LIBRARIANS
A country newspaper printed the following announcement: "The Public Library will close for two weeks, beginning August 3, for the annual cleaning and vacation of the librarians."
The modern librarian is a genius. All the proof needed is the statement that the requests for books with queer titles are filled with ones really wanted. The following are instances:
| AS ASKED FOR | CORRECT TITLE |
| Indecent Orders | In Deacon's Orders |
| She Combeth Not Her Head | She Cometh Not, She Said |
| Trial of a Servant | Trail of the Serpent |
| Essays of a Liar | Essays of Elia |
| Soap and Tables | Æsop's Fables |
| Pocketbook's Hill | Puck of Pook's Hill |
| Dentist's Infirmary | Dante's Inferno |
| Holy Smoke | Divine Fire |
One librarian has the following entries in a card catalog:
Lead Poisoning
Do, Kindly Light.
A distinguished librarian is a good follower of Chesterton. He says: "To my way of thinking, a great librarian must have a clear head, a strong hand and, above all, a great heart. Such shall be greatest among librarians; and when I look into the future, I am inclined to think that most of the men who will achieve this greatness will be women."
Many catalogers append notes to the main entries of their catalogs. Here are two:
An Ideal Husband:
Essentially a work of fiction,
and presumably written by a
woman (unmarried).
Aspects of Home Rule:
Political, not domestic.
In a branch library a reader asked for The Girl He Married (by James Grant.) This happened to be out, and the assistant was requested to select a similar book. Presumably he was a benedict, for he returned triumphantly with His Better Half (by George Griffith).
"Have you A Joy Forever?" inquired a lady borrower.
"No," replied the assistant librarian after referring to the stock. "Dear me, how tiresome," said the lady; "have you Praed?" "Yes, madam, but it isn't any good," was the prompt reply.