to think a school librarian should have heard of Wolf Hall and actually read books?

[Prevalence]

was chatting to a friend - who said the school librarian where he works doesn't read books, has never heard of Wolf Hall and cannot recommend any reading books to pupils as a result ... AIBU to think this is nonsense???

Is the school librarian a qualified one?! Very often they aren't. I love reading, and have done so since a child, but I don't know every author or have read every book! Yes, you'd expect a qualified librarian to have more knowledge, than the average person. Unless the school is a large one, then it's unlikely the school pay for a qualified librarian.

I doubt many people, even librarians, have heard of every Booker prize winner. Being a librarian doesn’t mean you enjoy every type of fiction out there, if historical novels aren’t your bag it’s not likely to have stood out.

Are you sure your friend isn’t being hyperbolic? Never reads books and can’t recommend any, yet is interested enough in books to have chosen to make a career out of books, despite librarianship being difficult to get into and poorly paid?

I've worked in a public library, a university library, and a bookshop, and was one of those keen kids who was a school library helper in my day, and other than the university library, the role in all of those was in part to be able to recommend books I knew were considered good in their genre, whether or not I had read them myself.

That’s my point. You don’t have to have an interest in every Booker winner or to be interested in historical fiction to have heard of, if not read, Wolf Hall. It was a break-out novel, and of course touches on the UK’s favourite historical period.

> Wolf Hall isn't exactly classic literature
It won the fucking Booker Prize
How much more Classic Literature can it be?

The school librarian at my last school was an English teacher who took it on voluntarily because we didn't have the money to pay one.

She did it in addition to all her teaching.

I very much doubt she had a librarianship qualification.

It is a very famous book (and tv series!), I agree.

Nothing wrong with Dog Man!

Different people like different things. Personally I often dislike anything that has pretensions to be literary fiction, as they generally don’t seem to have much of a plot. And I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a Booker prize winner.

I detest snobbishness about reading material.

You are almost me. My uni job involves book purchase both staff and patron led.

Wolf Hall won the Booker and was televised. It absolutely is classic modern literature and will be a classic in time. And I'm not even a librarian.

I never said she should have read WH, but at least be aware if it's existence.

She doesn't read any books, hasn't since school.

Not read but yeah I’d expect a librarian to have heard of all or at least the vast majority of books that have won the Booker, especially in recent years.

Actually we had someone similar to this as our school librarian. The only thing she read was the Daily Mail and she spent all her time gossiping about teachers and sixth formers. I did used to love her though and spent most of my lunchtimes in sixth form in the library catching up on the goss.

Wolf Hall is definitely a modern classic. I wouldn't necessarily expect a school librarian to have read it, but it's surprising if they've never heard of it, particularly given the prizes it and its successors won.

I doubt she's a qualified librarian because that would be quite an expensive role for the school to fund. Perhaps she's more of an admin eg keeping the books properly catalogued, shelved and repaired.

Loads of Booker winning books are not particularly well known, even to avid readers. It's not guarantee of fame "The Finkler Question" won the following year and I wouldn't expect anyone to have heard of that.

Personally, I don't think Wolf Hall is a must read -- I read a vast amount, like a lot of so called 'difficult' books, but couldn't get up the enthusiasm or interest to work through any of the others in the trilogy.

Exactly. You've spoken to someone who has decided to slag off a colleague who is probably a library assistant ( if that) which, despite being quite a skilled job is paid at minimum wage. If they are working at primary school why should they know what Wolf Hall is? If at secondary school most of the advice will be about the set texts.

This.

I’d assume they were an admin person running the system not a proper librarian. How can you not of heard of Wolf Hall trilogy if you are a reader? Bizarre.

I used to have a PT job in a public library. I've never read Wolf Hall. At my interview they asked me about my reading choices and asked me to talk about the last book I read - were obviously happy with my very low brow choices! But they did want someone who enjoyed reading.

And as someone else has mentioned - the pay was shocking.

If I didn’t need to work for money I would totally volunteer at a school library. I love reading and recommending books.

So your friend says? None of this is from the librarian ?

I'm surprised regular readers haven't t heard of Wolf Hall.
It's won major prizes.
I'm a regular reader , I keep up to date with new releases and contemporary prizes.

I guess it is strange for someone who works with books not to have heard of Wolf Hall, I wouldn't judge someone for not reading it though as I thought it was awful.

The issue isn't with the librarian as such, but probably how the role is viewed and funded in the school. My guess is that they aren't requiring someone who is a qualified librarian and that it's just part of their job. They're probably doing other stuff as well.

Agreed