‘“OUT–out–OUT!’”:

Obstructivelibrariesandlibrariansin

children’sandyoungadultliterature

by

JudithWay

2

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Chapterone.Introduction 4

Theoreticalframework 10

Literaturereview 14

Chaptertwo.Dustylabyrinths:obstructivelibraries 19

ThelibraryasPanopticon 21

Themysteriousandenchantedlibrary 26

Imposinglibraries 28

Obstaclesinthelibrary 32

Dangerouslibraries 36

Resistingtheobstructivelibrary 37

Chapterthree.‘"Isaid,whatdoyouwant?"’: 40

obstructivelibrarians

The‘librarypoliceman’ 41

‘Witchy’librarians 48

Emotionallyunintelligentlibrarians 49

‘Helpful’librarians 53

Warriorlibrarians 56

Mitigatingobstructivelibrarians 56

Chapterfour.Conclusion 60

References 62

3

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure1.Bentham’sPanopticonorganisation(1843,p.172),illustrated8byWilliamReveleyandusedbyFoucault(1979).

Figure2.AnexteriorviewoftheHogwartsSchoolimplyingaPanoptic10layout(Revenson,2015,n.p.).

Figure3.ThecoverofTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustrated21byBradSneed.

Figure4.Thechildren'ssectioninTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,22illustratedbyBradSneed.

Figure5.Thelibrarians’deskinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,22illustratedbyBradSneed.

Figure6.TheexterioroftheLivingstoneLibraryinTheboywhowas27raisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

Figure7.Theextentofthechildren’ssectioninThelegendofSpud29Murphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.

Figure8.Thefull-colourcoverofThelegendofSpudMurphy, 40illustratedbyTonyRoss.

Figure9.SpudMurphyinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustrated40byTonyRoss.

Figure10.Will’sfearinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedby41TonyRoss.

Figure11.Spud’spoweroverWillinThelegendofSpudMurphy42illustratedbyTonyRoss.

Figure12.Melvinisphysicallyandintellectuallyoverpoweredin48Theboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

Figure13.ThecontinuousmovementofthelibrariansinTheboywho49wasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

4

Chapterone.Introduction

‘Yewerenotmadetolivelikeuntobrutes,Butforpursuitofvirtueandofknowledge.’Dante,TheinfernoXXVI.

Dante’sTheinfernoXXVIacknowledgesthatsearchingforinformationisboth

worthwhileanddangerous,andthisappliestoyoungpeopleaswellasadults.

Librariesinchildren’sandyoungadult(YA)literaturecanbehazardousplaces,

whereviolentandcontrollinglibrarianszealouslyguardtheircollection,while

perilssuchasPanopticsurveillance,overwhelminglylargemysticallibrariesand

maraudingbeastsattempttodenyaccesstochildprotagonists.Inthisthesis,Icoin

theterms“obstructive”librariesandlibrarianstoindicatehowlibraryarchitecture

andlayoutandlibrarians’personalitytypescreatedifficultiesforpatronsin

locatinginformation.Iargue,however,thatobstructivelibrariesareactually

beneficialforprotagonistsinliteratureforyoungpeople.Inreality,publiclibraries

andlibrariansattempttocaterforavastarrayofpatronsofvaryingages,socio-

economicgroups,racesandliteraryabilities,(Willis1999,pp.1-2)however,they

arenotalwayssuccessfulbecauseoftenthefocusisonhowlibrariansthink

librariesshouldbearranged,ratherthanarrangingthemforpatrons’easeofuse.

Unlesscommunityneedsassessmentsareregularlyundertaken,librariescanonly

‘guess’whatpatronsneed(MacKellar2016,pp.37-38).However,inliterature,

suchobstructionassistsprotagonistsinthehero’s1journey(Campbell2008).

UsingCarlJung’sworkonthecollectiveunconsciousandarchetypes(2008,pp.12-

14)andSigmundFreud’stheoriesoftheOedipuscomplex(2008,p.2,p.7),Joseph

Campbellidentifiesafundamentalstructurecommontomostmythicalandfantasy

storieswherethearchetypalheroproceedsthroughaseriesoftasksand

challengesbeforetheysucceedintheirquest(2008,pp.23-29).Inchildren’sand

YAliterature,librariesandlibrariansoftenprovideanumberofinitialchallenging

encounters.Byacquiringtheskillstoevadeandbypassthehegemonic

1Inthisthesis,thetermheroreferstoanygender,andtheuseofthetitleherocanbebothliteralandfigurative.

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architecture,layoutandorganisationofobstructivelibraries,asaresult,the

heroesdevelopagencyandpower,enablingthemtobetterpreparefortheirquest.

Youngpeopledevelopingagency–theconceptofacapacitytoact,alongwiththe

willingnesstodoso(Spencer&Doull2015,p.907)–iscommoninliteraturefor

childrenandyoungadults(Cart2010,pp.23-4).Developingagencyinchild-and

youngadult-hoodisvitalfortheadvancementof‘…motivation,learning,self-

regulationandaccomplishment…’(Pajares&Urdan2006,p.ix),whichareallvital

lifeskillsandgainingknowledgeisoneaspectofdevelopingagency(Mills2010,p.

300).Impliedreaders,too,learnaboutacquiringanddevelopingagencyfromtexts

inwhatMargaretMeekdesignatesas‘untaughtlessons’(1988,p.7),bywhichshe

meanslearningthatonlyoccurswhenoneisreading.

Thisthesiswilladdressthewayinwhichlibrariansandlibrariesforyoungpeople

areportrayedinaselectionoftextsforchildrenandyoungadults.Itwill

investigatehowfictionallibrariescontrolaccesstoknowledge,andthus,power;

howlibrariespromoteorstifleintellectualgrowth;howissuesofaccessing

informationfromlibrariespromoteself-determinationintheselectedtexts;and

thestrategiescharactersemploytoevadethecontrolofthelibraryandthe

librarian.Ihavechosenbooksfromacontemporaryrangeofgenresand

geographicallocationsinwhichlibrariesandlibrariansarecentralelementsofthe

youngprotagonists’journey.ThepicturebookTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians

(Morris&Sneed2007,andhereafterentitledBoy),thesevenbooksintheHarry

Potterseries(Rowling1997-2007,HP2),anditscompaniontitleQuidditchthrough

theages(2001,Quidditch),thechapterbookThelegendofSpudMurphy(Colfer

2004,SpudMurphy),andtheYAnovelLirael:daughteroftheClayr(Nix2001,

Lirael)havebeenselectedasrepresentativeofhowlibrariesandlibrariansare

depictedinliteratureforyoungpeople.Thesetextsprovideausefulcomparison

whendetermininghowlibrariesserveyoungpeopleandhowanorderedand

2IndividualtitlesintheHarryPotterserieswillbeshortenedasfollows;HarryPotterandthephilosopher’sstone-PSHarryPotterandthechamberofsecrets-CoSHarryPotterandtheprisonerofAzkaban–PoAHarryPotterandthegobletoffire-GoFHarryPotterandtheOrderofthePhoenix-OoP,HarryPotterandtheHalf-bloodPrince-HBPHarryPotterandthedeathlyhallows-DH

6

controlledlibraryaffordsvaryingoutcomesforlibraryuserscomparedtoan

obstructivelibrarythatappearschaoticandinaccessible.ThetextsIhaveselected

includeonetitlefromeachagerangeofchildandYAreaders3,(plustheHPseries,

whichencompassesbothchildandYAages)andencompassseveraltypesof

literatureforyoungpeople.Thetitlesthathavebeenadoptedforthisstudyare

fromaspectrumoffantasy,humorousandrealistfiction.Thisselectionoftextsis

representativeofchildren’sandYAliteratureonthetopicandwillhelpshedlight

onthevalueofobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.

ThechosentitlesincludeBoy(2007),whereinteractionsbetweenyoungMelvin

andthreelibrariansarefeatured,thelibrariansembodyingstereotypicallibrarian

features,whileheavilyregulatingMelvin’slibrary.SpudMurphy(2004),whichis

toldfromthepointofviewofnine-year-oldWill.WillandhisolderbrotherMarty

aresenttothelocalpubliclibrary,wheretheyencounterthelibrarian,‘Spud

Murphy’,astereotypical‘bunandglasses’typelibrarianwhocontrolstheboys’

accesstothelibrarycollection.However,theboysemployproblem-solvingskills

toevadesuchcontrol.ThefantasynovelLirael(2001)followsthejourneyofthe

eponymousorphanhero.LiraelistheonlyfemaleteenageroftheClayrnotto

developthe‘Sight’,theaccomplishmentof‘Seeing’intothefuture.Liraelfinds

solaceinherjobasThirdAssistantLibrarianattheGreatLibraryofClayr,where

hercuriosityandasenseofadventureresultintheexplorationoftheobstructive

andforbiddenareasofthelibrary.HarryPotter(1997-2007)isthe‘chosenone’,

onahero’sjourneytodefeatevilLordVoldemort.Gaininginformationand

knowledgeiskeytoHarry’ssuccess.TheHPseriesisinfluentialduetoitsglobal

audiencereachandplaceinpopularculture;overfourhundredandfiftymillion

copieshavebeensold(Rowling2016,p.291),makingitthehighest-sellingbook

seriesinhistory(Calio,Frohlich,&Hess2014,n.p.).

3Readingagescanbedefinedas:preschooltoprimaryagecoversagesfourtoeight,pre-teenandtweencatersforagesninetotwelve,whileYAbooksareproducedforagestwelveandupwards(TheChildren’sBookReview,2017).

7

TheHarryPotterseries,LiraelandThelegendofSpudMurphy,canbedescribedas

bildungsroman4,anddemonstratethat,perhapsironically,obstructivelibraries

andlibrariansoftenfacilitatethedevelopmentofprotagonists’self-determination,

agency,andmoralandintellectualgrowth.Alibrarythatisostensiblydifficultto

extractinformationfrom,andlibrarianswhoactasguardianstoknowledge,canbe

advantageoustocharactersinbildungsroman.Librariesthatarepoorlyorganised,

excessivelylarge,difficulttonavigate,dangerousandwhichareguardedby

librarianswhoperformtheroleofgatekeeperappeartopreventresearch.

However,theproblem-solvingskillsdevelopedinrelationtotherequirementof

seekingalternativesourcesofinformationplayavitalroleinpreparing

protagonistsfortheirquests,particularlyinfantasyfiction.Suchself-development

likewiseendowscharacterswithintellectualgrowththatwouldhavebeen

inconceivablewithouttheimpedimentofobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.

Furthermore,althoughseemingcounter-intuitive,librariesthatarewell-organised

and‘helpful’librariansrestrictyoungpeople’sgrowth,asseeninBoy(2007).

Scaffolding,thenotionofhelpingyoungpeopletothink,andfindingsolutionsto

theirproblems,createsdependence(Burkins&Yaris2016,p.3),while

independenceisfosteredthroughproblem-solvingandlearning.Thisthesisadds

toscholarlyresearchthroughitscontributiontotheunderstandingoftheroleof

librariesandlibrariansinliteratureforyoungpeople.Italsoaddstothe

conversationsandresearchregardingdevelopingchild-andyoungadult-hood

agencyinfictionalsettings,andthepowerofliteratureforyoungpeopletoboth

challengeandreinforcethestatusquo.

Thestereotypeofthelibrarianiswidelydisseminatedasa‘spinster’(Grimes1994,

p.3,Lutz2005,Balling,Henrichsen&Skouvig2008,p.56,Shaffer,&Casey2013,p.

39)or‘littleoldladywiththebun,theshawl,thewirespecs’(Manley1984,p.

650),who‘ischaracterizedaspicky,hardworking,standoffish,bookish,and,by

mostaccounts,pitiable’(Grimes1994,p.3).Her‘primeconcernsare

meticulousnessandorganisingbooksinasphereofefficiency’(Balling,Henrichsen

&Skouvig2008,p.56),sheis‘myopicandrepressed,brandishingorperhaps

4AGermantermdescribingabookthatfollowsthemoralgrowthanddevelopmentoftheprotagonist(Trites2010,pp.10-15).

8

coweringbehindadatestamp’(Cowell1980,p.167)andherfavouritewordis

‘Shh!’(Stevens1988,p.828).However,librariesappearas‘cathedralsofthemind’

(Moran2012,n.p.),‘sanctuaries’(Basbanes2012,vii),venueswhich‘enshrine[d]’

books(BrooklynPublicLibrary2017)andactastherepositoriesof‘cumulated

humanknowledge’(Davis2012,p.x);venerableplaceswhereinformationgleaned

mayhavethepowertochangelives(White2012).Yet,theyarealsodepictedas

‘physicallyandhistoricallyimposing’(Freier2014,p.5),and‘areunderstood

throughmetaphorsofcontrol,tombs,labyrinths,morgues,dust,ghosts,silence

andhumiliation’(Radford&Radford2001,p.325).

Theselectedtextsarenotisolatedintheirdepictionsofstereotypicallibrariesand

librarians,butareindicativeofbroaderchildren’sandyoungadultliteraturethat

demonstratesthepoweroftheinstitutionovertheyoungperson.Titlessuchas

EscapefromMrLemoncello’slibrary(Grabenstein2013),theAlcatrazseries

(Sanderson2007-2010),Thestrangelibrary(Murakami2008),Thefantasticflying

booksofMrMorrisLessmore(Joyce2012),Batsatthelibrary(Lies2008),Evil

librarian(Knudsen2014),theseriesofgraphicnovelsLibrarywars,(Arikawaand

Yumi2007-2015),Theforbiddenlibrary(Wexler2014)andTheGrimmlegacy

(Shulman2011)allfeatureeitherobstructivelibrariesand/orlibrarians.Although

thesebooksassistedinthedefinitionofmytopic,theyareoutsidethescopeofthis

research.Myfocusisconcernedwithprotagonists’accesstoknowledgebeing

challengedbytherestrictionsofthelibrarywhilethediscardedtitlesfeature:

librariesthatpromoteonlylower-orderthinkingskills,warfare-typeconflict

betweenlibrariansandotherswithnoreferencetoinformationneeds,batsand

librariansasfocalisers,andsubscriptionandprivatelibrariesthatarestaffedby

youngpeople,butwhicharenotforyoungpeople.

TheHPseries,LiraelandSpudMurphyareunitedintheirseeminglyparadoxical

approachtoobstructivelibrariesasbeingusefultotheself-developmentof

protagonists.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatthepassiveideology,where

minorcharacters,andbyextension,others,areunabletoaccessinformationdueto

thelibrary’sobstructivenature,deniesthemtheabilitytoestablishagencyand

power.Further,theconceptoftheherohavingsomeelementsofagencyand

9

powerbeforetheyencounterofficiouslibrariesandlibrariansisarguablyone

reasonwhytheyareabletochallengetheauthorityoftheseinstitutionsandother

characterscannot.However,itisevidentthatobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians

doposechallengestotheprotagoniststhatenablethemtodevelopproblem-

solvingskillsandfurthertheiragencyandpowertoapointwheretheyareableto

undertakethehero’sjourney(Campbell2008)andsuccessfullyengageintheir

respectiveliteralandfigurativebattles.Yet,thepassiveideologyinthesebooks

revealsthatthemajorityofyoungpeoplewillnotbeabletoaccesstheinformation

theyneedtogrowandlearninthesetypesoflibrariesastheymaynotpossessthe

self-determinedqualitiesofthearchetypalhero.Althoughtherearenumerous

positiveaspectstothedenialofaccesstoinformation,itisneverthelessa

problematictrope.

