Did You Know That? (The Library Edition)

by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida

Did You Know That? (The Library Edition)

shelleymaconI have had a terrible case of writers block this month. I had no idea what to write about. So, as any good librarian would do, I turned to research for help. I figured if I dug around the internet enough I would find a topic. So I began by searching topics ranging from the history of libraries to current issues in librarianship to common job hunting mistakes and everything in between. At least that’s what it felt like. So I searched and I read and I searched and I read and searched and read some more. All the while waiting for inspiration to strike. But it never did.

So I find my self with a week left and I am getting desperate. (OK, I admit it, it was more like 2 days, but who’s counting?) As I sat and thought over what I had read, I realized that I had learned some pretty cool and interesting stuff.  So here it goes: Did You Know That? (The Library Edition).

Did you know that….

  • Golda Meir, most notably the Prime Minister of Israel, was a librarian.

  • Mao Zedong, the man who basically created the People’s Republic of China was a library assistant.

  • Giacomo Casanova, the famous lover (among other things), was a librarian too.

  • According to the Wikipedia entry for “Library Science, Gabriel Naundé wrote the first library science textbook in 1627.

  • However, according to the Wikipedia entry for “Library“, Martin Schrettinger wrote the first textbook on library science in 1808. I wonder which article was definitely NOT written by a librarian?

  • “Australian librarians carry their young in pouches, and have venomous spurs on their hind feet capable of causing severe fines to patrons who don’t return recalled book.” (From Librarian Facts.) Hmm, interesting and scary.

  • “Americans spend more than twice as much on candy as they do on public libraries.” (From Quotable Facts About American Libraries.) Sadly, I have decided that there is no hope for the human race.

  • Never mind, maybe there is a glimmer of hope yet. A tiny, grease cover glimmer, but a glimmer none the less. Because, there are more public libraries in the United States than McDonald’s restaurants. (From I Love Libraries.)

Did you know all that? I know I didn’t.