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???

Well yes- but surely an English teacher should at least have heard of the best recent authors even if she hasn’t read them? By recent I mean late 20th century to present.

Honestly, I think it's a matter of opinion "what people should have heard of" and no doubt that poster has heard of many authors that I haven't who are more relevant to the group she teaches.

Hilary Mantel died in 2022. The new Wolf Hall adaptation premiered on TV six months ago. Both heavily featured in the mainstream UK press, with huge promo in bookshops, the literary press etc.

You don't have to have read Wolf Hall (I haven't) or be interested in historical fiction (I'm not) to know about this cultural icon. An English teacher certainly should be.

This is such a reductive view of education and culture.

he doesn't read books

Whether he has heard of Wolf Hall or not wouldn't be my main concern. I would be concerned about the not reading books though .

Why is he in this job?

Why is he in this job?

Why does a librarian need to read?

It is not. Culture is wide and someone not knowing about any given author doesn't mean they are uncultured - if you think that, then you are the reductive one.

Anyway, I rather suspect the OP won't return, so I'll leave you to it.

Seriously? Why does a school librarian need to read?

I've been to both state and private schools (and I'm quite old) but I've never heard of a school librarian.

Seriously? Why does a school librarian need to read?

Yes, what part of their job do you think requires them to read? What do you think a qualified librarian does exactly?

You are putting words in my mouth.

I have not suggested that someone not reading a particular author means they are uncultured.

I do suggest that an English teacher should have enough curiosity about their subject to know something about both current high literary and popular literary culture. Wolf Hall is one of the most celebrated novels of the last 20 years, Hilary Mantel one of the most celebrated literary novelists.

She doesn't have to like it, or have chosen to read it. But to not even know about it suggests a lack of interest in literature.

Christ. I've heard it all now.
School librarian wanted, non readers perfect.

Fuck me.

@Regretsmorethanafew why can't anyone answer the question rather than getting snarky, I'm a qualified librarian, and I want you to tell me, what part of my job requires me to be a frequent reader, I'm really interested to know?

I’ve not heard of it, not heard anyone recommending it before this thread, and I’ve just read the blurb on Amazon and it doesn’t interest me. It’s not something I’d pick up, but usually I’ve heard of huge books even if they’re not for me.

School librarian here, a lot of schools have cut back massively on their libraries, there is no legal obligation for a school to have a library (interestingly prisons are obliged to have a library, but not schools but that's a discussion for another day!). We don't get paid to read (sadly!), Many school librarians, where they exist have multiple hats, the library is a tiny part of an overall job. Ideally (I use the word ideally because often staff are so over stretched they don't get the opportunity to build their knowledge) they should have a working knowledge of children's literature eg, Phil Earle, Suzanne Collins, Catherine Doyle, Bea Fitzgerald, not Hilary Mantel who is an adult author and why on earth should they have read that book? I haven't read a single David Walliams book and have no plans to despite my job, and there is no expectation for me to do so .

Well, it was a huge book. Is a huge book. You must have avoided bookshops for years if you didn’t see it. And you must have heard of Hilary Mantel, surely?!

Oh dear. So teenagers shouldn’t extend, expand, challenge their reading? What a sad and sorry state of affairs.

I guess if you are working with younger children, primary or Year 7/8, then children's authors are all that's expected.
But GCSE years or beyond, the keen kids should be reading adult books, I read loads at that age myself.

I haven't read a David Walliams book but I could name quite a few of them!

Of course there is no requirement to have read Wolf Hall, but quite a few people on the thread have not heard of it (or Hilary Mantel) and if someone works with books that's a real shame.

Why does a librarian need to read?

I'm thinking for the same reason that an accountant needs to be able to add up and a bus driver should have a driver's license.

I have also worked in a secondary school library and do own but haven't finished wolf hall... but I got the job because I had read hunger games, divergent, twilight... many classics and had an interest in reading. Knowledge of books including YA was essential to recommending books which I did daily, but when a colleague left and we were interviewing for a new member of staff it was astonishing how few read for pleasure and it was frankly slim pickings as they also had to be suitable to work with children - so I can well understand why someone was chosen for the job in the OP who doesn't read as obviously there is a lot more to the work, it isn't well paid and it's hard to recruit readers unfortunately in these circumstances.

I cannot believe the English teacher who’s never heard of Wolf Hall is a genuine post.

And of course school librarians should have a good knowledge of adult books. I was reading stuff aimed at adults (alongside YA) from the age of 12-13.

I'm thinking for the same reason that an accountant needs to be able to add up and a bus driver should have a driver's license.

Does an accountant need to know how to landscape if they represent a landscape gardener?

If you don't know, as a librarian, I certainly can't explain it to you.
It really couldn't be any more obvious.

So the accountant likely to be asked a question about landscape gardening?

A librarian is likely to be asked for a recommendation.

Reading Wolf Hall is not essential to expand and challenge someone’s reading, unless you think it’s a particularly useful life skill to be able to keep track of several people called Thomas.