It’s like being part of a daisy chain of narrative. SO: There is something about sharing that makes a library book different maybe it’s just our ability to imagine who else has held the book and experienced reading it before us, and who might after us. What would you say is the allure of circulating materials? Is there a different kind of love affair to be had with a book that a community owns versus a book that a single person owns? You write a lot about the appeal of new books-that idea of owning something personal and important, the particular smell, the feel and sound of cracking a fresh spine. KA: When I was in undergrad, I had a professor who told me they didn’t use library books because they didn’t like the idea of someone else having that book before them. What prompted you to choose this as a framing device? Work in a library long enough, and you can speak that code. So much of cataloging requires data entry. As a librarian, I felt this was a powerful reminder of all the ways that information spans broadly, but also how it’s contained within a very specific framework. KA: I absolutely love how you begin your chapters with book titles, especially because you provide the call numbers. I loved writing about librarians they remember everything and they’re so organized that they could find anything they wanted to share with me! There were details about patrons that they couldn’t share, but it never became an impediment to my reporting. SO: The librarians I encountered were all helpful and patient and, I think, excited that someone was looking at their profession with real interest. KA: Since you don’t work in libraries, did you come up against any push back from librarians or library staff about writing this book? Were there any issues with providing information for your book regarding privacy rights of patrons?

The library book orlean review