point she discusses, at length, the way librarians use second life. It just never came together in any cohesive way for me. BOTTOM LINE: Skip it, I can’t think of one substantive thing I learned from the book.  
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this -- as a total library junkie. Great perspective on where libraries are heading and the services they'll be providing. Fascinating if for nothing else than the window into Second Life and the virtual libraries therein.
    • 4/5
      Perhaps more than we wanted to know about librarians, but very funny, and with great details about Second Life for librarians and about that magnificent building with the lions out front, the New York Public Library at 41st Street.
    • 3/5
      Lots of cheerleading for information professionals, which I appreciate. My reading this book caused a sort of preaching-to-the-choir paradigm, but it was still good for me to learn more about the variety of things other librarians are doing. It helps spark the imagination some, so I might get more creative ideas about what to do at my library. This would be useful for community leaders and policy-makers who seem to have never used the library because they can get all the internet, books, and media they need themselves.
    • 5/5
      From the perspective of someone who has just finished library school and is currently looking for a job, this book is fascinating. If it became a general bestseller, it could do a lot to promote librarians and information scientists. Marilyn explores lots of different aspects of librarianship, from cyberlibrarians to archivists and the fight against the Patriot Act. The story of the four librarians fighting against the Patriot Act was the most interesting and scary part of the book. It also mentions the New York Times article that made me look into library school. There was also a lot of current information on blogs, which makes me wonder how quickly this book will become dated. Definitely required reading for librarians, and hopefully everyone else in the reading world.In case it matters, I picked up this book for free from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2010.
    • 3/5
      Being a library advocate/activist as well as an elementary school library media tech, I had such high hopes for this book. I didn't even wait for my public library to get it in, I ordered it so I could get it right away. Unfortunately, I have to say this book did not measure up to my expectations. I loved what it was trying to do . . . show how important and relevant librarians have been and continue to be, but I found this book kind of . . . boring. It was mostly anecdotes of the author's experiences while researching this book. While some were interesting and I did learn some interesting things about librarians, I wanted more of a point and a focus to this book . . . not just a librarian rave but more about the importance of libraries in general--with points I could use in my letter writing campaigns to politicians and school boards on why libraries need to be funded and staffed adequately. So, while I'm glad someone had the idea to create a book like this, I just wish it would have been stronger.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! Its fun to hear about other librarians and the new trends in info.
    • 4/5
      Library lovers have all heard the gloom and doom predictions that Google and the Internet are making libraries obsolete. Yet this author looks at many libraries and finds them not only relevant but vibrant. Her book is a fast, enjoyable read. The chapters cover many diverse topics in libraryland and it is easy to focus on those of interest. Chapters dealing with virtual librarians as well as the surprising loss of digital information today are especially strong. Her discussion of librarians ( the seekers ) and archivists ( the keepers) reinforces the importance of both professions. However, while the author documents her positive experiences with librarians and is entertaining and informative, this book could have delved farther into the real world implications of drastic budget cuts and services lost. There are unfortunately far too many examples out there.
    • 4/5
      It was an interesting book and made me think about librarians in untraditional roles. It definitely had information that I never heard about before that I am interested in learning more about.
    • 3/5
      Ok, librarians reading this review will likely disagree, but I found this book to be incredibly self serving and pointless. The author seems to ramble on and on about their lurkings among libraries and discussions with librarians. The emphasis seems to be on how librarians really aren't what they used to be (in a good way) and how tough of a job they have and how much they complain about it. A few of the stories were amusing, but in general it just seemed to drone on and on.
    • 2/5
      A long essay, expanded to book length. Too repetative for me - I didn't finish the book. (I did enjoy it initially)
    • 3/5
      As a new librarian, it's interesting to see someone from outside the profession talk about their perceptions of what librarians do. From that standpoint - the book was valuable, as it points to some places where librarians still need to improve the image of their profession, as well as others where they've done quite well. The book also contained some amusing anecdotes, as well.

      However, as far as living up to the subtitle - how librarians and cybrarians can save us all, the book falls short. There is a lot of focus on where change has brought us so far, but nothing about where we might be going...so either the book is poorly titled or it doesn't live up to its promise. The author, for all of her research, still seems unclear on some areas of librarianship, as well. For example, the few times she brings up weeding, she seems squeamish (to be fair, I know many librarians who are, as well), but I don't get the sense that much effort was made to really understand why libraries must weed (unless they're a gigantic research institution).