Thetopicsoflibrariesandlibrariansinchildren’sandYAliteraturehavebeen

addressedbytheacademy.Here,thefocusinhabitsthedomainsofstereotypical

representationsoflibrariesandlibrarians,librariesthataredifficulttonavigate

andthedevelopmentofdiagnosticskillsbycharacterswhodiscoverthattheir

libraryislessthanaccessible.JenniferBurekPierce(2004)identifiesthebeneficial

effect,particularlyonchildrenandyoungadults,ofdevelopingproblem-solving

skillsandapplyingthemtoreal-worldsituationswhereaccesstoinformationand

knowledgeisvital.BurekPearce(2004)andFreier(2014,p.8)bothrecognisethe

benefitsofacontrollinglibraryandlibrarian.WithreferencetotheHPseries,and

Lirael,BurekPiercearguesthatadolescentsdevelopbothcharacterandself-

determinationthroughtheactofseekinginformationfromavarietyofsources,the

librarybeingjustoneavenue(2004,p.74).FreierestablishesthatHPlibrarian

MadamPince’sincompetenceleadsHermionetobecomeanadeptresearcher

(2014,p.4).WhileBurekPierceaddressesthevalueofself-imposedinformation

seekinginLiraelandtheHPbooks,mythesisfocusesonthenotionofchildrenand

youngadultsasindependentresearchers,encouragedbytheirdesirefor

information,whichovercomesanyobstaclesdeliberatelyplacedintheirway.I

acknowledgethatsuchobstaclesassistprotagoniststopreparefortheirparticular

quests.

10

Asliteratureforyoungpeopleishegemonic,producedbyadultsforchildren

(Nodelman2008,p.113),thereisasynergybetweenthisconceptandthatof

protagonistsbeingdeniedaccesstoknowledge.However,thereisagapinexisting

literarycriticismasthereislittleacknowledgementthatsuchobstructionby

librariesandlibrariansmaypositivelyinfluencecharacterdevelopmentand

agency.SallyMaynardandFionaMcKenna(2005)findthatwhilelibrariesare

generallydepictedinapositivemanner,therearefewconstructiverenderingsof

librariansintextsforchildren(2005,p.120).MaynardandMcKennadonot

acknowledgethepositivepossibilitiesofunhelpfullibrarians,andElizabeth

RichardsonandSarahWagner(2011)defineHarryPotter’sHogwartsschool

libraryasanegativespace,anoverwhelmingplaceforstudents,withaccessto

librarybooksbeing‘random’(2011,p.3),withnorecognitionofthepossible

beneficialimpactsofthisdifficultspace.Thisthesiswillconsiderhowthelibraryis

aplaceofsurveillance,whichresultsinprotagonistsself-modifyingtheir

behaviourasaresult.

Theoreticalframework

DesignedbyJeremyBenthamin1778asamodelforconstructingprisons,the

Panopticonentails

Abuildingcircular-Acage,glazed-aglasslantern…-Theprisonersintheircells,

occupyingthecircumference-Theofficersinthecentre.Byblindsandother

contrivances,theinspectorsconcealed[…]fromtheobservationoftheprisoners:

hencethesentimentofasortofomnipresence—Thewholecircuitreviewablewith

little,orifnecessarywithoutany,changeofplace.Onestationintheinspection

partaffordingthemostperfectviewofeverycell(Bentham1843).

TheconceptofthePanopticon(seeFigure1),inwhichthereisanever-present

riskofsurveillance,pressuresthosewithintoassumetheyareconstantlyunder

observation.Thisconsequentiallyensuresthatindividualsmodifytheirconduct,

employingself-surveillanceandcontroloftheirownactionsasaresult.

11

Figure1.AnexampleofBentham’sPanopticorganisation(1843,p.172),illustratedby

WilleyReveleyandusedbyFoucault(1979).

ThePanopticonformsamajorcomponentofMichelFoucault’sDisciplineand

punish:thebirthoftheprison(1979)regardinghowprisons(andother

institutions)controlandincarcerateinmates.Foucault’sdoctrineswillbe

employedtointerprettheselectedtextsandtoexaminehowsuchcontrol

influencesthebehavioursofthechildcharacters.Foucault’sapproachesto

discipline,controlandpunishmentcanbeappliedtotheanalysisofthehegemony

oflibrarieswithinchildren’sandyoungadultliterature.Allofthelibrariesfeatured

inthecorpushavesometypeofcontrolorretributionarrangementsthatFoucault

identifies.Althoughheusestheprisonsystemasitsbasis,Foucaultidentifiesthe

schoolasanothermemberofthe‘carceralarchipelago’(1979,p.293).Hesuggests

thattheschoolisaninstitutionthatimplementsaseriesofdisciplinarytechniques

whenheaskstherhetoricalquestion‘Isitsurprisingthatprisonsresemble

factories,schools,barracks,hospitals,whichallresembleprisons?’(1979,p.228).

AlthoughtheHPseriesistheonlyoneofthetextstobesetinaschool,librariestoo

couldbeincludedinFoucault’slistastheyareexamplesofinstitutionsthatuse

techniquesofcontrolandrealandimaginedsurveillancetoregulateanddominate

users.

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Mycorpusoftextsemployhierarchicalobservation(Foucault,1979,p.1970),

whichisonespecificelementofdisciplinarypowerFoucaultidentifies.The

librariansareoftenafocalpointofpowerovertherowsofbookshelvesand

studentswithinthelibrary.Foucaultstates:

Onthewhole,therefore,onecanspeakoftheformationofadisciplinarysocietyin

thismovementthatstretchesfromtheencloseddisciplines,asortofsocial

'quarantine',toanindefinitelygeneralizablemechanismof'panopticism’(1979,p.

216).

ThelayoutandorganisationofthelibrariesisreflectiveofFoucault’snotionof

quarantine,anenclosedspacewherePanopticismisenforcedthroughthelibrarian

beingeverwatchfulofpatrons’and/orstudents’actions.Heretheindividual

internalisesthepossibilityofconstantsurveillanceand,inturn,learnstodiscipline

andcontrolthemselves.However,theyoungprotagonistsdiscoverthataligning

themselveswiththeexpectationsofthePanopticonisunproductiveintheirsearch

forinformation;theylearnthattheymustbreaktheimplicitrulesofthe

comprehensivecontrollingmechanismtogaintheknowledge,agencyandpower

theyneedtofulfiltheirparticularquest.Aspowerenablesbehaviourtobealtered,

‘Thepanopticmechanismarrangesspatialunitiesthatmakeitpossibletosee

constantly…’(Foucault1979,p.200).AnexampleoftheorganisationofBentham’s

Panopticon(1843)asshowninFigure1,usedbyFoucault(1979),demonstrates

thewayinwhichthelayoutofaninstitutioncanaffectbehavior.AsthePanopticon

ensuresthat‘powershouldbevisibleandunverifiable’(Foucault1979,p.201),the

perceptionofseeminglyconstantobservationimpartsasenseofself-surveillance

onthebehalfofthepatron,ensuringbehaviormodification.Similarly,figure2,an

illustrationoftheHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardry,exhibitsaPanoptic

scheme,duetoitsrepeateddesignandnumerousfloors.ShiraWolosky(2013),

employingFoucault’sconceptofdisciplineregardingtheschool-widecontrolof

students,identifiesthatsuchdiscipline‘fostersindividualinitiative’(2013,p.296)

intheHPseries.

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Figure2.AnexteriorviewoftheHogwartsSchoolimplyingaPanopticlayout(Revenson,

2015,n.p.).

Foucault’stheoriesofpowerandpowerlessnessare‘fundamental’(Trites2001,p.

473)toYAliterature.RobertaSeelingerTritesidentifiesthreeessential

conventionsinYAliteraturethataddresstheprotagonist’srelationshipwith

power.Theseincludethenegotiationof‘themanyinstitutionsthatshapethem’(p.

483),thestabilisationoftheirpowerinrelationtothatoftheirparentsand/or

authorityfigures,andtherealisationoftheamountofpowertheyhold(p.483).

ThebooksthatIwilldiscussinthisthesisacknowledgetheseelementsofpower,

withthelibrarybeingtheinstitutionthatframestheprotagonists,andengenders

theunderstandingandacceptanceofthepowerthatthesecharactersdevelop.

Inthefollowingchapters,Iwillconductatextualandvisualanalysis(where

appropriate)oftheselectedtexts,attendingtothediscoursethatinformsthe

representationofthelibrary,thelibrarian,andthechild/youngadultaslibrary

user.Iwillconsiderhowthefollowingnarrativestrategiesimpactuponthe

representationoflibrariesandlibrarians:howcharactersaredepicted(the

librarianandthestudentsinteractingwiththem);plotandevents(howlibraryuse

isrenderedandhowanobstructivelibrarycontributestothedevelopmentofthe

plot);setting(howthelibraryisdescribedandsituatedwithinthetext);theme

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(whetherthelibraryissituatedpositivelyornegativelywithinthethemeofthe

text)andnarration,includingwhetherthenarrationusesthefirst-personorthe

third-person(Gamble&Yates2002,pp.39-40).Iwillbeapplyingtechniquesfor

analysingtextsandpicturebooksproposedbyPerryNodelmanandMavisReimer

(2003),MariaNikolajevaandCaroleScott(2013),JohnStephens(2005)and

Nodelman(2005)toevaluatethenarrativestrategiesandpicturebooktechniques

usedbyauthorsandillustratorsforbothcontentandmeaning,whichmaybe

explicitorimplicit.

Literaturereview

Thisreviewoftheliteraturewillanalyseselectwritingsfromauthorswhosefocus

includesfictionalrepresentationsofyoungadultsasinformationseekers,the

libraryandlibrarianintextswrittenforchildrenandyoungadults,andwaysthat

Foucault’stheoriesofknowledge,poweranddisciplinecaninfluenceconceptual

thinkingaboutlibraries.Further,studiesofthedepictionsoftheseconceptsin

adultliteraturearealsoincluded,asitisimportanttonoteifthereisconnectionor

disunitybetweenthepresentationofthelibraryandlibrarianinliteraturefor

youngpeopleandadultfiction.Asalreadyestablished,literatureforyoungpeople

hasahegemonicroleofitsown,yetconversely,canalsobesubversive.As

KimberleyReynoldsexplains,‘children’sliterature…issimultaneously…orthodox

andradical,didacticandsubversive’(2007,p.3).Yet,whethertheprevailing

ideologiesinliteratureforyoungpeoplearethoseofadultpower,oryoung

protagonistschallengingthestatusquo,isrevealingconcerningthephilosophies

presentedtoimpliedreaders.Theconsequencesoftheseideologiesillustratesthat

powerisconferredonHarryPotter,LiraelandWillandMarty.However,Melvinis

delineatedasbeingsubjugatedtothepowerofthelibrarians.

Libraryuseisasubjectpositioninwhichyoungpeople,bothinrealityandwithin

children’sliterature,accessthelibraryasreader,learnerandseekerandconsumer

ofinformation.Asanindividual,theyounglibraryuserisuniqueintheiruseofthe

library,astheyaremorecontrolledbytheestablishmentduetotheiragethan

15

adults.Thelibraryuser(certainlyintheerabeforewidespreadInternet

connectivity)issubjugatedbythelibrarian(Tuominen1997,p.350)andthe

younglibrarypatronisfurtherunderthepoweroftheadultlibrarian.However,

thetropeoffantasyfictionseestheyoungmageengagedinlearningmagical

proficiencythatrequiresabroadspectrumofapproaches,withlibrariesasone

avenueoflearning(BurekPierce2004,p.74).Whatisnotableinthesetexts

though,isthatthelibraryonlyappearstobeobstructivewhentheinformation

requirementoftheyoungadultsinvolvedispersonalandself-directed;research

imposedforschoolworkorinformationrequirementsofanadultappears

straightforward(BurekPierce2004,p.75).ThefantasytextsIconsiderinthis

thesis,theHPseriesandLirael,arebasedonthestructureofthehero’sjourney.To

developtheagencyandpowerrequiredtocompletethehero’sjourney,theneedto

problem-solveandtoseekinformationoutsideofthelibraryandacquire

knowledgeisnecessary.IfHarryPotterandLiraelhadbeenabletoaccess

informationquicklyandeasily,theywouldneverhavedevelopedthecuriosity,

agency,senseofadventureandpowerneededtobecomeheroic.Additionally,

BurekPiercenotesthattheinformation-seekingbehaviourdisplayedbythe

protagonists‘holdsimplicationsforidentityandself-hood’(2004,p.74).Here,the

requirementsofHarryPotterandhisfriendstobroadentheirsearchpastthe

library,empowersthemtoaskquestions,think,solveproblems,collaborate,seek

knowledgeandfollowthetrajectoryofthebildungsroman.Liraelalsodevelops

suchskillsinhersearchesoftheareasofthelibraryforbiddentoher,whilethe

boysinSpudMurphyachievethisonasmallerscalewhentheychallengethe

restrictionsoftheirlibrary.Thesedevelopmentsbecomeobligatoryinthesuccess

oftheprotagonistsintheselectedtexts.WhileBurekPierce’spaperisuseful,itis

limitedbyitsbrevity,itsscopeofonlyYAfiction,andisconfinedtoonlyfiveoutof

thesevenHPtitles.

Thestereotypeofthelibrarianinchildren’sliteratureisthefocusofHeylman

(1975),AlexanderandHuggins(2002),Yontz(2003)andPeresieandAlexander

(2005).Noneofthisresearchaddressesthewayinwhichobstructivelibraries

and/orlibrarianscanactuallyenableinformationseekingandproblem-solving

skills.Literatureforyoungpeoplethatfeatureslibrariesandlibrariansoften

16

depictslibrariansasincompetent.However,AgnesGriffen(1987)andMarcia

Myers(1998)arguethatwherelibrariesfeatureinadulttexts,librariansoftendo

not.Thisabsenceofalibrarianpertainstotheviewthattheprofessionis

unnecessaryorsuperfluoustothelibraryanditsadultusers.Librariansthat

featureinadulttextsarestilldepictedstereotypically(Myers1998,p.i),whichis

reflectedbyChristopherShafferandOlgaCasey’smorerecentstudies(2013,p.

39).

InHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy,oppositionbetweenlibrarianswhowanttokeep

libraryresourcesinorder,andyoungpatronswhointendtodisruptsuchorder

throughtheremovalanduseofresources,createsavitaltensionbetweenorder

andknowledge.Seale(2008,n.p.)andRadfordandRadford(1997,p.256)

establishthatinthe‘ideallibrary’,itisthetensionbetweenthegoalofthelibrarian

(tokeeporder)andthegoaloftheuser(todisruptorderbyremoving,mis-

shelvingandborrowingbooks)thatcreatesoppositionandmisunderstanding

(Radford&Radford1997,pp.255-256).SuchobstructionisreflectedinthetextsI

considerinthisthesiswhereobstaclesareplacedbeforetheyoungresearchersin

theirquestforinformation.Yet,theserestrictionscanbeviewedasbeneficial

whentheprotagonistsgainagencythroughproblem-solvingbyseekingout

alternativesourcesofinformation.

Thereissimilarityinhowbothchildren’s/YAfictionandadultliteraturedepict

libraries.Labyrinthineordustylibrariesthatarelifechangingwhentraversedare

alsopresentinadultfictionsuchasElliotPerlman’sThestreetsweeper(2011).

Similarly,theconceptsofcontrollinglibrarianspersistfromchildren’stitlesto

thoseforgrownups,asinUmbertoEco’sThenameoftherose(1983).The

overarchingstereotypesoflibrariesandlibrariansareindeedbothpervasiveand

obligatory.Thestereotypespromotetensionbetweentheestablishmentandthe

protagonist,whichmustbechallenged.Todevelopproblem-solvingskillsand

assistinthehero’sjourney,incrementalchallengesmustbepresentedto

protagonists,particularlyinfantasytexts.

