Libraries And Librarians In Fiction

Libraries and librarians are recurring elements in fiction. Below is a list of notable fictional literary works, films and television episodes that are either set, either wholly or partially, in a library or in which a librarian features prominently. The year refers to the original release date of the work.

Books and comics

(Alphabetized by author's surname)
* In Hiro Arikawa's Japanese light novel series ''Library War'' (2006-ongoing) (also the title of the series' first book), the Japanese government enacts a sweeping censorship law, which spawns a decades-long conflict with forces seeking to protect libraries.
* Batgirl as Dr. Barbara Gorden, who is depicted as working as librarian in Gotham City's Public Library.
* Jorge Luis Borges' short story, "The Library of Babel" (1941), depicts a universe consisting of a library of hexagonal rooms.
* In Ray Bradbury's science fiction novel, ''Fahrenheit 451'' (1953), books are outlawed and some rebels fight back by memorizing works, making themselves living libraries.
* Jen Swann Downey's The Ninja Librarian book series, which begins with ''The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand'' (2014), follows a sword-wielding girl who apprentices herself to a secret society of warrior librarians whose job it is to protect writers from getting in trouble for the viewpoints and ideas they publish.
* Umberto Eco's first novel, ''The Name of the Rose'' (1980), is a murder mystery revolving around the existence of a book in the library of a Benedictine monastery.,
* Scott Hawkins' ''The Library at Mount Char'' has protagonists who refer to themselves as librarians.
* Stephen King's novella, '' The Library Policeman'' (September 1990), is synopsized at King's official website as follows: "When a man forgets to return some books he borrowed from the library while writing a speech, and later accidentally destroys them, the phantom librarian who lent him the books sends the library policemen to terrorize him".
* Audrey Niffenegger's ''The Time Traveler's Wife'' features Henry, who works in the Newberry Library, and also appears in the film adaptation.
* Garth Nix's ''Lirael'' (2001) features Lirael, an assistant librarian.
* In Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson's '' Sune'' series, Karin Andersson is a librarian.
* The Elizabeth Peters' novel ''The Seventh Sinner'' (1972) features Jacqueline Kirby, a librarian.
* In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, The Librarian of the Unseen University is a recurring character that first appears in 1983.
* Philip Roth's ''Goodbye, Columbus'' features a librarian who is racist.
* In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, the castle of Hogwarts features a library. Madam Irma Pince is the librarian at Hogwarts during the series.
* Brandon Sanderson's young adult comic novel ''Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians'' (2007) is the first in a series about a young teen with an unusual skill, who finds himself battling against a cult of evil librarians who secretly rule the world.
* Neal Stephenson's novel ''Snow Crash'' features a virtual librarian.
* In Jo Walton's ''Among Others'', Allison Carroll is a librarian.

Films

(Alphabetical by series or title)
* In ''Angels and Demons'' (2009), the sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006), Robert Langdon visits the Vatican Library and the Vatican archives several times to carry out research on the meaning and significance of various symbols.Library World Records, 3d ed., by Godfrey Oswald, page 117.
* ''Citizen Kane'' stars a librarian.
* ''Desk Set'' (1957) stars Katharine Hepburn as the head of a reference library; she and her staff are seemingly threatened with replacement by an early computer invented by Spencer Tracy's character.
* ''Doctor Strange'' (2016) features the Kamar-Taj library, which houses ancient books about powerful magical lore.
* ''Fahrenheit 451'' (1966), an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
* '' Foul Play'' features Gloria Mundy, a shy San Francisco librarian.
* ''From Hell'' (2001) starring Johnny Depp, contains scenes representing the British Library.
* The opening scenes of ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) include a haunted library with not one, but three, librarian characters, filmed at the iconic central branch of the New York Public Library.
* Harry Potter films ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001), ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002), ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005), and ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' (2009) feature the Hogwarts Library.
* '' Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade'' features a librarian.
* ''It's a Wonderful Life'' features Mary Hatch Bailey, an "old maid" librarian in Pottersville.
* '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum'' (2019) features a scene that takes place in the New York Public Library.
* The Disney/Pixar film ''Monsters University'' (2013) features a librarian.
* ''Only Two Can Play'' (1962) features a Welsh librarian and occasional drama critic.
* ''Red'' (2010) has Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, visiting a New York college library to look up a book after he obtained a postcard with a Dewey classification number on it.
* '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' features a librarian.
* ''Storm Center'' (1956) features Alicia Hull, a small town librarian.
* ''The Breakfast Club'' (1985), five high school students serve a Saturday detention in the school's library.
* ''The Day After Tomorrow'' (2004), a group of people takes shelter from sudden freezing cold in the New York Public Library, burning books to keep warm.
* In '' The Librarian'' franchise, Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is hired by the New York Metropolitan Library, and recruited into an ancient clandestine order of Librarians. He's introduced in the first original film of the franchise, '' The Librarian: Quest for the Spear'' (2004), where he is entrusted with the role of protecting the historical, and often magical, contents of a secret section of the library. He returns in '' The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines'' (2006) and in '' The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice'' (2008).
* '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), Gandalf travels to Gondor to research in Lord Denethor's Library the Ring in Bilbo's possession.
* ''The Music Man'' features "Marian the Librarian".
* ''The Mummy'' (1999) features Evelyn Carnahan, a clumsy librarian, who also appeared in the sequels.
* ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), an adaptation of Umberto Eco's novel.
* ''The Omen'' (2006) contains scenes representing the Vatican library.
* The ''Party Girl'' (1995) features Mary who is a party girl and discovers she wants to be a librarian.
* ''The Pagemaster'' features Mr. Dewey, an eccentric librarian.
* ''The Prince & Me'' (2004) contains scenes representing a Danish Library.
* ''The Public'' features Stuart Goodson, who is comfortable with the homeless people who use his public library every day.
* ''Oblivion'' (2013) takes place in an imagined future amidst the ruins of New York, including those of the New York Public Library.
* ''The Time Machine'' (2002), a film adaptation of H. G. Wells

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