While much of the work we do at the chair of book studies is concerned with publishing, this book studies lecture will focus on an institution central to the distribution and reception of books and literature: the library. While library history will play a role, as will public library legislation, this lecture aims to approach the topic through the lens of fiction. Libraries and librarians figure prominently in fictional texts of all kinds – from the beloved bestselling picture book Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen to Ali Smith’s short story collection Public Library and other stories. Taking direction and inspiration from these and other fictional texts, we will explore different types of libraries, their role(s) in society, and why libraries still matter today in a digital age. Importantly, the texts we draw upon will come from all sorts of genres, just as the libraries we speak about will range from unfunded, outdoor ”Little Free Libraries” to some of the world’s premier library infrastructure. Examples will be drawn from prizewinning literature such as Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence to children’s books such as Roald Dahl’s Matilda, from romance novels such as Poppy Alexander’s The Littlest Library to detective novels such as the very recent The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Juryczyk, and well beyond. The text excerpts that we use will be provided via Learnweb, and all texts discussed in class will also be available in the department library for further perusal.
The lecture is geared towards students either in an advanced stage of the B.A. or in an M.A./ME.Ed course of study, though anyone who would like to think more about libraries past, present and future is welcome. For students who would like to attend this lecture but have not yet attended the introductory lecture ”Text, Book and Culture. An Introduction to Book Studies”, introductory reading will be recommended.
- Lehrende/r: Corinna Norrick-Rühl