17

ThisIntroductionhasillustratedtheneedforaninvestigationoftheroleof

obstructivelibrariesinliteratureforyoungpeople.Thecurrentscholarship

addressesspecificaspectsofinformationseekinginfictionallibraries,libraryand

librarianstereotypesandobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.However,thereisa

gapintheliteratureregardingtheresultingstrategiesthatarerefinedbychild

protagoniststocountersuchobstructionincludingtheaccumulationofskillsand

powerthatareacquired.Mythesisisdistinctiveasitcombinesalloftheseaspects

oflibraryandchildren’sliteraturescholarship.Librariesandlibrariansrepresent

symbolsofknowledgeandaredesignatedmotifsofthepowerstrugglebetween

protagonistsandtheestablishment.Theconceptoflibrariesbeingplacesoffear,

humiliationandcathedralsoflearning(Radford&Radford2001,p.299)is

perfectlycontrastedwithinformationseekerstoestablishtensionsbetweenthe

protagonistandtheinstitutionthatsignifiesthesystemtheymustinevitablyfight

against.

Chaptertwowillexaminethefeaturesofobstructivelibrariesinthechosenbooks,

includingPanopticarchitectureandlayout,mysteriousandenchantedlibraries,

andlarge,imposinganddangerouslibraries.Thechapterwillanalysethemethods

thatprotagonistsemploytonegateobstructivelibrariesandattributesthatan

obstructivelibrarycanengenderincharacters.Itwillarguethatproblem-solving

andhigherorderthinkingskillsincludingcriticalthinking,analysisandevaluation,

logicandreasoning,creativethinkingandapplicationtorealworldproblemsare

necessarytocombatobstructivelibrariesandarevitalstepsintheprotagonists’

growth.Thephysicalandintellectualactofsearchingforinformationempowers

theheroesintheirliteralandfigurativequests.

Chapterthreewilldiscussthetropeofthestereotypicallibrarian,employedinthe

textstoobstructtheresearchrequirementsoftheprotagonists.Hyperbolicthemes

suchaswhenthelibrarianisdepictedas‘policeman’,‘witchy’,or‘helpful’and

emotionallyunintelligentlibrarianswillbecontrastedwith‘warrior’librarians.

Thischapterwillproposethatideologiesinthetextsthatrelatetotheagencyand

powerofthecharactersneededtochallengeauthority,encourageself-

determinationandthepursuitofknowledgeandgrowth.

18

ThisthesisaimstoexploretheconceptofBentham’sPanopticon(1843),which

wasderivedanddevelopedbyFoucault(1979).Thelibraryisaninstitutionthat

alsocanalsobealignedwithPanoptictheory,wherearchitectureandsurveillance

areemployedtocontrolthebehaviourofpatrons.Oppositioniscreatedbetween

librariansandpatronswheretheorderofthelibraryandthequestforknowledge

areincontention.Barrierstoknowledge,suchasdifficultlibrariansandimposing

librariesaddresistancetotheyoungperson’ssymbolictransitiontomaturity.

However,librariescanbeprecursorstocircumstanceswhereprotagonistsface

life-threateningsituations,furnishingthemwithaplacewhereskillsmaybetested

andrefinedbeforefacingsuchtreacherousconditions.

19

Chaptertwo.Dustylabyrinths:obstructivelibraries.

Thephysicalstructureofthelibrary,itsarchitectureandlayout,allofwhich

contributetothePanopticon,modifylibraryuse.Childrenandyoungadultsabsorb

informationfromanassortmentoflearningopportunities(Nichols2011,p.165),

andspacesspecificallyprovidedforyoungpeoplewithinalibraryaffecttheir

learningexperience.Theobservationthata‘libraryofstraightanglessuggests

divisionintopartsorsubjects,consistentwiththemedievalnotionofa

compartmentalizedandhierarchicaluniverse’(Manguel2007,p.138)reinforces

theconceptsoforderandhegemonywithinthelibrary.ThisalignswithFoucault’s

Panopticon,where‘mechanismsofpowerthatframetheeverydaylivesof

individuals’areemployedthroughsurveillancetocontrolbehaviour(1979,p.77).

Here,throughthearchitectureandlayoutofthelibrary,thepatronissubjugatedto

thelibraryandlibrarians’dominion.Suchcontrolisenhancedwhenpatronsare

childrenoryoungadults.

Thelibrariesintheselectedtextsassertcontrolinanumberofdifferentways:the

Panopticdesignoflibrariescreatedtoaidsurveillancebyadultsoveryoung

people;physicalandmagicalbarrierstobooksandspecificareaswithinlibraries;

thesheersizeoflibrariesandcollectionsthatareoverwhelmingtonavigate;the

presenceofdangerwithinthelibrary;andconversely,onechildren’slibrary

collectionthatissosmallthatitscarcelycatersforitsyoungpatrons.Allofthe

librariesintheselectedtextsfeatureoneormoreofthedescriptorsprovidedby

RadfordandRadford,whostateintheirstudyoflibraryrepresentationinpopular

culturethat,‘Librariesareunderstoodthroughmetaphorsofcontrol,tombs,

labyrinths,morgues,dust,ghosts,silenceandhumiliation’(2001,p.325).

However,IchallengeRadfordandRadford’sargumentthat‘Themeaningofthe

library…isultimatelydeterminedbythediscourseoffear’(Radford&Radford,

2001,p.325)becausealthoughtheabovemethodsofcontrolcanbeinitially

viewedinanegativemannerwhereadultshavedevelopednumerousmechanisms

torestricttheiryoungpatrons,thesebarriersoftenhaveunexpectedresultswhere

theprotagonistsdevelopagencythroughtheacquisitionofproblem-solvingskills

whentheinformationtheyrequireisnotreadilyaccessible.

20

InSpudMurphy(2004),thefirst-personnarratorWillandhisolderbrotherMarty

aresenttothelocalpubliclibraryduringschoolholidaysastheiroverwrought

parentsaredesperatetofindsomething‘educational’(2004,p.7)fortwooftheir

fivemischievousboystodo.Herethetwoboysencounterthelibrarian,‘Spud

Murphy’,astereotypical‘bunandglasses’typelibrarianwhocontrolstheboys’

accesstothelibrarycollection.However,theboysemployproblem-solvingskills

toevadesuchcontrol.InLirael(2001),Liraelisthefourteen-year-oldfocaliser,

whoresidesinthehistoricalfantasticalKingdomofClayr.Sheisanorphan,andthe

onlywomanoftheClayrnottodevelopthe‘Sight’,theaccomplishmentofSeeing

intothefuture.Thislimitation,andherunusualcomplexionandhaircolourmark

Liraeloutas‘other’.LiraelfindssolaceinherjobasThirdAssistantLibrarianatthe

GreatLibraryofClayr,initiallyseekinginformationfromthelibrarytocommit

suicide.However,curiosityandasenseofadventureresultinLiraelexploringthe

obstructiveandforbiddenareasofthelibrary.TheHPseries(1997-2007)is

wainscotfantasy5andfeaturesthreemaincharacters,Harry,thefocaliser,andRon

andHermione,whoentertheHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardryas

studentsatageeleven.Eachofthesevenbooksrelatestooneschoolyearandthe

protagonistsageoneyearperbook.LordVoldemortexecutedHarry’sparentsand

attemptedtomurderHarrywhenHarrywasjustoneyearofage.OnceHarry

arrivesatHogwarts,thethreattohislifefromhisnemesisbecomesstronger,as

doestheurgencyforHarry,as‘thechosenone’todefeatLordVoldemort.The

libraryhasacentralroleinenablingtheprotagonists,particularlyHermione,to

solveproblemsandapplythislearningtotheireverydaylives.Boy(2007)

illustratesthephysicalgrowthofyoungMelvin,thefocaliser,whofrequentsthe

librarywherethelibrariansarehisdefactofamily.However,althoughthe

librariansintendtoassistMelvin,andbyproxy,theotherpatrons,their

‘helpfulness’cultivatesalearnedhelplessness,wherecuriosityiscrushedand

dependenceisfostered.Inthefollowingsectionsinthischapter,Iwillanalysethe

libraryasPanopticon,mysteriousandenchanted,imposing,anddangerous.The

Panopticorganisationofthelibrarycanbeimposing,andcreatesfear,deception

5Wainscotfantasyoccursintherealworld,butappearsunderthesurface,apparentonlytothosewhoareapartofthatfantasyworld(Webb2014,p.77).

21

andtheneedforsubterfuge;patronsmustdevelopclandestineendeavoursto

nullifythepowerofthePanopticlibrary.Therestrictionofaccesstospecificareas

ofthelibraryandinformationestablishesthemysterious,whilethePanopticon

canbedangerousasitfacilitatespowerofaprivilegedgroupoveragroupwith

lesspower.Theobstacleswithinthelibraryandwayinwhichprotagonistsresist

suchobstacleswillalsobeaddressed.

LibraryasPanopticon

Foucault’stheoriesofcontrolthroughtheemploymentofPanopticenvironments

arereflectedwithinthelibrariesindifferingmannersintheselectedtexts.The

layoutandorganisationofLirael’sGreatLibraryofClayr,andthehierarchical

natureofitsmanagementarealldesignedtorepressmostofthosewithin,andas

such,performPanopticfunctionality.Theextensive,strangeandmysteriousGreat

LibraryofClayrisdescribedasbeing‘…shapedlikeanautilusshell…therewere

countlessothercorridors,rooms,hallsandstrangechambers’(2001,pp.60-61).

ThenautilusshellshapeoftheGreatLibraryreflectsthatofPanopticorganisation,

asdoestherevelationthatthelibrarycontainsatleastfivefloors(2001,p.97).The

employmentofcorridorsintheGreatLibrary’sdesignemulatesthedesignwhere

‘Benthamenvisioned…mazelikeconnectionsamongtowerroomstoavoidglints

oflightornoisethatmightbetraythepresenceofanobserver’(Barton&Barton

1993,p.139).AsLiraelistheonlyfemaleofageinClayrwithoutSight,thismotif

reflectsthesurveillancebythoseintheupperechelonsofthehierarchyoverthose

inthelowerranks.ThecircularstaircaseoftheGreatLibraryofClayrillustrates

thatalargesphericalareaoftheLibrarymaybeundersurveillancebyoneperson

(2001,pp.60-61),observingpatronsandstaffmovingfromoneareaofthelibrary

toanother.Thebraceletsthatallowstaffaccesstospecificareasofthelibrary

accordingtotheirplaceinthehierarchy(2001,p.70)arereflectiveofBentham’s

planforPanopticsurveillancethatneededtobevisible,butunverifiable(Bentham

1843).

EvenLirael,anemployeeofthelibrary,iscontrolledinhermovements;

22

‘Dependingonyourworkandpost,it[herenchantedbracelet]willthenopenall

theappropriatedoors’(2001,p.70).‘Appropriate’definestheboundariesbetween

Liraelandthoseattheapexofthehierarchicalstructureofthelibrary,whohave

setthepermissionsinherbraceletaccordingtohertasks.Thismethodof

obstructionandsurveillanceisapparentlyduetoherageandherrank.Thefact

that,‘intheLibrarytherewasstrictdisciplineandachainofcommand’(2001,p.

483)demonstratesjusthowcourageousassistantlibrarianLiraelisinher

searchesofthelibrarythroughoutherteenageyears.Theterm‘strictdiscipline’

conveysasenseofpunishment,while‘chainofcommand’exudesthefeelingofan

iron-cladhierarchythatisnottobechallenged.Further,thechainofcommand

withinthelibraryisexplicitforbothcharactersandreaderasthebrightlycoloured

waistcoatswornbyalllibrarystaffdenotestheirrankingimmediately(2001,pp.

66-67).Foucault’snotionofhierarchieshavingadirectrelationshipwith

surveillanceimpliescontrolandpower(1979,p.281).However,Liraeldoes

challengethesehierarchiessuccessfully,andasaresult,hermagicalabilitiesgrow

asaconsequenceofhercompleteacceptanceofhercuriosity(Lanning2011,p.36)

andhercovertchallengingofthosewhoholdpowerinthelibrary.Here,

obstructivelibrariesfacilitatethehero’squest.EmilyLanningexplainsthatLirael’s

curiosityandexplorationsofthelibraryoverfiveyearsenableknowledgeand

abilitiespreviouslyunseen(2011,p.36).ItisrecognisedthatLiraelhasusedthe

obstructivenatureandlayoutofthelibrarytoheradvantage,asithasenabledher

todevelopherproblem-solvingskillsandmagicalcapacity.

TheGreatLibrary’sholdings,aredescribedasbeing

fulloftheClayr’swrittenrecords…prophesiesandvisions…booksandpapers

fromallovertheKingdom…Scrolls,maps,spells,recipes…weaponsandarmour…

dressmakers’dummies…greenhouses…(2001,pp.60-61)

Thisdenotesaconsiderablecollectionthatresideswithin,suggestingthatlocating

informationmaybedifficultduetotheextentoftheaccumulatedmaterials.

However,thecorridors,rooms,hallsandchambersthatdepartfromthecentral

spiralcreateanaspectofthesecret.Theseroomscannotbeunderthecentralised

supervisionofthefundamentalPanopticlayoutwhichgivesLiraeltheopportunity

tocircumventthesurveillanceofotherlibrarians.However,anotheraspectofthe

23

Panopticonisimprisonment,andthebeastidentifiedasaStilkenisincarcerated

withinthewallsoftheGreatLibrary(2001,p.126),furtheridentifyingtheGreat

Libraryascarceral.

Hierarchicalobservation,orsurveillance,alsooccursinHP’sHogwartslibraryas

wellasinmostclassroomlayoutsthatrequiretheoreticalratherthanpractical

learning.ThealignmentofthePanopticonprisonwithschools(Foucault1979,p.

228),asseeninfigures1and2,showsthatHogwartscompareswithBentham’s

prisonduetoitsrepeateddesignoverseveralfloorsandinwhichstudentsare

constantlyobservedbyghostsandanimatedportraitsthatlinethewalls.The

librarian,MadamPince,isafocalpointofpowerovertherowsofbookshelvesand

studentswithinthelibrary.Thelibrarianiseverwatchfulofthestudents’actions.

AlthoughthemajorityofstudentsareconstrainedbythePanopticlayoutofthe

libraryandcarceral-likedisciplinarymethods,Harry,andtoalesserextent,Ron

andHermione,challengemanyoftherestrictionsthatfaceotherstudents.Harry

accessesthelibraryoutofhourswhenheisgivenaninvisibilitycloakbythe

Headmaster,whileHermionesecuresanotefromateacherallowingher

permissiontoaccesstheRestrictedSectionunderfalsepretences.

InSpudMurphy,thePanopticnotionofquarantiningandcorrallingchildrenintoa

smallareaforeffortlesssurveillance,aswhentheboysareinstructedthatthey

must‘stayinthejuniorsectionofthelibrary’(2004,p.25),isexplicit.Confinement

andexclusionaremethodsofdiscipline,controlandpower(Foucault1979,p.

198),addingspatialapproachestothearchitecturalpowerofthePanopticon.

Further,thePanopticinfluenceontheboysisdemonstratedwhenWillbegins

speaking‘likeanarmycadet’(2004,p.25).ThemetaphorofWillactinglikean

armycadet,thelowestoftheranks,isoneofbeingcontrolledandunderstrict

ordersbythehierarchy.

ThethemeofthePanopticorderofthelibrarybeingcomparedtothearmyisalso

reflectedinBoywhere:

Everythinghaditsplaceinthelibrary,andMelvinlikeditthat

way.Hisfavoritebookswerealwaysintheirplaces,linedupon

24

theshelveslikesoldiers.Andhisfavoritepeoplewerealwaysintheirplaces,

behindthereferencedesk(2007,n.p.).