      The chapter on Second Life stood out as one where the author put a lot of time into research - but didn't make any sense out of her research. To put it bluntly, she forgot to give the chapter a thesis/purpose/point - whatever you want to call it. There was some potentially useful information there, but I'm not sure what I, as the reader, was supposed to do with it.
    • 5/5
      I have been a lover of fiction for a long time, with only occasional forays into non-fiction. This was one of the most enjoyable fiction departures I have every partaken! Throughout the course of the book I wanted to change careers to be a librarian, an archivist, and information specialist, an Internet archiver, and any number of other professions. I am a complete information junkie, and am accustomed to absorbing a lot of information, but I was amazed at the sheer mountain of material Ms. Johnson presents in each chapter. I purchased the unabridged audio version from Audible, but I intent to obtain a hard copy this week and re-read it with every intention of marking up the margins and annotating the entire book. Bravo, Ms. Johnson!
    • 4/5
      My first audiobook in years, I enjoyed this book listened to in the car. Obviously my comprehension suffered but there was lots of interesting material. I found the reader's voice pleasant but I swear she says "liberry" and "liberian" every so often; as if she has to force herself to pronounce it correctly and doesn't catch herself all the time. I'm tempted to pick up the book to see if there was much material that was left out.
    • 4/5
      Outstanding!! The personal stories make this a page turner. For example, the inside stories of the NY Public Library. Combining a love for books and a web enabled appreciation for rapidly changing information and everything digital, the author covers it all.
    • 4/5
      So many people subscribe to the notion that libraries are falling by the wayside. Who needs books, they argue, when just about anything can be found on the Internet now? Marilyn Johnson explores ways in which libraries are not only continuing to be relevant in a wired world, but using technology to promote and extend library services. Just a handful of the topics covered include blogging, Second Life, and archives. What ties these all together is where librarianship and technology meet - and make great services for their patrons at that crossroad.I expected this to be a book for librarians, written by a librarian, but that first impression had to be revised in numerous ways. Marilyn Johnson is not a librarian, but got the idea for this book when she was writing about obituaries and some of the more interesting ones she came across were the obits of librarians. Furthermore, the book is broad in scope, and reads more like a series of vignettes than an in-depth look at any one issue. My only real disappointment was that she spends a lot of time talking about the New York City libraries, and personally I am more interested in and find more relevant how small-town libraries with smaller budgets and fewer connections would serve their public. Many librarians have probably heard of most of the technologies, issues, and ideas that she covers. Does that mean that librarians won't like the book? No, but I would more readily recommend this book as perhaps being more helpful for folks who are thinking of going for a master's in library science - in fact, I learned about much of these topics in my M.L.I.S. program - and it's a great introduction for them to see the breadth of what librarians do, including the sometimes crazy balancing act between research, archives, traditional services and shinier things like blogging, Second Life, and circulation numbers. Alternatively, I would suggest it to those folks who think librarians are still in the shushing business to open their eyes to all that librarians can do, even in a wired world.
    • 3/5
      An interesting outsider look at the state of libraries today. A great deal of time is spent talking about Second Life, which I found very interesting. Though I question its usefulness in the larger scheme of libraries and librarianship as a whole. Maybe because most people I know can't be bothered with Second Life. The chapter discussing the closing of various research libraries and departments at the New York Public Library system was very depressing.In short, very interesting, and if you're at all interested in libraries and what librarians are up to these days, this is a few different views of it. It's far from comprehensive, of course.
    • 3/5
      The clever title and cartoon art may draw people to pick up this book, but really, who is it written for? My bet is that 90 percent of its readers will be people who work in libraries. For that audience, the book doesn't hold much that's new and spends too much time on the cyber-librarians of Second Life, the nice Westchester County library folk and the mammoth New York Public Library. However, a novice to the profession or a library student may find much of use, interest or amusement. I enjoyed the definition of the coinage "bibliomancy" ("divination by jolly well Looking It Up") and the distinction between librarians and archivists ("Librarians were finders. Archivists were keepers." I did not enjoy such pathetic editing lapses as "tie-died" and "steam trunk."
    • 4/5
      A glimpse into the world of library folk, futures, technology and politics, and books about librarians are so rarely readable that this one gets a gold star. It reinforces how integral to our collective wellbeing public libraries are, and follows the struggle to not only stay current, but to lead the way in information accessibility. Especially interesting: a discussion on saving material on the web and archiving internet content. Less interesting: Second Life.
    • 3/5

