ALIA thank you - no cardies allowed
Writers Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope have addressed our most serious concerns about stereotypes via an ALIA thank you on YouTube. Check it out -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYwkgsWo8LU
Thank you to Robyn and Wayne for this very personal and thoughtful thank you to our profession.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Thank goodness! At last we know Librarians are in someone’s imagination enough to portray their image! I’m really looking forward to this public encounter of the imagined kind.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:12 am
I’m genuinely shocked that anyone liked it. i thought the plot was unfunny, and that we were portrayed as inept, unprofessional, and basically incapable of organising a ….
November 1st, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Many professions are depicted as inept, unprofessional, incapable in satire. Bodies did this for the medical profession to tremendous effect. We should not turn to satire for anything other than distortion of reality constructed for artistic performance. I am amazed by the extent to which the profession has expressed concern about how we might be portrayed. Are we so insecure?
In our every day lives, we are able to demonstrate the many powerful ways in which we can enrich lives, health, society, the economy, education. we should use these achievements to portray the profession for what it is, and enjoy satire for what it is.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:54 am
I know that in the first episode they had to set the scene and introduce the characters, and as we all know, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or its introduction. But I thought it was pretty silly and contrived, and the humor was weak.
The depiction of our profession was not exactly flattering. Would we be proud to have any of these characters in ALIA? I wouldn’t. What a bunch of misfits and dills.
And why is ALIA so excited about it? Does the AMA get excited about the latest hospital soap opera? Calm down. It’s only a TV show, and not a particularly good one. But perhaps episode 2 will be better. I hope so.
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
I have to agree with Neil’s comments.
The first episode was a complete non-event for me and I didn’t laugh once!
Whilst it’s good that librarians are in the spotlight for once, I feel the portrayal of the head librarian’s character is likely to deter non-users from coming to a library.
I’m all for being able to laugh at ourselves, but please find us something that’s worth laughing at.
Maybe episode 2 will be better
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:32 am
Why is ALIA excited, Neil? Hmm. Well, wearing my hat as communications person for the Association, it’s not so much that the Association is excited as that as soon as this show was announced, way back early in the year, National Office started to get calls about it - about the plot, about the writers, about what it would say about librarians. There was a lot of interest - hence this blog to give that interest and the discussion a ‘home’.
I certainly agree there would probably be less ‘excitement’ if it was another show about doctors or lawyers, but the key there is the word ‘another’ - there are plenty of them, and not so many about librarians - comedy, drama, documentary or otherwise. Of course my favourite celluloid librarian was Kathryn Hepburn in ‘The Desk Set’… a very different scenario indeed. I’m sure other bloggers have fond memories of other portrayals.. why not share? And PS on that front, yes, the Association is also working on bringing The Hollywood Librarians to Australia for a completely different look at the profession - watch this space (well, ok, watch the ALIA homepage) for more details as they come to hand..
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:13 pm
As I work in a public library, I was curious to see how librarians would be portrayed in a satire as librarians are not often characters in TV shows or films. However, I am not concerned that some of the characters are shown as inept or bigoted etc., it’s just a satire and if it makes us laugh and highlights some issues in our society at the same time then I am all for it.
Unfortunately I didn’t find it that funny - just a couple of chuckles for me. However, I will stick with it to see if it improves!
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I don’t see the show as satirising librarians. I see it as a character-based comedy which happens to be set in a library. Only one character has really been developed, with the other actors on standby as Frances does her thing. It’s not enough to sustain the show, particularly with such a poor plotline, and ulceratingly slow progress (should that be stasis?) in the storyline.
The bad news is that no other television programmer will ever touch a series about librarians again, after seeing this one, and the general reaction to it. The good news is that this means the mooted second series of The Librarians will also be canned.
November 4th, 2007 at 11:28 am
My partner and I havn’t been in a library for years. I used to read a lot of books but I guess that with our busy lifestyle, CD’s and magazines and with the kids grown up we just got out of the habit of going.
The Librarians show brought back warm memories so, we wandered on down to our local library on Saturday morning sat for a while and took in the atmosphere and even borrowed a book again.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Well, I’m sorry to disappoint all those who were excited last week about having a comedy TV program about librarians, but, having watched episode 2, I can only repeat that “The Librarians” is puerile nonsense.
It’s worse than undergraduate humour. It is not funny, and certainly not even remotely related to real life in an Australian public library. It projects a negative and silly image of librarians, not a positive professional one.
Let’s just hope it quietly fades away and we can all get back to normal.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Very dull, and Frances overracts embarrassingly. Gave it two shots and that’s it. Puerile nonsense about covers it. What an opportunity lost.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I watched episode 1 and half of episode 2; I didn’t find it funny, so stopped watching.
I was also embarrassed by the girl in a wheelchair. People who have to use wheelchairs quickly become good at it; they don’t bump into people or furniture. And to see someone working in a library throwing books at a shelf out of reach wasn’t funny, it was humiliating for a particular group. No, I’m not one of them, but I’ve known plenty of people who were.
I agree with the other negative comments such as those from Neil and Anna.