Theuseofthesimilecomparingbookstosoldiersevokesthefeelingofstrictorder

andcontrolofthelibrary.Itisclearthatthislibraryiswell-ordered,predictable

andorganised,withthetextmatchingtheillustrationstoconfirmthe‘truth’ofthis.

ThelibrariesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyareallunhelpful.However,thelibrary

thatpurportstobehelpfulinBoy,demonstratesjusthowcontrollingand

Panopticon-likeevena‘helpful’librarycanbe.InFigure3,thefrontcover

illustratesawistfulyoungboywithglasses,lookingoutfrombetweenthelibrary

shelveswherenon-fictiongardeningbooksreside.Thismetaphorofaboygrowing

andbeingnurturedinthelibraryiscomparabletoaplantfeaturedinthe

gardeningbooksandhisHarryPotter-styleglassesevokethoughtsofaninquiring

andpowerfulboy.However,itcanalsobeseenthattheboyhasbeensubjectedto

classificationasheisjustanotheriteminthelibrary.Heissurroundedandbound

bythehighlyorganisedbooksandbookshelves,creatingatypeofprisonthatbinds

hisgrowthandintellectualfreedom.Thebookscouldbelikenedtobarsona

prisondoor,withtheboymournfullypeeringoutontofreedom.Thisevokesthe

conceptofPanopticorganisationthatcontrolsandregulatestheboy,andis

reinforced,asNodelmanandReimer(2003,p.282)identify,bythefactthatin

picturebooks,‘angular’shapesarecorrelatedto‘rigidityandorderliness’.

Figure3.ThecoverofTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

25

Initially,theLivingstoneLibraryinBoyappearstocompletelycontradictthe

Panopticonsystem.Thechildren’ssectionofthelibraryisillustratedonthefirst

page,wheretheprotagonist,Melvin,isintroduced.Theareaiscolourful,with

booksshelvedatchild-levelforeasyaccess.Thebrightareaisattractive,yet

Melvinistheonlychildusingthisspace.Theillustrationsfeaturewarmcolours

andgivesthelibraryanappearanceofcalm.

Figure4.Thechildren'ssectioninTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

However,asseeninfigure4,thechildren’sareaisimmaculatelyorderedandthree

librarianswho,infigure5,sitatacirculardeskwithotherareasofthelibrary

radiatingoutfromthiscounter,correspondstoPanopticcontrol,order,

organisationandsurveillance.

26

Figure5.Thelibrarians’deskinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

Althoughthelibrarianshavetheirbacksturnedtothereader,whichcreatesan

illusionoftheirinattentiontopatrons,theirswivelchairsenableunpredictable

andrapidchangeintheiroutlook.Thus,theconceptofthePanopticonis

reinforcedaspatronsmustassumethattheyareundersurveillanceatalltimes.

HierarchicalobservationofpatronsisenabledthroughPanopticlibrarydesigns

andlayoutsineachoftheselectedtexts.However,anumberoftheprotagonists

recognisetheimportanceofinformationandknowledge,andtheydevelopthe

couragetochallengethemechanismofcontrol,resultingintheacquisitionof

knowledgeandagency.

Themysteriousandenchantedlibrary

Areasofthelibrarythatdenyaccesstopatronsnaturallybecomemysterious,and

assuch,desirableplacestoexplore.WillimaginesthebooksinSpudMurphy’s

libraryareanimated(2004,p.21),andheandMartydreamof‘havingtheguts’

(2004,p.58)toexaminetheadultsectionofthelibrary.

ThelibrariesinLiraelandHPsharemanysimilarities.Asbotharefromthefantasy

genre,thetropeofthemysteriousandenchantedlibraryisshared.Magical

elementswithinthelibrariesincludebarrierstoinformationsuchasropes,doors

anddangerousbeasts.TheGreatLibraryofClayrholdsunusualandsecretive

elements,‘roomsoftotaldarkness,swallowingup…anyonefoolishenoughto

enter…’(2001,p.61).Librarybooksarealsooftenenchanted.Lirael’sdiscoveryof

IntheSkinofaLyon(2001,pp.149-150)andTheBookofRemembranceand

Forgetting(2001,p.265)demonstratethepowerofmagicalbookswherethey

mutateandevolvedependingonthepowerandneedofthereader(2001,p.265).

LiraelencountersareasoftheGreatLibrarysectionedoffbyrope:‘Shehadalways

hankeredtoenterthedoorstheypassed,tostepacrosstheredropebarriersthat

markedcorridorsortunnelswhereonlyauthorisedlibrariansmightpass’(2001,

27

p.61).ThebarrierswithintheLibraryprovetobemysterioustoLirael,andthusin

needofinvestigating.Lirael’sattractiontoopeningthedoorissignificantasadoor

isadevicethatdefinestheboundarybetweenworlds(Nikolajeva1988,p.76)and

Liraeliseagertonegotiateboundaries.Adoorwayisalsoamechanismthat

representsthedelineationofchild-andadulthood.Theropemarkingthearea

whereaccessisdeniedisnotastrongphysicalobstacle,ratheritissymbolic,asit

canbeassumedinafantasytexttherewouldbemagicalspellsaccompanyingthe

physicalboundaries.BurekPiercenotesthattheGreatLibraryhas‘magicthat

restrictsandpermitsaccesstothelibrary’smanyvenues’(2004,p.76).Although

notspecified,itmaybeassumedthattheChiefLibrarian,attheveryleast,would

bepermittedtoaccessallareasoftheLibrary.Thus,thequestionmaybeposed

whetheraccessisrestrictedbasedonage,skill,oracertainlevelofemploymentin

thelibrary.Asmostlibraryemployeesprogressthroughtheranksofassistant

librarianataslowerpacethanLirael(hercuriosityandagencyhasexpeditedher

promotionfromthirdtosecondassistantlibrarian),thenitappearsthataccessis

deniedprimarilyduetoayoungage,whichreinforcestheconceptofhierarchical

controlandpower.

TheHogwartslibraryisdescribedas‘veryeerie’(PS,p.151),whileseveralbooks

intheHogwartslibrary‘containpowerfulDarkMagicnevertaughtatHogwarts’

(PS,p.146).Somelibrarytitleswhispertopatrons(PS,p.151)andidentifythose

whoaretrespassing.OtherbooksfromtheRestrictedSectionscreamwhenopened

(PS,p.151),seeminglywithoutateacher’spermission(PS,p.145).Inhisfirstyear,

HarryPotteraccessestheRestrictedSection,which‘wasrightatthebackofthe

library’(PSp.151)lateonenight,andassuch,avoidsthelibrarian,simplyby

enteringthelibraryand‘Steppingcarefullyovertheropewhichseparatedthese

booksfromtherestofthelibrary…’(PSp.151).Beinglocatedattherearofthe

libraryensurestheRestrictedSectionisinconspicuousandalthoughagain

primarilysymbolicasinLirael,theropeprovidingabarriercouldbemagicaland

thusdangerous.

AsmagicempowerstheyoungcharactersinLiraelandHP,theinstitutionswithin

whichtheyresidearechargedwiththetaskofrepressingthem(Trites2001,p.

28

475).Suchrestrictionsandbarrierstoinformationcanbeidentifiedasasymbolof

thepoweroftheadultandtheestablishmentoverthechild.However,theconcept

that‘Inalmosteveryadolescentnovel,someinstitutionexiststhatsimultaneously

increasesanddecreasesadolescents’senseoftheirownpower’(Trites2001,p.

475),decreesthattheremustbeanavenueforyoungpeopletolearnandgrow,

andthus,theobstructivelibraryprovidesbothanimpedimentto,andan

opportunityfor,developingpower.

Imposinglibraries

ThelargeGreatLibraryofClayrisbothabountyandahindranceinLirael.Lirael’s

lackofSight,ametaphoricalblindness,setsheronajourneywhereshemust

insteadbecomeaseekerofinformation.AstheoldestClayrgirlwithouttheSight,

shefeelsextremelyoutofplaceandisolated.Thisisillustratedbythedescription

ofLiraelstandingout‘likeapallidweedamonghealthyflowers’(2001,p.14).The

useofsimileintheabovepassagelikeningLiraeltoaweednotonlymarksherout

as‘other’,butassomethingthatisugly,uselessandunwanted.Herwaytosolve

thisproblemistocommitsuicide(2001,pp.24-25).Liraelknowsthatcommitting

suicidewillneedplanningandaspecialspelland‘She’dhavetosearchtheGreat

Libraryforsuchaspell,andthatsortofmagicwouldbelockedawaybycharmand

key’(2001,p.25).ThissentenceinitiallyidentifiesthatthelibraryofClayrisa

specialone;a‘GreatLibrary’,withcapitalisationemphasisingitsimportance.The

useoftheadjectivegreatcouldmeanlarge,orimportant,orboth.Thus,before

anythingelseaboutthelibraryisrevealed,itisexplicitthatitplaysanimportant

roleintheKingdomofClayr.ItislateridentifiedthattheGreatLibraryhas

extensiveandvariedcollections(2001,pp.60-61)andappealstoscholars(2001,

p.71).

TheresourcesintheGreatLibraryofClayrareoftendifficulttolocateduetothe

sizeofthelibraryanditscollections:

Many[ofthechamberswithintheGreatLibrary]werefulloftheClayr’swritten

records,mainlydocumentingtheprophesiesandvisionsofmanygenerationsof

29

seers.ButtheyalsocontainedbooksandpapersfromallovertheKingdom(2001,

pp.60-61).

Sabriel,theAbhorsen,themostpowerfulpersonintheOldKingdom,notesthat

…whiletheykeepeverythinginthatGreatLibraryoftheirs,[they]rarelyfind

anythingusefulinit…Ishouldliketolooktheremyself,butthatisataskthat

wouldtakemonths,ifnotyears’(2001,p.299).

Thispassageisnotableforitsreferencetoalibrarycollectionsolargeand

unwieldythatitisrendereduselesstoSabriel,asthesheerlengthoftimeasearch

ofsuchanextensivecollectionwouldtakemakesdiscoveringthedesired

informationimpossible.However,itisthesizeoftheLibrarythatfacilitates

Lirael’ssearches,adventuresandself-reliance.

AlthoughthelibraryintheHPseriesdoesnothavetheextensivenumberof

chambersthattheGreatLibraryofClayrhas,itisneverthelessportrayedas

voluminous;‘…thesheersizeofthelibrary;tensofthousandsofbooks;thousands

ofshelves;hundredsofnarrowrows’(PSp.145)makesitdifficultforstudent

researcherstolocatetheinformationtheyrequire.ComparabletothatinLirael,

thesizeoftheHogwartslibraryisoverwhelmingforusers,demonstratedbythe

useoftheadjective‘sheer’andtherepeateduseofnumericalidentifiersforbooks,

shelvesandrows.Similarly,theissueoforganisationwithintheHogwartslibrary

tendstodemonstratethatthearrangementofthebooksfollowsnoknownsystem,

noronethatcanbeinterpretedbytheyoungprotagonists.Here,thecontrolofthe

libraryoverHarryPotterandhisfriendsisexplicit.

ConsideringthatHermioneisawell-readstudent,shewouldlikelyhavehad

previousaccesstolibraries,bothschoolandpublic,andwouldunderstandhow

librariesarearranged.Yet,she,HarryandRonspendmonthssearchingfor

informationinthelibraryinPS:“‘EversinceyoumentionedNicolasFlamel,we’ve

beentryingtofindoutwhoheis…Wemust’vebeenthroughhundredsofbooks

alreadyandwecan’tfindhimanywhere…’”(PSp.145).Thisidentifiesthe

difficultythestudentshaveinlocatingtheinformationtheyrequire.Theterm‘ever

since’indicatesthesearchhasbeenconductedoverlongperiodoftime,‘hundreds

ofbooks’quantifiesthesizeoftheirsearch,while‘can’tfindhimanywhere’

30

denotesthefrustrationwiththeorganisation(orlackthereof)ofthelibrary.

HermionealsohasdifficultydiscoveringherdesiredinformationinCoS,“‘Ithink

she’stryingtoreadthewholelibrarybeforeChristmas”’…(CoSp.112),‘Hermione

emergedfrombetweenthebookshelves.Shelookedirritable…’(CoSp.112).The

conceptthattheonlywayofdiscoveringtherequiredinformationinthelibraryis

toreadeverybookin‘thewholelibrary’identifiesthelibraryasaversetoassisting

studentsintheirquestforknowledge,whileHermione’sirritabilitydenotesthat

sheisaccustomedtolocatinginformationquickly.Thissceneislocatedaround

Halloween,however,itisnotuntilMaythefollowingyear(CoSp.210,p.211)that

Hermioneeventuallyfindstheinformationsherequires(CoSp.215).Thelengthof

timeandarduousnessinlocatinginformationreinforcesthelibraryasalargeand

difficultplacetonavigate.Thus,themechanismofcontrolofthelibraryactsasan

obstacletoyoungpeopleseekinginformation,althoughduetopatienceand

diligence,thesebarriersareeventuallyovercomebyHermione.

Figure6.TheexterioroftheLivingstoneLibraryinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

ThesizeofthelibrarycollectioninBoyisnotexplicit,however,asshowninfigure

6,thebuildingitselfiscommanding,bothinsizeandarchitecture.Itsentrance,

withitsconcretestepssymbolisingthataccessmaybedifficultforsomemembers

ofthecommunity,alignswiththeconceptthat‘librarybuildingsarerichin

31

symbolismandmeaning’(BiandoEdwards,Rauseo&Unger2013,n.p.)because

theyare‘physicalcontainersforasociety’ssharedknowledge,historical

documents,andacademicmusings’(McKeough2013,n.p.).Heretheparallelsto

thelargeandintimidatinglibrariesinLiraelandHPareexplicit,eventhoughthe

fantasyelementsareabsent.

InSpudMurphy,thelibrarytheboysenterisalsorenderedasalargeone,asit‘…

seemedtogoonforever.Rowafterrowofwoodenbookshelves,boltedtothefloor

atthebottomandtheceilingatthetop’(2004,pp.21-22).Thesymbolismofthe

libraryshelvesbeingboltedtothefloorandceilingevokesasenseofimmovability

andinflexibility;herethelibraryseemsasfixedasitsshelves.Therenderingofthe

libraryasbeinglarge,coupledwiththeexplanationthattheboyshadtoenterthe

librarybyclimbingthe‘concretesteps’(2004,p.17),reflectsthemajesticlibrary

entranceinBoy.However,theinsignificantsectiondemarcatedforchildreninSpud

MurphyisininverseproportionstothelibrariesinHPandLirael.Nevertheless,

thelibraryisobstructivetoMartyandWill,asthechildren’ssection‘wasactuallya

singleboxshelfwithfourrowsofbooks.Onthegroundbeforeitwasasmallpatch

ofworncarpet’(2004,p.26).Theuseoftheadverb‘actually’denotestheharsh

realityofthesituation,whiletheterm‘single’announcesthelimitedscopeofthe

bookstheboysareentitledtoread.The‘small’‘patch’of‘worncarpet’again

impliesthetinycapacityofthechildren’ssection,alongwiththeneglectedand

unappealingareaforchildrentositandread.Thisdescriptionoftheextentofthe

children’ssectionmatchestheillustrationinfigure7,whichdemonstratesthe

hindrancetotheboys’readingselection.Thus,librariesthatareoverwhelmingly

large,andthosewhosecollectionsareminute,areequallycontrolling.

32

Figure7.Theextentofthechildren’ssectioninThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.

