I simultaneously revere and pity precious few intellectual pillars quite as I do librarians.

When popular culture isn’t snapping to the stuffy, fuddy-duddy characterization of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s librarian Rupert Giles, they’re marginalized into repressed (but inwardly slutty) sexpots always one down-low tingle away from letting down that tightly-bun’d hair, flinging aside those bookish Lisa Loeb horn-rimmed glasses, and busting a perfectly good blouse’s buttons.

(Wow, you’d think I’d pondered that last image a few times. Consider especially that I initially typed “bustons,” then wonder where my mind really drifted …)

But I digress; I know at least one librarian very personally myself. What she endures, I wish upon nobody. She shoos wily preteen boys from scoping out porn using library computers, and on at least a few occasions, has sent homeless folk scuttling from bathrooms. All the while, she probably wonders fairly regularly: “Are any of you people actually here for the damn books?!”

She once showed me a comic strip that might appeal at least as much to cynical bookworms as to the librarians who service their collective book-learning jones: Unshelved. The comic strip by librarian Gene Ambaum and cartoonist Bill Barnes first ran on February 16, 2002, and chronicles the misadventures of Mallville Library’s staff, their misfit ape-mascot Buddy and various assorted and odd patrons. The humor can be as dry as a Nevada summer heat, but if you’ve ever felt like the one-eyed king in the land of the intellectually blind, it will strike a chord.

Thousands of strips like these are collected in eight volumes available for prices ranging from $11.95 to $36.95 each. For a small extra charge, the creators will even sign your copy. In fact, splurge for the autograph and give it randomly to a librarian. Say “thank you” in a way he or she will appreciate. And pay your damn fines, while you’re at it!

(By the way, the website also posts fresh strips Monday through Friday, making it well worth “bookmarking.” And yes, that is amongst the last library puns I will ever attempt. I apologize. Truly.)

  Unshelved Comic

I have vague memories of two reality shows that aired years ago. Both were for American inventors; one offered a cash prize, and the other offered a contract to sell the invented product on QVC or HSN, I believe. I remember watching in rapt awe, so inspired by the creative minds behind these unique products and gadgets. Sure, some leaned more in the direction of garbage over genius, but just as the quality of artwork or music is vastly subjective, I think the value of an idea or invention can also be measured by varying merits, depending upon who’s viewing it. For example, I have no use for a Snuggie (and NEITHER SHOULD ANYONE), but a Whovian TARDIS or a Trekian transporter? Yes, please!

In like kind, Steve Greenberg’s Gadget Nation book celebrates the weird and wacky world of inventions and their inventors, and it does so with touching appreciation rather than point-and-smirk attitude. The product showcase alone is worth seeing, but Greenberg also offers tips and insights to the world of inventing. Well worth a look for gadgeteers and imagineers alike!

Gadget Nation: Journey Through the Eccentric World of Invention ($10.30)

     

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked my comics in bite-sized form – little strips or single frames that could be enjoyed on their own without understanding a larger plot-line. Short attention span, much? You could say that, but my personal theory is … Ooh, shiny things!

I discovered XKCD years ago and was instantly addicted to its clever use of humor, pop culture, and intelligent ideas. Created by Randall Munroe, a former contractor for NASA, the XKCD webcomic is described as being centered around “romance, sarcasm, math, and language” – making it perfect for the witty geek who appreciates a hearty tri-weekly laugh. But if you’d like an easy way to enjoy the classic strips of the past, or just want to own one of the raddest coffee table books in existence, the XKCD Volume 0 book (including 120 pages of author and fan favorites from the first 600 comics) is where it’s at!

XKCD Volume 0 ($17.99)