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"One part love letter, one part eulogy, Overdue tells the story of
America’s public library system . . . Amanda Oliver proves
herself a vibrant new literary voice . . . This is a book for all
book lovers.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and
Times of Jesus of Nazareth When Amanda Oliver began work as a
school librarian, fueled by a lifelong love of books and a desire
to help, she felt qualified for the job. What she learned was that
librarians are expected to serve as mediators and
mental-health-crisis support professionals, customer service reps
and administrators of overdose treatment, fierce loyalists to
institutionalized mythology and enforced silence, and arms of state
surveillance. Based on firsthand experiences from six years of
professional work as a librarian in high-poverty neighborhoods of
Washington, DC, as well as interviews and research, Overdue begins
with Oliver’s first day at Northwest One, the DC Public Library
branch where she would ultimately end her library career. Through
her experience at this branch, Oliver highlights the national
problems that have existed in libraries since they were founded,
troublingly at odds with the common romanticization of the library
as a shining beacon of equality: racism, segregation, and economic
oppression. These fundamental American problems manifest today as
police violence, the opioid epidemic, widespread inaccessibility of
affordable housing, and a lack of mental health care
nationwide—all of which come to a head in public library spaces.
Can public librarians continue to play the many roles they are
tasked with? Can American society sustain one of its most noble
institutions? Libraries will not save us, but Oliver helps us
imagine what might be possible if we stop expecting them to.
"One part love letter, one part eulogy, Overdue tells the story of
America’s public library system . . . Amanda Oliver proves
herself a vibrant new literary voice . . . This is a book for all
book lovers.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and
Times of Jesus of Nazareth Who are libraries for, how have they
evolved, and why do they fill so many roles in our society today?
Based on firsthand experiences from six years of professional work
as a librarian in high-poverty neighborhoods of Washington, DC, as
well as interviews and research, Overdue begins with
Oliver's first day at an "unusual" branch: Northwest One. Using her
experience at this branch allows Oliver to highlight the national
problems that have existed in libraries since they were founded:
racism, segregation, and class inequalities. These age-old problems
have evolved into police violence, the opioid epidemic, rampant
houselessness, and lack of mental health care nationwide—all of
which come to a head in public library spaces.
Can public librarians continue to play the many roles they are
tasked with? Can American society sustain one of its most noble
institutions? Pushing against hundreds of years of stereotypes,
romanticization, and discomfort with a call to
reckoning, Overdue will change the way you think about
libraries forever.
Love Bird is a collection of original poetry by Colette Stone that
was written during the last few years.
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