Obstaclesinthelibrary

ObstaclestodiscoveringinformationinthelibrariesfeaturedinHP,Lirael,Spud

MurphyandBoycanbealignedwithFoucault’sconceptsofobstaclesactingasa

formofpunishment(1979,p.107).Here,theideathatobstaclesarerequiredto

disciplinethosewhoarenotinpositionsofpowerisfoundtobeexplicitwithinthe

texts.TheGreatLibraryofClayrinLiraelhasnoelectricityoraccesstotechnology

(Nix2001,pp.160-161),comparabletotheentireHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraft

andWizardry(GoFpp.475-476).Bothlibrariesrepresenttraditionallibraries

beforetheadventofcomputersandtheInternet,thustherearenocomputer

cataloguestoassistinsearches,orwebsitestoaccessoreBookstoreadinstantly.

Correspondingly,MaynardandMcKennanotetherenderingofthelibraryinSpud

Murphyisalso‘serious’and‘old-fashioned’(2005,p.125),withthedepictionofa

cardcatalogueandnoevidenceofcomputers(2005,pp.125-126).Suchtradition

correlatestotheneedformanualsearchesofthe(ifavailable)cataloguesand

shelves.Thiscanprovetobeanobstacleasthetimeneededtosearchismuch

greaterthanthatifInternetaccessoreBookswereavailable.

33

InLirael,whenitisrevealedthattheeponymousprotagonistneedsinformationto

learnhowtocommitsuicide,itisacknowledgedthatsomebooksareremoved

fromthegeneralcollection,‘lockedaway’bytwomeans;‘charmandkey’(2001,p.

25).SuchobstaclestoinformationensurethatLirael’splannedsuicidemustwait

untiltheinformationisprocured.Thecensoringofinformationthroughthe

removalorlockingawayofparticularitemsfromthecollectionisanimpediment

totheprotagonists.However,thishindranceispositiveinthisinstance,becauseif

Liraelhaddiscoveredtheinformationsherequired,shepresumablywouldhave

beensuccessfulinkillingherself.Thisreinforcestheconceptofthedangersof

someformsofinformation.

Further,Liraeldiscoversthat‘TherewerebestiariesintheLibrary,sheknew,but

findingandgettingaccesstothemcouldbeaproblem’(2001,p.95).Theuseofthe

terms‘findingandgettingaccess’denotesthatdiscoveringthelocationof

resourcescanbeproblematic,evenforastaffmember.Oncefound,though,

accessingtheitemmayposefurtherproblems,assomeitemsarechainedand

cannotberemovedorusedwithoutalibrarian’sknowledge.Thelibraryisfurther

illustratedasexplicitlyobstructive,particularlywhenLiraelmustlearnhowto

stopadangerousbeingfromescapingintothemainareasofthelibraryandthus

posingathreattotheClayr;

Withinaweek,shemanagedtosecretlyobtaincopiesofOntheMakingofSendings

andSuperiorSendingsinSeventyDays,asTheMakingandMasteryofMagical

Beingsprovedtoodifficulttospiritoutofitslockedcase.Thebestiariesproved

troublesometoo,asalltheonesshecouldfindwerechainedtotheirshelves.She

dippedintothemwhennoonewasaround,butwithoutimmediatesuccess.

Clearly,itwouldtakesometimetofindoutexactlywhatthecreaturewas.(2001,

p.107)

Theuseoftheadverb‘secretly’revealsthatalthoughtheinformationisrestricted

fromLirael,shemanagestofindawaytoprocureit.Theword‘spirit’denotesthe

lightnessoftouchneededtoremoveabook,anditis,inthisinstance,toodifficult

forLirael,assheisstillintheprocessoflearningtheartofmagic.The‘chained’

booksdenoteanarchaicandmedievallibraryinwhichmanybookswereattached

toshelvingandaccesslimited(Murray2012,p.39),thenoiseofthemovingchain

34

alertinglibrarianstotheiruse.ThisrecallsthePanopticorganisationofthelibrary,

whereobservationandrestrictingaccesstoinformationarekeystocontrol.The

employmentoftheadverb‘clearly’demonstratesthattheinformationisnot

readilyavailable.Lirael’slackofimmediatesuccessandthe‘seventy-threedays

beforeshefoundabestiarythattoldherwhatthecreaturewas’(2001,p.108),

indicatesherengagementwithovercomingobstaclesintheLibrary.Thefactthat

thenarratorexplicatesthenumberofdaysittookLiraeltolocatetherequired

informationspecifiesthelevelofcomplicationthelibraryplacesbeforeher:‘In

thosetenweeksofworry,studyandpreparation,shehadsearchedthrougheleven

bestiaries’(2001,p.108).TherepetitionofthelengthoftimeLiraelsearchesfor

theinformationdemonstratesthatsheisapersistentandresilientproblem-solver.

Further,therepetitioususeofnounstodescribehergroundworkdetailsthe

complexityofhertask.

TheHogwartslibrary’sRestrictedSection(PSp.145)andthecompleteremovalof

booksdeemedinappropriatefromthelibrary(DHp.88)intheHPseriesis

reflectiveoftherestrictionsintheGreatLibraryofClayr.Thereareseveralfamiliar

elementsinplacetorendertheHogwartslibraryobstructive.Youngerstudentsare

restrictedinthematerialtheymayborrowfromthelibrary(PSp.146),onlythose

whoare‘olderstudentsstudyingAdvancedDefenceAgainsttheDarkArts’(PSp.

146)mayborrowfreelyfromthelibrary.Studentsinyearsonetosixaredenied

admittancetothe‘RestrictedSection’ofthelibrarywithoutanotefromateacher.

Theconceptthat‘Bookscanbemisleading,’(CoSp.220),declaredbyauthorand

teacherProfessorLockhart,isafurtherexampleofobstaclestoinformation.The

needtoemploycriticalevaluationskillswhenpresentedwithinformationthatis

potentiallyfalseandevendamagingisovert.Althoughitistruethattitleslocated

intheRestrictedSectioncontain‘powerfulDarkMagicnevertaughtatHogwarts’

(PSp.198),Harryandhisfriendssavethelivesofothersduetotheinformation

theydiscoverintheRestrictedSection,bookstheyarenotmeanttoaccess.

WhilebothLiraelandHarryencounterphysicalandmagicalboundariestotheir

questforinformation,MartyandWill,thebrothersinSpudMurphy,ahumorous

butrealisticstory,findthebarrierstobepurelyphysical.OnceWillandMartyhave

35

readthesmallcollectionoftitlesinthechildren’ssectionandaredesperatefor

morereadingmaterials,theybegintodevisewaysofgainingaccesstoresources

thataren’tdesignatedforthem.(2004,pp.58-61).Thiscollaborativeproblem-

solvingandagency,enabledthroughtheobstructiontothewidevarietyof

resourcesheldinthelibrary,allowstheboysentrytoadiversecollectionofbooks.

Althoughtheboysareobservedbreakingtherules,andthusseizedbySpud

Murphy,theiruseofcollaborativeproblem-solvingduetoanobstructivelibraryis

ultimatelyrewarded.ThelibrariangrantsWillanadultlibrarycard,entitlinghim

toenteranysectionofthelibraryandtoborrowanybookthelibrariandeems

appropriate.Althoughthereisstillanelementofcensorshippresent,thewayin

whichtheboyssolvetheirproblemandquestiontheobstructivenessofthelibrary

resultsinWillgainingaccesstothemajorityofthematerialslocatedinthelibrary.

Thelibraryengendersproblem-solvingandagencypurelyinrelationtoits

obstructiveness.

However,aswithFoucault’sconceptofobstaclesasnecessary,heidentifiesthat

barriersmustbetemporary:

Thepenaltytransforms,modifies,establishessigns,arrangesobstacles.Whatuse

woulditbeifithadtobepermanent?Apenaltythathadnoendwouldbe

contradictory:alltheconstraintsthatitimposesontheconvictandofwhich,

havingbecomevirtuousoncemore,hewouldneverbeabletotakeadvantage,

wouldbelittlebetterthantorture;andtheeffortmadetoreformhimwouldbeso

muchtroubleandexpenselostbysociety(1979,p.107).

Similarly,impedimentswithinthelibrariesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyare

transitory.Theobstaclescanbeevadedduetotheagencyandproblem-solving

skillsoftheprotagonists.However,inBoy,itappearsthattheobstaclesfacing

Melvin,wheretheycanneverbeovercome,willformakindoftorture(Foucault

1979,p.107).Foucaultidentifiespunishmentthatisperpetualdoesnot

rehabilitate,butinsteadbecomesasourceoflosstosociety,wherethepunished

areunabletoreconstructthemselvesandtheirlives(1979,p.107).Fromthemid-

pointofBoy,whenMelvinisinthefirstgrade,hestopsthinkingforhimselfand

conversingwiththelibrarians.Hisinteractionswiththelibrarianstaketheformof

themdirectinghimandreadingtohim.Hisvoicedoesnotappearagaininthetext

36

untilheisanadult,agraduatelibrarian.Hisnaturalcuriosity,evidentpreviously,

isnowextinguished,formingatorturousafflictiontohispersonalityandgrowth.

AlthoughtheobstaclestoinformationinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyare

conquered,Melvinisunabletooverthrowthoseinhiscircumstances.Melvin,asa

veryyoungboy,isunabletochallengethecontrolofthelibraryandlibrarians.As

explicatedbythetitleofBoy,thelibrariansareMelvin’sdefactofamily,andhis

needfortheirloveoverpowershisinformationneeds.

DangerousLibraries

Dangerouslibrariesaresymbolicofthepoweroftheprivilegedgroupoverothers.

InLirael,theHPstoriesandSpudMurphy,librariesareacknowledgedasdangerous

places.TheGreatLibraryofClayrcontains‘dangerousthingsanddangerous

knowledge’(2001,p.61),whileinHP,somelibraryholdingsaredetermined

treacherous,andthuslocatedintheRestrictedSection.Further,allbookswith

referencestoHorcruxeshavebeencompletelyremovedfromtheHogwartslibrary,

unavailableevenintheRestrictedSection(HBPp.357).SpudMurphy’slibraryisa

placeoffear(2004,pp.8-11,pp.17-20)andpunishment(2004,p.43).These

depictionsallreinforceRadfordandRadford’sidentificationoflibrariesasplaces

offear(2001,p.303).ByusingFoucault’sconceptsofcontrolanddiscipline,they

equatethelibrarywiththeprison,basedontheirshared‘inscrutablerulesof

behaviour’(Radford&Radford2001,p.303).Thelibraryanditseffectonits

patronsinBoy,personifiedbyMelvin,contrastswithSpudMurphy’slibrary;while

stillbeingclassifiedandmethodicallyarranged,itprovidesthestimulationand

opportunityfortheboystofavourablychallengethePanopticlayout.Thelibraryin

BoyisthecompleteoppositetothosedepictedinHP,SpudMurphyandLirael.A

highlyorganisedandostensiblyhelpfullibraryisunabletoprovideachallengeto

Melvintoprocurehisowninformationanddevelopproblem-solvingskillsashe

matures,whereasthelibrariesinHPandLiraelcontributetotheprotagonists’

agency,astheirneedforinformationengendersknowledgeandskillspreviously

unattainable.Thus,theconceptofthelibrarybeing‘ultimatelydeterminedbythe

discourseoffear’(Radford&Radford,2001,p.325)canbedisputed.

37

HarryPotterdiscoversthatsomeofthebookshousedinthelibrarynotonly

containdangerousideas,butarealsophysicallythreatening.Abookscreamsat

him(PSp.151),implyingviolenceorhorror.EvenafterHarryisabletodiscovera

waytoaccesstheRestrictedSectionofthelibrary,therealobstructionsinthis

instancearethebooksthemselves,assomeareinunrecognisablelanguagesand

unabletobeunderstoodandotherscouldnotbeopened(PSp.151).Thistheme

impliesthepotentialdangerofbooksandinformation,whichprovidesalessonto

thetrioonbecomingmorecriticalseekersofinformation.

AswithHarry,MartyandWill,Liraelalsohasdifficultyacquiringtheinformation

shecraves.WhileexploringasectionoftheGreatLibrary,shemistakenly

unleashesadangerouscreature(2001,p.86).ItisacknowledgedbyLiraelthatshe

isresponsibleforallowingsuchatreacherousbeingtothreatenthesafetyand

wellbeingofthelibrarystaff.Althoughaccidentallyreleased,theStilkenthreatens

thesafetyofLirael’scolleagues.Despitethelibrarybeingacceptedasadangerous

locationtowork,Liraelisdeterminedtosolelycorrecttheproblemthatsheherself

created.Herdevelopingknowledgeofthelibraryassistsherindetermininghowto

solvethisparticularproblem,resultinginaself-reliancethatassistshergrowth.

Resistingtheobstructivelibrary

TheprotagonistsinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphydisplayproblem-solvingskills,

resilienceandagencywhendevisingmethodstoovercomeobstaclestotheir

informationneeds.Harryandhisfriendsoftenreturntothelibrary,although‘they

hadalmostgivenuphopeofeverfinding[informationaboutNicolas]Flamelina

librarybook…’(PSp.158).Theirpersistenceinseekinginformationisrewarded

when,onthisoccasion,thestudentsdiscoverinformationregardingNicolasFlamel

onthereverseofachocolatefrogcard(PSp.160),anitemdesignedforchildren,

ratherthanalibrarybookwrittenandselectedbyanadult.Thisoccurswhenthe

studentsbroadentheirsearchforinformationduetothebarriersthelibrary

provides.Theiragencyandproblem-solvingskillsensurethattheynowrecognise

38

thattherearemultipleareasofaccesstoinformation,asrequiredfortheirquests.

Liraelnegotiatestheobstructionsofthelibrarybybreakingthespellofhercharm

bracelettoaccessareasinthelibrarysheisunauthorisedtoenter(2001,p.71).

Similarly,whensheisfacingadversityinunearthinginformationinordertodefeat

thebeingsheunwittinglyunleashedintheGreatLibrary,itispurelytenacityand

serendipitythatleadshertotheinformationregardingtheStilken(BurekPierce

2004,p.77).Whilethesomewhatrandomandserendipitousnatureofthe

accessibilityofinformationwithinthevariouslibrariesishighlighted,itisLirael’s

convictionthatshemustsolvetheproblemoftheStilkenherself,without

surrenderingherself-determinationtoadults(BurekPierce2004,p.77),that

demonstratesherdevelopingagency.SuchforaysassistLiraelin‘definingherself’

(Campbell2014,p.220),andheridentityisforgedthroughsuchexperiences

(Danehy2007,p.82).Crucially,thisagencyhasreplacedherdesiretocommit

suicide.

SpudMurphy’sWillandMartyalsoconstructthesolutiontotheirproblemof

accessingwiderreadingmaterialswithoutadultintervention,byremovingtheir

shoesandsneakingintothelibraryproper.Eschewingtheassistanceoflibraries

andlibrariansatimportantjuncturesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphydemonstrates

theyoungpeople’schallengetolibrariesthat‘guardandcontrol’(Radford&

Radford1997,pp.260-261)andlibrarianswhopresentas‘gatekeepers’(Burek

Pierce2004,p.79).However,thesecontrols,perhapsironically,animateLirael,

Harry,RonandHermione,andWillandMartytoseektheinformationtheyrequire

fromvariedsourcesthatresultsinthedevelopmentoftheirskillsinproblem-

solving.Theseprotagonistsevadetherepressiondesignedbyadults,intheformof

surveillanceandphysicalandmagicalbarriers,toregulatetheiraccessto

informationandknowledge.Harry,Lirael,andWillandMartypushtheboundaries

regardingobstaclestoinformationthatthelibrariespresenttothem.Liraellearns

toaddelementstohermagicalbracelettoenableaccesstoforbiddenareasofthe

library.Harryandhisfriendsundertakeindependentresearchthatincludesthe

increasinglyskilfulquestioningofothers.WillandMartyphysicallyevadethe

barriersdesignedtocontainthemandtheirinformationneeds.Theseprotagonists

39

areallrewardedfortheirattemptsinvaryingways.

