Books about Librarians Without Degrees

I admit the idea irritates me a bit, as we in Hawaii generally need that piece of paper showing we graduated from an ALA-accredited institution in order to get a librarian job. Plus, in order to be a public school librarian in Hawaii, you also need to have a teaching degree. I've been told that in many states, an MLS - master of library science - degree is enough, OR just a teaching degree and passing a test is enough. (I'd love to know which states require what, if anyone wants to tell me!)

The first book is The Borrower, by Rebecca Makkai. About a college graduate who doesn't know what she wants to do, so she becomes a children's librarian. While her discussion of age-appropriate literature for children did/does interest me, your average reader or husband will be bored. They will be even more bored by all the angst. The writing IS good when NOT focused on the angst! Still, I am puzzled at how a child could take an adult on a multi-state spree to avoid Christian gay conversion therapy.

Which, RW gleefully told me, is the Michele Bachmann family business!

The second book is Running the Books, by Avi Steinberg. So far, it is more about a college graduate who doesn't know what he wants to do - sound familiar? And decides writing obituaries is NOT a career, so he beomes a prison librarian.

Aside: on the State of Hawaii librarian application, prison is the only area I would NOT want to work in. You need to be clever to be a criminal, and in that I am sure the inmates are much smarter than I am. I feel it's harder work to run a con, cheat or steal than tell the truth and work hard. So I admit it - I'm saying I'm too stupid to commit crimes. Except they weren't smart enough to stay out of jail.

Avi happily shows us how hip he is by who he becomes buddy-buddy with in The Bay, and all that he's learned there. The writing is not bad, though self-conscious. I'm just irritated with the Golly, Look at ME, I'm a Prison Librarian, though he admits the day shift guy is a REAL librarian. It is doubtful I'll finish this book - it's too irritating.

More on the other books I'm reading to come...