      Frenetic ode to information specialists" - spends too much time on the few librarians who do amazing things (many of which are surely made more so by Johnson's breathless & superficial viewpoint) - not enough time in analysis of the potential for the future of everyday libraries and 'information specialists.'  I read lightly, I admit, but mainly because I felt like I had been dropped off in an alien world with no guide, no prep, no language, not even a brochure.  I see on GR that real-life librarians have mixed feelings about this, with a tendency toward the negative.  Too bad.

      I do recommend it to ppl who need the message, like city commissioners.  But the only ppl likely to read it are already members of the choir and do not need to be preached at... and, imo, will not be entertained.

      "
    • 3/5
      The “best of times, worst of times” cliché certainly applies to today’s librarians and to the modern libraries in which they work. Patrons have learned to expect and to demand services from their libraries that were all but unheard of not more than a decade ago. Today, libraries are expected to give precious shelf space not only to books, magazines, and newspapers, but also to audio books, CDs, and DVDs. Much precious floor space is given over to computers so that patrons can (supposedly) do research and (even more supposedly) access what used to be called the library’s card catalogue system.Old-school librarians must feel as if the rug has been pulled from beneath their feet. Freshly minted librarians will be better prepared, but even they are having to scramble to keep up with the freight train bearing down on them. Marilyn Johnson’s This Book Is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All is probably aimed more at librarians themselves than it is at their customers, but heavy-duty library patrons should also take a look.Johnson focuses on the changing roll of the librarian – and how librarians everywhere are directly involved in rewriting their job descriptions. Interestingly, despite the rapid fire changes that librarians are dealing with, what is perhaps their most important role is not really changing all that much: they are still the gatekeepers of the information being sought by library patrons. Librarians still, if they are good at what they do, know the best way to find the information being sought by their customers. They know not only how to find it fastest, but whether to trust what they find.This Book Is Overdue takes a look at librarians themselves, not just at their job duties. What Johnson has to say about them might surprise readers whose only impression of librarians comes from what they see at the library. Johnson, while she does seem to agree that librarians are a bit of a “type,” wants her readers to know that there are some real characters in the ranks. There is a chapter on librarians who hit the streets during protests, offering information, via smartphones, that will be useful to protesters and those being protested, alike. Another highlights the efforts of a small group of librarians who set a national precedent by protesting the intrusion of The Patriot Act into the privacy of their patrons.One of my favorite chapters is the one in which Johnson looks closely at the efforts of a group of professional and amateur librarians who have created working libraries within the popular Second Life software. What these men and women have accomplished is amazing – especially since what they do in Second Life is every bit as time consuming and difficult as what they do in their day jobs. My other favorite is the chapter on librarians who blog – I’ve run across more than a few of these myself and have enjoyed both the irreverent ones and the more serious ones. Johnson’s point is that the blogging world is where librarians can be themselves (even to the point of sometimes having to hide their true identities) and can have real fun with their fellow readers.This Book Is Overdue is for dedicated readers and the people we depend on to keep us supplied with the book-fix we need to make it through our week. It is not the easiest thing to read (I did find the author’s style to be a little dry, at times) but it is well worth the effort.Rated at: 3.0
    • 4/5
      As a library student, this book made made me smile in some wonderful ways. Marilyn Johnson discovered how diverse librarians are when she was working on a book about obituaries and it inspired her to go asking. Each chapter deals with a different way that librarians are dealing with the changing landscape of books and their place in the community from blogging to archiving. She speaks with a wonderful variety of librarians all across the United States and paints a hopeful pictures of how librarians are adapting and shifting. The prose is funny and intelligent making this a book that can be read quickly and yet will provide many more avenues to explore such as websites and blogs.