Itisnoticeable,though,thatBoydiffersfromHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy,asMelvin

isunabletochallengethebarrierstohisinformationneeds.Thisisanexampleof

howawell-orderedlibraryleadstothecrushingofcuriosityandthedenialof

higher-orderthinkingskills.Melvinwasanintelligentandcuriousyoungboywho

hadmanyandvariedinterestswhenhefirstbeganvisitingthelibrary.AsIwill

discussinchapterthree,Melvin’slackofspeechformuchofhisyouthsymbolises

thathebecomesaproductofthecontrollinglibraryandhefailstorealisethatthe

completecontrolthelibraryexertsstifleshisintellectualgrowthandself-

determination.

Thischapterhasdemonstratedthatforprotagonists,obstacleswithinlibrariesare

important,astheneedtodevelopproblem-solvingskillsisrequiredtoovercome

them.Higher-orderthinkingskills,includingcriticalthinking,analysisand

evaluation,logicandreasoning,creativethinkingandapplicationtorealworld

problemsarenecessarytocombatobstructivelibraries.Theabilitytoacquire

informationindifficultcircumstancestransformsthisinformationintoknowledge,

whichsubsequentlyleadstoagencyandpower.Allofthesemethodsare

interrelatedandarevitalstepsintheprotagonists’growth.Theactofsearchingfor

informationempowerstheheroesintheirquest.BoyisdifferentiatedfromHP,

LiraelandSpudMurphyasMelvinisunabletoundertaketheeffortsrequiredto

challengetheobstaclesinhisspecificlibrary.Chapterthreewilladdressthewayin

whichlibrariansprovidefurtherbarrierstotheaccessofinformation.

40

Chapterthree.‘"Isaid,whatdoyouwant?"’:obstructivelibrarians.ThestereotypicallibrariantropethatisemployedinHP,SpudMurphy,andtoa

degree,LiraelandBoy,ispejorative.However,itispurposelyappliedinthetexts

forliteraryreasonsandplotdevelopment,givingprotagonistsasafeplacetotest

theiragency.Althoughlibrarieshavebeenproventobedangerousplaces,theyare

saferthantheoutsideworldforHarryPotterandLirael,atleast.Radfordand

Radford(2001,pp.324-325)claimthatlibrarianstereotypesareneededasthey

areeasilyrecognisedbythemasses,wherethe‘culturalcode’oflibrariesand

librariansensurestheirrecognition(Radford&Radford2001,pp.324-325).While

itistruethatseveralfeaturedlibrariansarethepersonificationofthecontrolof

accesstoknowledge,thereiscertainlycauseforanalysingtheoutcomesofsuch

hindrancetoinformationamenityinchildren’sandYAliterature.Thelibrariansin

LiraelandSpudMurphyareshowntobesubversivetodifferingdegrees;librarians

areultimatelyrenderedaswarriorsinLirael,andostensibly‘librarypoliceman’

SpudMurphyrelaxeslibraryrulesforregulation-breaking.However,thereis

tensioninthetextswheretheappearanceisthatheroescanchallengeexisting

ideologies.Whatisleftunquestioned,though,isthatthemajorityofchild

charactersareunabletoconfrontandnegotiatesuchpower.

Theindividualcanbesubjectedtopowerbyothersthroughnon-violentandsubtle

means(Foucault1979,p.26).Thiscanbealignedwiththewayinwhichlibrarians

obstructyoungpeople’saccesstoinformationandknowledgeinHP,Lirael,Spud

MurphyandBoy.Ifthisobstructionisdeliberateandformsatypeofcensorship,in

whichresourcesareunattainableandpeopleneedtoprovetheyareworthyto

accessinformation,itisproblematic.Censorshipcantakemanyforms,butcanbe

distilledas‘…actionswhichsignificantlyrestrictfreeaccesstoinformation’

(Moody2005,p.139).Alloftheselectedtextsfeaturebothlibrariesandlibrarians

thatwieldtheirpoweroverpatronsthroughsubtlemeanswherevariousformsof

censorshipoccur.

Whileitistruethatlibrarianshipisafeminisedprofession(Carmichael1992,Piper

&Collamer2001,p.406,Lutz2005,p.6),andthus,itcouldbeexpectedthat

41

femalelibrariansfeatureintheselectedtexts,allofthelibrarianscharacterisedin

booksarewomen,withtheexceptionofMelvin,whograduatesasalibrarianatthe

conclusionofBoy.Theuseofthestereotypicalmiddle-agedorelderly,cardigan

wearing,unattractivewomanlibrariancanbeinterpretedasusefultoplot

development,withfearofthelibrarianobligingtheprotagoniststoseekother

avenuesofknowledge.ApartfromLirael,whobecomesanassistantlibrarian,allof

theprotagonistsaremale,andthisprovidesapatternintermsofthewayfemale

librariansareconstructedasopponentstotheboyprotagonists.However,the

stereotypicalrenderingofthelibrarianissubvertedtodifferingdegreesinSpud

MurphyandLirael,leavinggapsinthetextthatraisequestionsabouttheportrayal

ofthestereotype.Suchstereotypicallibrariansincludethe‘librarypoliceman’,

whererulesmustbeobeyedleavingnoroomforjudgement;the‘witchy’librarian,

whoseparsimonymanifestsasugliness;‘helpful’librarians,whoappeartoassist

patronsonthesurface,yetcontroltheirinformationalrequirementsand

‘emotionallyunintelligent’librarianswhoareentirelyunabletorelatetotheir

patronsandtheirneeds.The‘warrior’librarianopposesandsubvertstheprevious

clichés.

The‘librarypoliceman’

Foucault’stheory‘…thatpowerandknowledgedirectlyimplyoneanother…’

(1979,p.26)iscommensuratewiththewayinwhichlibrariansmanagetheyoung

librarypatronsthatfrequenttheirlibraries.Itappearsthatallofthelibrariansin

theselectedtextsareapprehensiveaboutpermittingtheirchargesfreeaccessto

information,andthustobecomeknowledgeableandpowerful.Theostensibly

negativeportrayaloflibrariansdevelopswiththestereotypeofthesevere

‘policemanlibrarian’(Seale2008,n.p.)thatispresentintheHPseriesandSpud

Murphy,whilethelibrariansinBoyaredepictedmoreasakindlyconstabulary,

andtheChiefLibrarianinLiraelisformidable(Nix2001,pp.64-65).Inoneofthe

HPcompanionbooks,Quidditch,aquoteonthefrontmatterfromschoollibrarian

MadamPinceappears,demonstratingtheseverepunishmentshewilldeliverifthe

bookisdamaged:

42

Awarning:ifyourip,tear,shred,bend,fold,deface,disfigure,smear,smudge,

throw,droporinanyothermannerdamage,mistreatorshowlackofrespectto

thisbook,theconsequenceswillbeasawfulasitiswithinmypowertomake

them.

IrmaPince,HogwartsLibrarian(Quidditch2001,n.p)

Theuseofrepetitionregardinganytypeofdamagedonetoabookconveysthat

thiswillresultinpunishment.Theuseofsimilerelatingtotheconsequencesofany

blemishuponthetextleadsthereadertoinferwhatsuchconsequencesmightbe;

theresultisthelimitoftheirimagination.Furtheremploymentofsimileoccurs

whenMadamPinceisdescribedashavinga‘vulture-likecountenance’(HBPp.

288),comparingthelibrariantoaviciousbirdofprey.MadamPinceispresented

asafiguretobefearedbythestudents,readytoattackwhennecessary.Sheis

explicitlycastasthestereotypicalobstructivelibrarian,or‘librarypoliceman’,

forminganoverwhelminglylargeshadowoverthelibraryinhercare.Itisnot

surprisingthatalthoughsheistheonlytrainedinformationprofessionalwithinthe

HogwartsSchool,MadamPinceisunwillinglyconsultedbystudents(andstaff)on

onlyrareoccasions.EvenHeadmasterDumbledoreisawareofMadam’sPince’s

policingofthetreatmentoflibrarybooks;Pleasebecarefulhowyoutreatthisbook…IcannotpromiseMadamPincewillnot

swoopdownonyou,whereveryouare,anddemandaheavyfine.

AlbusDumbledore(Quidditch2001,p.vii).

Theuseof‘swoop’inametaphoricfashiongivesfurtherweighttoMadamPince’s

numerousdescriptionsofbeingvulture-like(CoSp.124,GoFp.419).The

renderinghereofthelibrarianasdeadlyissymbolicofwhatHarryandhisfriends

mustchallengeinthewiderwizardingworld.AlthoughMadamPince’sobstruction

toresourcesislessthansubtle,itdoesrepresentthestrugglebetweenpowerand

knowledge,asacknowledgedbyFoucault(1979,p.26).

SimilartoMadamPince,thelibrarianinSpudMurphyisalsoalibrary‘policeman’.

Sheisafearedcreature,whoisaccusedofpossessinga‘spudgun’andwho‘shoots

kidswithitiftheymakeanoiseinthelibrary’(2004,p.10).Hertightlytiedhair

illustratesthatsheisuptightandcontrolling.Whiletheconceptofacommanding

librarianismadeexplicitbeforetheboyshaveevenenteredthelibrary;‘Asmile

couldgetyouthrownout…ifyoulaughedaloud,youwereneverseenagain’(2004,

43

pp.18-19),therealityisalmostasatrocious.Asenseofforebodingisconveyed

throughthetext,congruentwithWillandMarty’spriorfears.

Figure8.Thefull-colourcoverofThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.

Figure8,fromthecoverofthetext,givesanindicationthatperhapsthefearsofthe

boysarecorrect,astheaforementionedspudgunisillustratedshootingWill

repeatedly,despitehiseffortsinabscondingasquicklyaspossible.Hisfacial

expressionexhibitsfearanddismay.

Figure9.SpudMurphyinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss(2004,p.33).

44

Figure9showsthelibrarystampshangingfromSpudMurphy’swaist.Theyare

evocativeofweapons,primedforbriskutilisation,reminiscentofalawenforcer.

Herstanceimpliesthatsheisreadyforashowdown,claw-likefingerstwitching,

sheispreparedforafightthatsheisequippedtowin.Here,thethreatofviolence

ispresent,andaspolicedoneedtoemploytheirweaponsonoccasions,theriskof

brutalityexists.

Figure10.Will’sfearinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.(2004,p.22).

Figure10depictsastartledWillovershadowedbythemuchlargerlibrarian,

demonstratingherphysicalpoweroverhim.Hisshockeddemeanouris

exemplifiedthroughhissuddenmovementandstartledfacialexpression.The

shadowyoutlineofthelibrarianshowsratherunattractivelargenoseandears,

withpointedfingeroutstretched,makinghercommandingintentionsclear.Sucha

depictionsignifiesthatsheisnotatallfeminine,andhermasculinityaddstothe

boys’fearofher.SpudMurphy’sugliness,andthusmostprobably,spinsterhood,

reinforcesthestereotypicalexecutionoflibrarians.Alloftheillustrationswithin

thetextareblackandwhite,withafeelingreminiscentofRoaldDahlillustrator

QuentinBlake’sstyleofmovementandhumorousexaggeration.However,asblack

andwhiteillustrationstendtosuggest‘authenticity’(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.

281),thereisatensioncreatedbetweenthefearoutlinedinthetextandthe

somewhatplayful,butamplifieddrawings.Theresultingambiguity(Nikolajeva&

Scott2013,p.30)createsanintriguinggapforthereadertodevisetheirown

understanding.However,thereaderispositionedtoqueryWill’sversionofevents

45

ashisdrollnarrativeandtheaccompanyingillustrationsmeldtoformacomedy

thatisreliantonWill’ssomewhatdistortedperspective.

TheconceptofFoucault’sdisciplineandpunishmentisexplicitinSpudMurphy.

ThelayoutandorganisationofthelibraryisagainreflectiveofFoucault’snotionof

quarantine,anenclosedspacewheretheconceptofPanopticismisenforced

(1979,p.216)throughthelibrarianbeingeverwatchfuloftheusers’actions.This

isparticularlytrueforSpudMurphyaseverytimetheboysemergefromthe

librarian’simposedboundaries,theyareidentifiedasbreakingtherules.The

librarianhastotalcontrolofthebehavioursoftheyounglibraryusers,and

punishesthemwhentheybreakthenonsensicalboundariesshehasimposed.

However,oncetheboysareunderhercontrolanddonotbreakanyrules:‘Spud

Murphygenerallyleftusalonesolongaswereturnedourbooksontimeanddidn’t

makeanynoiseonthecarpet’(2004,p.55).ThePanopticonlayoutofthelibrary

withitspowerofsurveillancesubjugatesitsusersintospecificbehaviours.

However,whensurveillancebreaksdown,theboysareabletobegintheir

explorationsofthelibrary.

Figure11.Spud’spowerinThelegendofSpudMurphyillustratedbyTonyRoss.(2004,p.27).

AlthoughtheillustrationsinSpudMurphyareexaggerated,figure11,above,

demonstratestothereaderthesheerdifferenceinsizebetweenSpudMurphyand

Will,asperceivedbyWill,thefirst-personnarrator.Shewearsslipperssothatshe

46

cansneakquietlyaroundthelibrary,scrutinisingthebehaviourofusers,further

aligningwiththePanopticemploymentofsurveillance.Thelibrarianisina

positionofpoweroverWill,notjustbecauseofherroleaslibrarian,butalsoher

physicalextent,‘SpudMurphyglareddownfromagreatheight.Shewasbig.Taller

thanmydad,andwiderthanMumandmytwoauntiesstrappedtogether’(2004,

pp.23-4).Here,theillustrationsreinforcethe‘truth’ofthetext,SpudMurphyis

confirmedinbothtextanddrawingasalargeandimposingperson.Further,the

useoftheword‘glared’impliesthatsheisnotalibrarianwhomakeschildren,at

least,welcomeinthelibrary.Will’sdescriptionofthelibrarian’ssizemakesuseof

blackhumour;makinglightofwhat,innineyear-oldWill’smind,isafrightening

situation.AssheleansoverWill,againpointingherfingertoreinforceher

command,SpudMurphyexplainsthatWillandhisbrothermustsitandstayonthe

tinypieceofmatandreadonlyfromthesmallbookshelf,asillustratedinfigure7.

Here,thelibrarianisobstructingtheboys’accesstotheremainderofthelarge

librarybyinsistingthattheymust‘Stayonthecarpet,ortherewillbetrouble’

(2004,p.26).AswithMadamPince’sthreats,thestatementthat‘therewillbe

trouble’leavesaworryinggapthatthereadermayfill.Thereisnoreasongivenfor

theboys’prohibitionfromthegenerouscollection.Further,theboysareexplicitly

instructedthattheyarenotallowedtoenterthelibrarytoilets,astheyarenot

locatedinthechildren’ssectionofthelibrary.Here,ruleenforcementisraisedtoa

new,barbariclevel.

AlthoughSpudMurphyisnotpresentedasapositivestereotype(Maynard&

McKenna2005,p.128),thetemporarysubversionofthecliché,whereSpudgrants

WillanadultlibrarycardlateinthetextofSpudMurphy(2005,p.128)iswelcome.

Thesemi-subversionofthe‘policeman’librariantrope,coupledwiththe

somewhatexaggeratedillustrativestyle,includingthedrawingonthefrontcover

ofanincidentthatneveractuallyoccurs,eventuallyrendersSpudMurphyasa

humorousbook.Thisgivescredencetotheuseofthefirst-personnarrator,who,as

itcomestolight,isnotthemostreliablenarrator,althoughthisappearstobethe

unintentionalresultofWill’sfearofSpudMurphyduetoherreputation.The

tensionsbetweenthetextandtheillustrationsarethusresolved.However,theuse

47

ofhumourreinforcesthelibrarianstereotypewhereimpliedreadersare

encouragedtolaughatSpudMurphy.

