As library people, we are always interested in stories – and stories about library people are always going to be interesting! If you like mysteries, with their tidy plots where things get solved in the end and people might live happily ever after (or at least, more informed), adding in a library just makes it a little bit better. (Are you watching Poker Face, with Natasha Lyonne?She’s not a librarian, but it’s pretty good!)
So you may find some book to enjoy in this article excerpt from Crimereads.com (and you can read the whole article here):
“If you asked a group of people to name a profession that requires the following experience, talent, and skills, most would agree that “detective” fits the bill:
- Logical thought processes and excellent deductive skills.
- The ability to research information using a variety of methods, including online.
- Experience and success interviewing people to obtain information.
- The ability to “read” people and understand their needs and motivations.
- Talent for taking random facts and assembling them to arrive at a solution to a mystery.
- Natural curiosity, dogged determination, and a dedication to uncovering the truth.
But there is another career that also perfectly matches this description—librarian.
In essence, librarians are often amateur detectives, even if they aren’t assisting the authorities in solving crimes. In my thirty-plus years as a professional librarian, I used all of the talents and skills listed above on a regular basis. Just imagine trying to locate an obscure book or document (from anywhere in the world) for a scholar, deciphering a confusing research request, or uncovering the answer to a thorny question that has baffled the inquirer. When you consider these common library duties, you can see how the methods often used by detectives are also the skills needed by librarians.
I think this is why so many cozy and traditional mysteries have librarian protagonists. The natural curiosity, logical mindset, drive to find answers, and love of research that leads many people into a career in librarianship is a perfect match to the personality and talents required for an amateur detective protagonist.
There are, in fact, so many mysteries featuring librarian protagonists—including my own Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and my forthcoming Hunter and Clewe Mystery series—that I couldn’t possibly list them all for this article. So, I’ve chosen eight series that exemplify the “librarian as sleuth” in diverse ways.
- The Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates
- The Haunted Library Mystery Series by Allison Brook
- The Library Lover’s Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay
- The Seneca Falls Historical Mystery series by Miriam Grace Monfredo
- The Greer Hogan series by M. E. Hilliard
- The Mobile Library Mystery series by Ian Sansom
- The Cat in the Stacks Mystery series by Miranda James
- The Beloved Bookroom series by Dorothy St. James
- The 42nd Street Library Mysteries – Con Lehane”
You can read the whole article here, and get more information about all of these series.
