Library Girls

Something I glimpsed on Facebook this morning (and, of course, couldn't find again) alerted me to the existence of a literary subgenre that had somehow passed me by – midcentury 'library girl' fiction. These are novels following the adventures – too strong a word, in some cases – of improbably good-looking female library assistants. Some of them, such as Molly Qualifies as a Librarian by Bertha Lonsdale or Nancy Runs a Bookmobile by Enid Johnson, are closer to careers information than fiction, but others offer rather more.

In Jinny Williams, Library Assistant (1962), which is set in New Jersey, the somewhat saintly Jinny, while not dealing with library-related challenges (e.g. chucking out troublemaking teens), is torn between two lovers – well, boyfriends – one of them blue-collar and uncultured, the other a cultivated Princeton student whom she meets at the library. Which will she choose? No spoiler alerts here, so let's pass on...

Kitsy Babcock, Library Assistant by Joan Sargent (1958) is set in Florida, and follows the eponymous heroine as she takes a part-time job as a 'library page' (i.e. library assistant)  in order to be able to afford to stay on at university. There is romantic interest in this one too, as Kitsy is attracted to Don, a black-haired artist who also works at the library. The two of them are drawn into a mystery – and into danger – after an important collection of rare historic documents is stolen. In the course of their investigations, Kitsy and Don find themselves kidnapped and tied up in a hotel room at gunpoint. Can they figure out a way to escape and retrieve those precious documents? (Well, what do you think?).

More of a straightforward romance is Jan Marlowe, Hospital Librarian by Margaret Malcolm (1960), originally published in the UK as a Harlequin Romance. Our Jan, the hospital librarian, is, like everyone else, highly excited by the arrival of a good-looking new consultant ophthalmic surgeon. She is attracted to him – but even more so to one of the patients. What a quandary – which one will turn out to be her true love? Again, no spoilers. By the way, some of these books are now rare and hard to find. If you spot one in a charity bookshop, it might be a very good investment. 

   Reading about these 'library girl' titles, I couldn't help thinking of Philip Larkin, who of course had extensive experience of library assistants, and created the most memorable library assistant in fiction – Katherine Lind, in that haunting novel A Girl in Winter. We know that Larkin, under the pseudonym Brunette Coleman, wrote mildly erotic girls' school stories in his student days, and it would not be surprising if he tried his hand at spicy tales of goings-on in the stacks, but, alas, nothing has come to light. Had he lived long enough, he would surely have enjoyed this one, published in 2009...

Librarian By Day features 'shy, reserved librarian' Jennifer Davidson, who has a secret sideline – writing erotic spanking romances. She hasn't ever been spanked herself, but when her boyfriend happens upon one of her books, that all changes, and 'soon, Jennifer is embarking on a sensual journey of discovery where she learns that having her bottom warmed for real is better than anything she'd ever written about in her books.' Phew.