Roy Cropper, Corrie's own library campaigner

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / Free Digital Photos

Have you been watching Coronation Street lately? If so, you’ll know why Roy Cropper’s latest crusade has sparked our interest! He’s teamed up with feisty librarian, Yasmeen Nazir, to try to save his local public library from closure. If you haven’t caught the storyline, take a look at Alyson’s Welsh Libraries Blog where there’s a guest post from Dr Anoush Simon, lecturer in the Department of Information Studies at Aberystwyth University. Dr Simon, a Corrie fan herself, summarises the story so far and talks about the importance of issues like this appearing on mainstream television.

We always get a bit excited to see librarians on screen or in books, especially if they’re not the stereotypical cardigan-wearing shusher. Yasmeen Nazir will be one to watch, and not someone to be messed with! From Casanova to Batgirl, check out our post from a few years ago on other famous librarians from fiction and history – I’m a Celebrity Librarian…Get Me Out of Here!

I'm a Celebrity Librarian...Get Me Out of Here!

When we think of librarians most of us have a stereotypical image in our minds of what they look like...so for your collective amusement I’ve compiled a little selection of some of the most famous real life and fictional examples!

FACT:
· Giacomo Casanova – More famous as a lothario than a librarian, Casanova spent the last 13 years of his life working as a librarian for the Count of Waldstein at his chateau.
· Benjamin Franklin – One of America’s founding fathers. He also founded the first American library where he served as a librarian for a brief period of time.
· Jacob Grimm – Famously of the Brothers Grimm, he worked as a librarian in Kasel after graduating with a law degree.
· Lewis Carroll – This famous author worked briefly as a sub-librarian at Christ Church, Oxford.
· Laura Bush – Former First Lady of the USA...also happens to have a Masters degree in Library Science.

FICTION:
· Batgirl – Her alter-ego Barbara Gordon was the Head Librarian of Gotham City Library.
· Rupert Giles – School librarian of Sunnydale High in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
· Evelyn ‘Evy’ Carnahan – Rachel Weisz famously played this ditzy librarian in The Mummy.
· Flynn Carsen – Noah Wyle played the part of the adventurer librarian in a series of TV movies.
· Mary Bailey – In the film It’s a Wonderful Life, George’s wife Mary was almost condemned to a life as a spinster librarian, poor girl!

If you were surprised by this list, why not pop into one of the SMU libraries today and meet our friendly subject librarians in person...we may not have super powers like Batgirl, but we’re ready and willing to help!