In our quest to become more well rounded, many of us have set the goal to become more “well read.” Well, I have ran into a site which certainly will not help us in that quest! It will however, showcase all of the wonderful (sarcasm intended) pieces of literature available in our public library system. This fits perfectly with Well Rounded Women because, for me, they opened my eyes to a source of humor and delight that I didn’t know existed. And not only that, aside from the humor and delight, they have an important quest they are pursuing, their goal is to emphasize how important it is to keep our library collections up-to-date. Trust me, once you pay them a visit, you will have a hard time leaving. Besides, who’s to say that blog reading isn’t a talent?
I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Holly, one of the awful librarians, and she has been sweet enough to take the time to share a little more about her blog with us. So here it is, courtesy of Holly, straight off the reference desk somewhere in Michigan:
Awful Library Books (www.awfullibrarybooks.info) is a collection of “awful” titles found on the shelves in anonymous libraries around the world. Authors Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly comment on what makes each title such a poor choice for the type of library it is held by. No actual libraries are named – the goal of the web site is to have a few laughs and encourage people to think about library collection quality, not to “out” those whose collections hold these questionable items.
Holly and Mary shared a desk for over ten years in a public library in Michigan, and over the course of that decade some funny, obscure, and esoteric titles crossed their paths for one reason or another. It was like a game to see who could find the most awful library book. When they presented at a library conference on the topic of collection quality, they decided to use some of these titles to make their point that libraries need to be aware of what is on their shelves and how that affects their relevancy. They posted the titles in blog form, which proved to be popular with librarians and lay-people alike! Now they get several submissions each day, from around the world.
Holly and Mary are quick to point out that there are no awful books, but there are certainly awful library books. They love old books, and they celebrate the time in history when those books were relevant. However, when patrons find old books on library shelves, they often assume that is the best the library has to offer. The library then looks irrelevant and unhelpful. Libraries of all kinds need to be sure that their collections are up-to-date and helpfully serve their users. There is a place for old books where people can enjoy them: special collections, displays, museums, archives, and maybe even state libraries.
In November 2009, Holly and Mary were guests on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show to talk about Awful Library Books. The segment can be seen online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxQvm2oLewU. It was great fun and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to talk about libraries and funny books on national TV!
In late December, Holly and Mary plan to post a “Best of the Worst” list of their favorite titles of 2009. Submissions from all kinds of libraries are welcome at awfullibrarybooks@gmail.com. Follow Awful Library Books on Facebook and Twitter, too!
Holly also told me I could feature a post from their site, this post was titled “Satan For Kids” I almost died in disbelief!
Don’t Make Me Go Back, Mommy: A child’s book about satanic ritual abuse
Sanford & Evans
1990
Submitter: “I give thee the most awful library book ever. Seriously. I found this little gem a few years ago doing a project for a young adult class and ILL-ed it from [a seminary!] … but 89 libraries have it in WorldCat, mostly public! Not only is the subject horrible, but the storyline is jumbled, and the pictures are cheeeeeesey colored pencil.”
Holly: This is unbelievable. There is truly a book for every subject, isn’t there? Well, if your community has a problem with satanic rituals, this might be a great choice for your children’s section. Can you imagine a child stumbling upon this: “Mommy, I want THIS one!” Story time on the dark side.
Here are a couple of sample pages:
Oh, I wish I could post more pages. Truly unbelievable. Crying, naked children standing in the woods in a circle being told that nothing can be told outside the circle and that their parents have given them to the hooded people…I may have nightmares from this one. Are you supposed to read this to traumatized children after they’ve been part of a satanic ritual? It’s not comforting!
Mary: I couldn’t believe this was published let alone in a bunch of public library collections. Did someone say in a collection development meeting ”hey we need some kiddie books on satanic ritual abuse”? This is the scariest book I have ever seen. Librarians, please fill me in if you know anything about this book or topic. I am utterly speechless!
Thanks Holly!
Tags: awful library books, funny, reading
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