AswithSpudMurphy,MadamPinceflauntsaweaponofsortsatchildren.Harry

Potterbrowsesthelibraryearlyinhisfirstyearandwhenheisunabletoverbalise

hisinformationneeds,‘MadamPincethelibrarianbrandishedafeatherdusterat

him.“You’dbettergetoutthen.Goon–out!’”(PSp.146).MadamPinceisneither

welcomingnorhelpful.ThelibrariandoesnotencourageHarrytousethelibrary,

andheruseof‘Goon–out!’,alongwiththebrandishingofafeatherdusterdoes

notresemblethewayinwhichlibrariansaretaughttouse‘thereferencequestion’,

wherelibrariansencouragepatroninquiriesandassistlibraryuserstodiscover

theresourcestheyneed(Brown2008,p.1).Eventheword‘brandished’suggestsa

swordorotherweaponwieldedatthenewlyenrolledeleven-year-oldstudent.The

flourishingofthefeatherdusterisreminiscentofSpudMurphy’sspudgun,where

library‘policemen’totetheirweaponsofchoicetocontrolchildrenintheirlibrary.

MadamPincealsoemploysherwandasaweapon(again)whenremovingHarry

Potterfromthelibraryforeating;‘…whippingoutherwand,shecausedHarry’s

books,bagandinkbottletochasehimandGinnyfromthelibrary,whackingthem

repeatedlyovertheheadastheyran’(OoPpp.577-8).Thisdemonstratesa

librarianwhovaluesonlylibrarybooksandnotthegainingorsharingof

informationthatshouldcomefromthetomes.Shecertainlydoesnotvaluepatrons

asshepracticallyassaultsHarryforeatinginthelibrary.Theuseofthepresent

tenseimpliesanurgencyandaviolenceinhercountenance.MadamPinceappears

todoherbesttodeterthemfromusingthelibraryatall;‘…thelibrarianprowled

theaislesmenacingly,breathingdownthenecksofthosetouchingherprecious

books’(OoPp.475).MadamPinceappearstofeelanownershipofthebooksinher

chargeastheterm‘herpreciousbooks’illustrates,thussheguardsthem

overzealously.Thelibrarianis‘menacingly’‘prowling’and‘breathingdowntheir

necks’implyingthatsheisuncomfortablyclosetothestudents,lookingfortrouble,

eagertofindastudentengagedinamisdemeanour.Sheisagainlikenedtoan

unpredictablewildanimal,readytopounce,attackandpunishrulebreakers.

48

‘Prowling’isusedtodescribeMadamPinceinfurthervolumes(HBPp.285),which

certainlydenotesherasastereotypical“policeman”librarian.

HarryPotter’sentrytothelibraryinPSatnight(PSp.151)isanevasionofthe

observationofthelibrariancomparabletothatofWillandMarty.Similarly,Lirael

usesthebreakinvisualcontrolbytheentirestaffoflibrarianstoaccessanyofthe

previouslyforbiddenlibraryareasorbooksinwhichsheisinterested(2001,p.

112).HeretheprotagonistsbreaktheconceptofthePanopticmodeofself-

surveillance,asthedesireforinformationandknowledgeoutweighstheirfearof

thelibrarian.

‘Witchy’librarians

Foucault’sconceptthatrepresentationismoreimportantthanreality(1979,pp.

94-95)canbeemployedregardingtherenderingofthefemalelibrarian.Women

whoareportrayedaswitches,particularlyincontemporarychildren’sandYA

literature,arethefulcrumofthehistoryoffolk-andfairy-tales.Thewitchin

children’sliteratureisoftenportrayedas‘awomanwhoseoutwarduglinessisa

reflectionofherinwardevil…’(Donlan1972,p.608).Sheisaperson‘with

detestableflaws…’(1972,p.608),butwhoisable‘tocontrolherenvironment’

(1972,p.608).HP’sschoollibrarianMadamPinceisthepersonificationofa

stereotypicalwitch;sheisdescribedthroughtheuseofsimileasa‘thin,irritable

womanwholookedlikeanunderfedvulture’(CoS1998,p.124).SpudMurphy’s

ageandappearance,asseeninfigure4,furtherelicitaperceptionof‘witchiness’.

Heroutline,depictedinfigure3,showsalargenoseandearsandclaw-likehands

andfingersthatarereminiscentoffairy-talewitches.Herugliness,andtherefore

witchiness,isexplicit,justfromhershadow.Theuseofphysiognomytoreinforce

defectsinpersonalityaboundsinfolkandfairytales,andisalsoemployedinHP

andSpudMurphy.

Scholarshaveidentifiedthatmaledominatedcollectionsofstorieshave

constrainedfemalesbydepictinginfluentialwomenas‘witches’(Haase2008,p.

49

336),providinganeffectivemetaphorthatimpliesaggressiveorliberatedwomen

areadangertopatriarchalsociety(Donlan1972,p.609).Theexpectationsrelating

tothewaygenderisunderstoodandoftendepictedinliteraturearesocially

constructed(Goodman,1996,p.vii),andsomeoftheseconstructsarestereotypes

involvingthewaysinwhichbothmalesandfemalesareexpectedtobehave.

Becauselibrarianshipisafeminisedprofession,itisthenconceivablethatmany

librariansinfictionarepresentedaswitches.TheseconstraintsarevisibleinHP

andSpudMurphy,wheretheprotagonistsareprincipallymale.Womenpresented

aswitchesoftenprovidetheprotagonistwithobstacleswhichtheymustovercome

(Haase2008,p.1032),whichisthecasewiththelibrariansinHPandSpud

Murphy.AswithMadamPince,similesarealsoemployedwhendescribingSpud

Murphy;sheispresentedas‘Anelderlywomanwasleaningonthemassive

woodendesk,herknucklesbiggerthanacorns.’(2004,p.23).Thisdescription

evokesasenseoffear;herageandlargeknucklesinferthatshehasa‘witchy’

countenance.

Therepresentationoffemalelibrariansaswitchesisonewhichdisparagesboth

theirgenderandprofession.However,notalllibrariansarepresentedinthis

manner.AlthoughLiraelandherkinfolkareallmagesofsometype,noneofthe

librariansareportrayedasbeing‘witchy’asthisisastoryaboutpowerfulwomen.

ThekindlylibrariansfeaturedinBoyarealsonotsubjecttosuchdepictionsas

theirrenderingsarepurportedtobepositive.Therefore,thelibrarianswhocanbe

classifiedas‘witchy’areusuallymarkedoutbythefactthattheydenyaccessto

information.

Emotionallyunintelligentlibrarians

Manyofthelibrariansintheselectedtextshavetheirownobstacleswhendealing

withlibrarypatrons.ThefirstmentionoflibrariansintheHPseriesalignsthe

professionwithnegativeconnotations;‘…he[Harry]didn’tbelongtothelibrary,

sohe’dneverevengotrudenotesaskingforbooksback’(PSp.30).Theuseofthe

word‘rude’rendersthelibrariansasimpoliteatbestorperhapsevenabusive.As

50

thethird-personnarratorprofessesthisconcept,ithasalargeelementof‘truth’

behindit;thisdenotesthatsuchbehaviourappearstypicaloflibrarians.Asthird-

personnarratorsareoftenabletotellthereadermoreabouttheplotthanone

charactercan(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.71),thereadercandevelopasenseof

trustwiththenarrator,duetotheirapparentobjectivity.TheemploymentofHarry

Potterasfocalisermeansthatreaderstendto‘acceptthevisionpresentedbythat

character’(Bal1980,p.104).Here,theconceptoflibrarianswhocannotrelateto

othersisalreadyexplicit.

ThisthoughtcontinueswhenHarryencountersMadamPince.Onalmostevery

occasion,theirinteractionsareproblematicandprovidefurtherevidenceofthe

powerthelibrarianwieldsoverthestudent.WhenHarryisbrowsingthelibrary

shelves,heisunceremoniouslyexcludedfromthelibrary(PSp.146).When

MadamPincediscoversHarryandGinnyeatingEastereggsinthelibrary,sheuses

magictoassaultthemwiththeirownschoolbags(OoPp.578).Sheisseemingly

unabletoconductaconversationwiththestudents,prizingher‘preciousbooks’

(OoPp.475),overthelearningneedsofyoungpeople.Thisdemonstratesthat

MadamPincefeelsthatthecollectionoflibrarybooksbelongtoher,andthe

adjective‘precious’canbeperceivedasbeingironicinthisinstance.Madam

Pince’spreferenceforbooksoverpeopleandherinabilitytomakepositive

connectionswithstudentsrendersheracharacterwhosepowerisparadoxically

bypassedbytheprotagonistsintheactofseekinginformation.

Thestereotypicalconceptoflibrarianswhoareunabletorelatetopeople,andthat

alibraryisaplaceofsilenceandsolitudeisexplicitinthebeginningofLirael,when

shyandspeechaversefourteen-year-oldLiraelaskstobeemployedintheGreat

LibraryofClayr(2001,p.59);“‘Please,’saidLirael,pursuingthatthoughttothe

logicalplacewhereshecouldavoidpeoplethemost.‘IthinkIwouldliketoworkin

theLibrary’”(p.59).Further,becauseitdenotestheideathatthereisnotraining

requiredtobecomealibrarian,thetropeoftheineptlibrarianisfortified.When

sheisinterviewedforthepositionofthirdassistantlibrarian,Liraelidentifiesthe

ChiefLibrarianasbothpowerfulandfrightening,forgingtheconceptthat

Vancelle’ssuperiorityrendersheraloof(2001,pp.64-65).

51

AnotherlibrarianwhosealoofnessisparamountisSpudMurphy.Herattitude

towardschildren,wheretheyaretreatedaslessthanhuman,isclearwhenshe

shoutsatWillandMarty,duringtheirfirstlibraryvisit,‘fromtheothersideofthe

library…“Whatdoyouwant?...Isaid,whatdoyouwant?”…bangingthedeskwith

aninkstamp’(2004,p.23).Therepeateduseof‘whatdoyouwant?’evokes

MadamPince’sapproachtostudentsandinstigatesthefeelingofbeingunwelcome

inthelibrary.Theviolentuseofaninkstampimpliesashorttemper.Her

prohibitionregardingbathroomvisits(2004,p.26)isanotherdemonstrationof

howSpudMurphyisunabletorelatetochildren.However,althoughextremely

intimidatingtoyoungpeople,inoneinstanceSpudMurphyacknowledgesthat

‘“Booksarewhatthislibraryisfor,sometimesevenIforgetthat”’(2004,p.86).

Althoughheradmissionshowsasignofherattitudetowardschildrensoftening,it

isnotablethatshe,likeMadamPince,stillendorsesbooksoveryoungpeople.

EventhoughtheLivingstoneLibrarylibrariansappeartovalueMelvinoverbooks,

thisapproachalsodemonstratestheirinabilitytorelatewelltothechild.Figure12

illustratesthewayinwhichthelibrariansholdbothphysicalandintellectual

poweroverMelvin,yettheyseemcompletelyunawareoftheireffectonhim.

Figure12.MelvinisphysicallyandintellectuallyoverpoweredinTheboywhowasraisedby

librarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

52

Insteadofplacingthemselvesathislevel,theirheightsandthedeskbetweenthem

demarcatestheirdominance.Figure13alsoestablishesthelibrarians’inabilityto

relatetoMelvin,astheirphysicalstatureandconstantmovementoverwhelmhim.

ThelibrariansareexcitedaboutassistingMelvin,yettheyareignorantofthe

consequencesoftheireagerness.Hissmall,solitaryformisdeficientwhen

measuredagainstthreeadultlibrarians.TheneedMelvinhasforthelibrariansto

lovehim–asaccordingtothetitleofthebook,theyformhissubstitutefamily–

resultsinhisunwillingnesstodisputetheircontrol,andriskrejection.Itappears,

likeMadamPince,SpudMurphyandevenearlyinthetextofLirael,thatthe

librariansareunabletoconversesuccessfullywiththeirpatronstoidentifytheir

needs.Ideally,librariansshouldbeabletodiscusspatrons’information

requirementswiththemtoassistinlocatingthedesiredresources(Brown2008,p.

1).However,thosewhoareunabletoconductopenandbalanceddialoguewith

theirusers,whatevertheirage,areimplementingcontroloftheinstitutionover

theperson.

Figure13.ThecontinuousmovementofthelibrariansinTheboywhowasraisedby

librarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.

53

‘Helpful’librarians

Boy(Morris2007),whichisanostensiblyinnocuouspicturebookwrittenand

illustratedforveryyoungreadersdepictsthreediverseandseeminglyhelpful

librarians.Twoofthethreefemalelibrariansarewhite,wearglasses,andappear

tobemiddle-aged.Onehasalargestatureandiswearingpearls,whiletheother

haszanyhair.Thethirdlibrarianisanextremelythin,youngwomanofcolourwith

dreadlockstiedbackintowhatmaybeperceivedasabun.Betweenthethree

librarians,thestereotypicallibrarianiscomplete;middleaged,female,glasses,bun

andcardiganwearing.

TheillustrationsinBoyareexaggerated,addinghumourtothebook.Thethin

librarianisextremelythin,thelargelibrarianisexcessivelylargeandthezanyhair

onthethirdlibrariancompletelyovertakesherpersona.However,apersonof

colourisawelcomeadditiontothebookgiventheprevalenceofwhitelibrarians

inchildren’sliterature.Nevertheless,Hall(1997,p.258),recognisesthestereotype

asapowerfulsignifier,where‘stereotypingtendstooccurwheretherearegross

inequitiesofpower’(author’sitalics).Initially,itmaybethoughtthattheinequities

ofpowerarefeltbythosesubjectedtostereotyping.However,thosewhoare

stereotypedcanformagroup,andthosewhoareexcludedfromtheassociation

areclassifiedas‘“other’”(Hall1997,p.259).Thus,anyuseroftheLivingston

Librarywouldbesubjugatedbythepowerfulgroupofstereotypedlibrarians,and

ashelpfulastheymayseem,Melvin,asachild,findshisinvalidationisaugmented.

ThetriumvirateoflibrariansisinapositionofpowerthatinvolvesFoucault’s

conceptsof‘knowledge,ideasandrepresentation’(Radford&Radford2003,p.

59).Theexaggerationofhavingthreelibrarians(possiblytheentirestaff,asno

othersareillustrated)assistonechildcanbeseenasbeingoverlyhelpful,asthe

textrepeatedlystates‘Theycouldn’thelpit.That’showlibrariansare’(2007,n.p.).

However,deeperanalysisidentifiesthatsuch‘help’isaformofpowerthethree

librarianshaveoverMelvin.

FurtherillustrationsandtextshowMelvinaskingwheretofindinformationon

snakes,andeventhoughtheyweren’trequestedto,allthreelibrarianshelpMelvin

54

byacquiringthedesiredinformationforhim.Figure14depictsthefervourofthe

librariansintheirquesttosupplyMelvinwithinformation.Thefeelingof

movementisrenderedthroughthelargelibrarianstretchingsofarforabookthat

shenearlytopplesoffherstool.Thezanyhairedlibrarian’spointedfingerdeclares

asuccessfulsearch,whilealthoughthelibrarianofcolourbendsdowntoMelvin’s

height,sheinvadeshispersonalspaceandthebooksheproducesisoverlylarge,

whileMelvinappearsminisculebesideitandhesitanttotakeitfromher.

Illustratorsdeploythetechniqueofcontinuousmovementsothat‘viewerstendto

completethelinesinpicturesbyimaginingthemtoextendbeyondtheirdepicted

length’(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.292).Thisiscertainlytrueofthispagewhere

themovementofthethreelibrariansevokesasceneofunceasingagitation.

