There's been a lot of talk
on Twitter about "New Adult" books. Novels about first jobs, life
outside high school and beyond college are gaining popularity and their own
marketing niche. And I just realized ---we were all new adults once.
Somewhere near grown-up, I imagined earning a degree in Library
Science. I wondered what being a librarian was all about. I'd met quite a
few (cool, diverse, tattooed) librarians, but wanted to get even more of a
picture about normal library life. And it's funny, but movie and t.v. portrayals of librarians are not so realistic. Katharine
Hepburn and Parker Posey aside, I was looking for some role models.
And that's when I turned to
fiction. Looking through the OPAC, I searched for stories about life in the
stacks, or in school libraries, or academia. And didn't find too much, I'm
afraid. I was new to library studies; I wasn't such a great searcher. And there
was no such thing as crowd sourcing on social media back then. Or even blogs.
But I wanted to read it---not just cozy mysteries or kids' stories. I guess I
was looking for New Adult fiction about starting a career. I wanted to put
on the costume and wear it by reading a character’s version of the life. Or get
a peek in the fiction window of a fun-loving children’s services specialist
instead of a chick-lit designer shoe-wearing journalist.
Honestly, I didn't get what I was looking for from Stones from the River; there was more to inspire me in strange libraries found in graphic novels. I kind of knew "Sandman" and Garth Nix characters didn't have realistic libraries, but still got something out of those books.
Honestly, I didn't get what I was looking for from Stones from the River; there was more to inspire me in strange libraries found in graphic novels. I kind of knew "Sandman" and Garth Nix characters didn't have realistic libraries, but still got something out of those books.
Nevertheless, here's my new insight;
not all quests for information require non-fiction to fulfill that need. If a
topic is of interest, a reader may enjoy narrative description and stories as
well as facts. It’s even a learning experience in itself to determine whether a
book is accurate and reliable in depicting the subject at hand. There are truths in fiction that you would never get from the facts. Non-fiction can create understanding, and fiction can create empathy; two important ways to know the world.
Just like I wanted to read
a novel about exciting, young, fashionable, well-paid, new NYC librarians.
That would have been, well…very enlightening and accurate indeed.
That would have been, well…very enlightening and accurate indeed.
