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But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Print Resources
Cart, Michael. In the Stacks: Short Stories About Libraries and Librarians. Woodstock, New York: Overlook Press, 2002. ISBN 1- 58567-259-9. $26.95. Purchase from Amazon.com.
This collection of stories about "libraries and librarians" from former Beverly Hills library director and Booklist columnist Cart seems a must-read. Unfortunately, several of the selections here do little but reinforce tired stereotypes of the lonely spinster librarian, the quiet and musty stacks. As with most collections that borrow across time periods and genres, the quality is fairly uneven - contributions from Ray Bradbury, Joann Greenberg, and Zona Gale, however, stand out. The work ends with the inevitable Borges selection (from which many good e-mail signatures flow). The variety of stories and the topical nature of this collection make it a good read for those librarians able to refrain from expecting more than it can deliver.