However,Melvinaskedwheretofindtheinformation,notforthelibrariansto

identifyitonhisbehalf.ItisnotMelvinlookingupthecomputerorreachinginto

theshelvesforthebooks,itisthelibrarians.ThelibrariansdonotaskMelvin

referencequestions,determiningthetypeofinformationheneeds,theycharge

aheadandgivehimbooksrangingfromraisingsnakes,makingpursesandshoes

outofthemtosnakepoemsandblessings.‘That’showlibrariansare.Theyjust

can’thelpit’(2007,n.p.)statesthetext.Suchanexcessivereactiontoasimple

questionfromthechildresultsinthelibrarianscompletelyparalysingMelvinwith

toomuchinformation,withmuchofitirrelevant.Heretheillustrationsconfirmthe

‘truth’ofthetext,withthefranticmovementofthelibrarians,theentirelibrary

staff,consumedinvigorouslysupplyingtheirinterpretationofwhatMelvinis

searchingfor.Herethelibrarianspurporttobeinghelpful.Yetthishelprenders

Melvinmuteformuchofthebook,ashiscuriosityslowlywanes.

Atthebeginningofthebook,Melvinwasanintelligentandcuriousyoungboywho

hadmanyandvariedinterestsandwouldaskquestionsandmakeexclamations.

However,fromthehalf-waypointofthebook,Melvindoesnotspeakagainuntilhe

isauniversitygraduate.Hischildandyoungadultvoicehasbeensilencedbythe

libraryandthelibrarians.Foucaultseesadultssilencingchildrenaspartofthe

Panopticon’sroleofdiscipliningrecalcitrantyouths(Foucault1979,p.294).The

illustrationsconveythetruthofthetextastheyalleithersupportitsexpressionor

gobeyondthetexttotransmitahyper-extendedrevelationthatisexplicit.

55

Throughoutthetext,Melvinexperiencesaretrogradejourneyashemovesfroma

childishindependencetocompletedependenceonthelibrarians.Melvin’s

autonomyisslowlyeroded;hisqueriesdegeneratefromaskingforassistanceto

thelibrariansprovidinghimwithwhattheyassumeareanswers.Serendipityand

happenstanceareimpossible,asistheabilitytoproblem-solve,andthelibrarians’

completecontrolofMelvin’sresearchresultsinalackofautonomyandhis

relianceonadults;thePanopticsurveillanceisstifling.Melvinisneverpicturedor

describedaswanderingindependentlyaroundthelibrary,creatinganopportunity

tobrowsethecollectionandperhapstodiscoversomethingofinterest.The

librariansarealwayspresentandgovernhislibraryuseconstantly.

ThequestionofwhyMelvincontinuouslyreturnstothelibrarywhenthelibrarians

thwarthiscreativityandcuriositycanbeanswered.Therearenotextualor

illustrativementionsofhisfamily,thus,asmentionedbythetitle,thelibrarians

becomehispseudo-familyandthecontrollingroleofparentsistransferred,inthis

instance,tothethreelibrarians.Thisremovesthepossibilityofbeinghumiliated

bythegatekeeper,alibrarian(Radford&Radford2001,pp.318-319),afigureof

authority(p.322),astheyconductalloftheroleswhereapatronmight

misunderstand,andthus,learn.InBoy,thelibrariansremovethefearfromMelvin

astheirconstantscaffoldingensuresthatheisnotatriskofsuchfauxpas.

However,scaffoldingcreatesdependence,ratherthanindependence(Burkins&

Yaris2016,p.3),anditissuchscaffoldingbythelibrariansthroughouthischild-

andyoung-adulthoodthatpreventsMelvinfromdiscoveringinformation

independently.Melvin’sindependenceisunabletodevelopbysuchahegemonic

relationshipwiththelibrarians.Therenderingof‘helpful’librariansinthisbook

demonstratesthattheycanbecontrollinganddis-ablingofyoungpatronsin

relationtofindinginformation,discoveringideas,learning,problem-solvingand

developingagency

56

Warriorlibrarians

Juxtaposedwiththeostensiblyobstructivelibrariansisthe‘warrior’librarian,for

whomcourageandcommitmenttodutyisparamount.TheGreatLibraryofClayr

isdeclaredashousing‘dangerousthingsanddangerousknowledge’(2001,p.61),

andtheequipmentthatalibrarianmayneedinday-to-daytasksincludes

‘weapons,climbingropesandawhistletoattractattentiontoanemergency’

(2001,pp.66-67).Vancelle,theChiefLibrarianhasaswordlayingonherdesk,

whichreinforcestheimplicationofthelibraryasadangerousplace.The

stereotypeoftheweaponcarrying‘librarypoliceman’iscontrastedwithasword-

wieldingwarrior.Thecontrastbetweenthetraditionalinterpretationofthestaid,

ineptlibrarianandtheconceptofthewarriorlibrarianintroducedinLirael

becomesmoreevidentwhenitisexplicatedthatwhenworkinginthelibrary,a

librarian’scallforhelpmaygounheard.Thegapinthetextthatdoesnotexplain

therequirementforweaponsenablesavisionofavastlylargeanddangerous

libraryandfurtherchallengesthestereotypeofthelibrarian.Itisnotuncommon

forlibrarianstolaydowntheirlivesforthebenefitoftheClayrasawhole,either

inperilous‘research,simpleoverwork,oractionagainstpreviouslyunknown

dangersdiscoveredintheLibrary’scollection’(2001,p.83).Althoughthenumber

oflibrarianswhohavegiventheirlivesfortheiroccupationisnotspecified,the

novelmakesitclearthatthelibraryisaperilousplacetowork.Thisrevelation

completelyrendersthelibrarianstereotypedead;itisclearthatlibrariansmustbe

selflessandfearless,puttingthewelfareandwellbeingoftheClayrlibrarypatrons

aheadofthemselves.AlthoughthewarriorlibrariansinLiraelaresubversivein

theircharacteristics,obstructiveelementsremain,suchastheiralmostconstant

surveillanceofthelibraryanditsoccupants(2001,p.76,p.78,pp.134-135),

lendingaPanopticcontroltotheGreatLibrary.

Mitigatingobstructivelibrarians

AstheprotagonistsinHPandLiraelareonthehero’sjourney,itisvitalthatthey

succeedinprocuringtheinformationandknowledgerequiredtosuccessfully

57

concludetheirquests.WillandMartyrequirestimulatingreadingmaterials,while

Melviniscuriousabouttheworld.AsFoucaultnotes,‘thesubmissionofbodies

throughthecontrolofideas’(1979,p.102)demonstratesapositionofpowerby

thoseinauthority.Itisnecessaryfortheseyoungcharacterstochallengethe

librarianswhoattempttorestraintheirunderstanding,andthus,discover

alternativeroutestotheinformationtheyrequire.

LiraelcopeswiththeobstructivelibrariansintheGreatLibraryofClayrwhenshe

waitspatientlyforthetimeswhenthestaffarecalledawaytotheWatch.Assheis

theonlypersonoftheClayrwithouttheSight,herservicesarenotrequired,giving

herthetimeandspacetoexplorethelibraryanditsresourceswithoutbeingunder

surveillance(2001,p.76,p.78).LiraelalsowaitsuntilVancelle,theChiefLibrarian

isasleep,tobreakintoherroomsto‘borrow’Binder,thepowerfulswordneeded

tonullifytheStilken(2001,pp.134-135).Thehero’sjourneyisaidedbythe

discontinuityofadultsurveillanceandauthority.Notonlydoesanybreakin

librarysurveillanceenableLirael’sself-determination,buttheabsenceofadultsin

generalisessentialforbildungsroman.ThescarcityofLirael’scolleaguesenables

thisprotagonisttogrowwithoutadultinterference(Nikolajeva2010,p.16).

WillandMartyevadetheseeminglyferociouslibrarianbypostponingtheir

readingrequirementsuntilSpudMurphyisoccupiedelsewhere.Theyplanto

disruptSpudMurphy’sobstructionfirstbytestingtoseehowshewillreactto

themchallengingherauthority(2004,pp.31-35).Marty,likeninghimselftoahero

(2004,p.29)forattemptingtosubvertthepowerdynamicinthelibrary,is

unsuccessfulinthisinstance,yethelearnsmoreaboutSpudMurphy’sboundaries

andpunishments.Armedwiththisknowledge,theboysthenplananaudacious

raidontheadultfictioncollection,minusshoesandsockstoensuresilence(2004,

p.64).Tofurtherevadedetectionoftheirwrongdoing,theboysplaceachildren’s

titlecoverovertheadultbooktheyarereading(2004,pp.70-71).Theirproblem-

solvingskillsdeveloptothepointofsuccess,astheyreadtheircontrabandbook

foranentireday(2004,pp.73-74);however,eventuallySpudMurphydetectsthe

misdemeanor.Nevertheless,sherewardsWillforbreakingtherules“‘Becauseyou

leftthecarpetforabook.Nottocausemischief.Booksarewhatthislibraryisfor,

58

sometimesevenIforgetthat”’(2004,p.86).Here,thewayinwhichMartyandWill

dealwithSpudMurphyissuccessful,eventhoughtheyarediscoveredbreakingthe

rules.

HarryPotterandhisfriends,too,breakrulestoevadethedetectionoftheschool

librarian.Harry’suseofhisinvisibilitycloaktobreakintothelibraryonChristmas

night(PSp.151)isultimatelyunproductiveintermsofdiscoveringinformation,

however,itencourageshimtoattemptothermethodsofsubterfuge.Hermione

garnersthesignatureofProfessorLockhart,neededtopermithertoborrowatitle

fromthelibrary’sRestrictedSection,throughdeceitfulmeans(CoSp.123).

Hermionebecomesthedefactoand‘IdealLibrarian’(Freier2014,p.8),withher

everevolvingandsuccessfulinformation-seekingstrategiesdeemingMadamPince

obsolete.Harryandhisfriendsalsousearangeofstrategiestodiscover

informationfromavarietyofsourcesthatprecludesthelibrary.Chocolatefrog

cards(PSp.160),dailynewspapers(HBPp.78,DH,p.80)andquestioningothers

(HBPp.63,p.458)allformbeneficialmethodsofgaininginformation,while

Hermioneavoidstheobstructivelibrarianwhensheconjurespreviouslycensored

librarybooksintoherpossession(DHp.88).

Incontrast,MelvinisunabletoevadethelibrariansfromtheLivingstoneLibrary.

Althoughtheyactasproxyforhisfamily,andaretheonlylibrariansintheselected

textstoofferaprotagonistseeminglyhelpfulassistance,thethreelibrarians

surroundMelvinonnumerousoccasions,sothatheisunabletocircumventtheir

control.Melvinisliterallyoutnumberedbythelibrariansandheisunableto

developoremploysuccessfulstrategiestoovercomeand/orevadetheircontrol.In

thissituation,oneyoungboyisunabletoopposethreelibrarians,whocompletely

controlhislearningexperiences.Theconsequencesofthisoverwhelmingpower

thatthelibrarianswieldoverhim,isthatMelvintransitionsfrominquisitivechild

toaphilosophicaldoppelgängeroftheincognisantlibrarians.Hishighly

articulatedrequestsforassistancetofindinformationonfish,bugsandsnakes

devolveintosilence.Thus,Boydemonstratesthataprotagonistwhodoesnot

alreadypossesselementsofagencyandself-reliance,mayfinditdifficultto

challengethehegemonyoflibrariansandthelibrary.

59

Thischapterhasdemonstratedthatthetropeofthestereotypicallibrarian,inall

itsguises,isoftenemployedintextstoobstructtheresearchrequirementofthe

protagonists.However,ifcharactersareabletochallengethecontroloftheirideas

bylibrarystaffthroughproblem-solvingskills,thentheydevelopagencythat

empowersthemtotriumphovertheirspecificnemesis.Almostallformsof

representationoftheprofessionarealignedwithsometypeofpower,howeverthe

portrayaloflibrariansaswitchescanbeviewedasdemonisingthemastheir

powerisfrighteningfromachild’sperspective.Nonetheless,thepassiveideologies

inthetextsthatrelatetotheagencyandpowerneededtochallengeauthority

disallowcertaincharacterstoaccessknowledge.Astheyareunabletodefythe

barrierstoinformationpresentedtothembylibrariesandlibrarians,these

characters,suchasMelvin,remainpowerless.

60

Chapterfour.Conclusion

TheconceptofthePanopticon,conceivedbyBentham(1843)andderivedand

developedbyFoucault(1979),focusesoninstitutionssuchastheprison,army

barracks,hospitals,factoriesandschools(1979,p.228).However,librariesare

institutionsthatcanalsobealignedwithPanoptictheory,wherearchitectureand

surveillanceareemployedtoinfluencethebehavioursofpatrons,whoarethe

subordinatesoflibrarians.Theaimofthelibrarianistokeepresourcesinorderfor

easeofaccess,yetthegoaloftheborroweristodisturbsuchorderbyremoving,

mis-shelvingandborrowingbooks(Radford&Radford1997,pp.255-256).This

oppositioncreatestensionbetweenorderandknowledge,andlibrariansand

patrons,andthistensionisreflectedinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy.Oftenbarriers

suchas‘policeman’,‘helpful’andemotionallyunintelligentlibrariansandlargeand

imposinglibrariesexistinbothrealityandliterature.Fantasyliteratureadds

symbolicobstaclesincludingdangerous,mysteriousandenchantedlibrariesand

‘witchy’librarians.However,forsomeprotagonists,suchoppositionenhancesself-

determination,higher-orderthinkingskillsandagency,andassiststhemonany

queststheymaybeinvolvedin,andintheirjourneytoadulthood.Inliterature,

theselibrariesthenprovideaplacewhereskillsmaybetestedandrefinedbefore

life-threateningsituationsfacetheprotagonists.However,itmustbe

acknowledgedthatcharacterswhodonotyetcontainsomecapacityofself-

determinationandagency,mayfindencounterswithdifficultlibrariansand

obstructivelibrariestooproblematictoovercome.Thus,obstructivelibrariesand

librariansareusefulwhenprotagonistsneedachallengetofurtherdevelopthe

skillsandcouragetheyalreadypossess,buttheyaredistinctlydisadvantageousto

thosewhoareyettodeveloptheseabilities.

BoyshowsthatoverzealouslyhelpfullibrariansworkinginPanopticlibrary

layoutsstifletheintellectualcuriosityanddevelopmentoftheyoungperson.Yet,

thoselibrariansandlibrariesthataredifficulttoengagewithcausechild

protagonists,whoareunabletochallengethem,tobecomeparalysed.However,

forfantasytextssuchasLiraelandHPparticularly,theherobeingtestedbythe

regulatingbodiesofthelibraryanditsstaffleadsthemtochallengethestatusquo

61

andassiststhehero’sjourney.Intheselectedtexts,librariesandlibrariansare

determinedtobeimportantfortheacquisitionofknowledgeandagency,whether

theyarerenderedstereotypicallyorprogressively.Asgainingknowledgeisone

aspectofdevelopingagency(Mills2010,p.300),theauthorsofHP,LiraelandSpud

Murphygrantpowertotheprotagonistsbyacknowledgingthatknowledgeis

provisionalandevolvingandshouldnotbelimitedtoandbyadults.Thesebooks

arenotsomuchacritiqueoflibrariansandthelibrarysystem,butacommentary

onexploringone’sownintellectualagency,asfacilitatedthroughproblem-solving

broughtaboutbythePanopticonandrelatedbarrierstothedesiredinformation.

Astheselectedtextsdemonstrate,andDante’sTheinfernoXXVIremindsus,the

pursuitofknowledgeisworthwhile.

62

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