More than just a place to find books, libraries promote cultural awareness, engage in the community, provide educational programs, support freedom of expression and so much more.
For Canadian Library Month, our library workers put together a list of our favourite books about libraries!
Hopefully The Scarecrow by Michelle Houts
An autumn picture book about a scarecrow and a girl. The girl reads to the scarecrow daily, teaching him about togetherness and friendship and showing that even when things feel overwhelming and out of control, hope can help us feel stronger and braver. It’s a beautiful nod to reading, stories and libraries. Ages 4-8.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
By the bestselling author of The Orchid Thief, this book chronicles the infamous 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire that destroyed over four hundred thousand volumes. Orlean examines not only the fire itself and the ensuing aftermath but also the history of the LA Public Library and the crucial role of public libraries in contemporary life. Sure to please fans of Orlean and book-lovers alike.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II. When Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. In Montana, in 1983, Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure. Her solitary, elderly neighbour piques her interest. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbour's mysterious past, she finds they share a love of language, the same longings and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
The Last Heir To Blackwood Library by Hester Fox
Ivy Radcliffe inherits Blackwood Abbey on the Yorkshire moors, unaware of her ancient bloodline. The abbey is eerie, the servants wary, but a captivating library hides behind locked doors. Ivy is drawn to its shelves, sensing a mysterious presence. As events take a sinister turn, Ivy must unravel the library's mysteries to reclaim her story before it's lost forever.
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk
Liesl Weiss has been (mostly) happy working in the rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.
The Library Detective by James Holding
Hal Johnson is a retired cop who works for his city's public library, tracking down missing and overdue books. His work always seems to lead him into some sort of mystery, such as blackmail, robbery, kidnapping, dangerous situations — and even murder.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
J. P. Morgan hires young and ambitious Belle da Costa Greene to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his personal library. With her shrewd negotiating skills, she helps build a world-class collection for the fierce and well-known financier and becomes his trusted confidante. But Belle has a secret: she was born Belle Marion Greener, daughter of Richard Greener, Harvard’s first Black graduate. To succeed in the misogynistic and racist society of early 20th century New York, Belle must go to daring lengths to protect all she's worked so hard to achieve.
The Dark Library by Joseph Patrick Stancil
The Dark Library is theoretical fiction, a meditation on what libraries mean in our digital world. Has the act of reading changed? What is a reader? A book? Martinez, a librarian himself, has written a love letter to the urban forest of the dark, wild library, where ideas and stories roam free.
The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt
While in a convenience store, retired librarian Bob Comet encounters Chip, an elderly woman who doesn't know how to return to her senior centre. After escorting her home, he becomes intrigued with the other people there. Thinking first to volunteer to read to the clients, he soon ends up just talking with them. DeWitt gradually reveals Chip's past life, including his lifelong love of reading and a startling past connection with Chip.
Hell's Library Series by A.J. Hackwith
A fantasy trilogy about a library in Hell and its staff: Claire, the librarian; Brevity, a former Muse; and Leto, a demon. First encountered in The Library of the Unwritten, about the institution housing all the imagined but unwritten novels by writers across the ages, our heroes become embroiled in a struggle between Heaven and Hell over a mysterious and dangerous manuscript. The story continues in The Archive of the Forgotten (focusing on all the books that have been forgotten over time) and concludes with The God of Lost Words. An ingenious account of how the souls of both books and people might end up in Hell instead of in Heaven.
