The original
version of Batgirl was a librarian. You didn’t know this but many
librarians do. Even the American Library Association does, as evidenced
by this bookmark and poster:
I couldn’t find larger resolutions of them whole, but here’s a larger shot of just the art:
Thanks to Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, I have now met two real-life Batgirl librarians.
The first is Angela Smith, lower school librarian at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. She didn’t need me to tell her who Batgirl really is, but I did suggest (when I spoke at Sidwell on 9/21/12) that she dress as Batgirl for Halloween. She was game:
The second is Jess Stork, librarian in the Washington DC system, who set the bar high for future bat-themed events. On 9/13/12, she hosted me for an evening presentation at the Palisades Neighborhood Library, and it was instantly obvious how committed she is:
Yes, those Oreos are bat-configured. (Not bat-flavored, however.)
She is not only a librarian but also an engineering genius. She rigged a laser obstacle course; kids had to reach through to get a book without getting zapped:
Speaking of zapped, a highlight of the evening was a comment from a girl who was about 10 years old: “If Bob Kane was alive, he’d be really mad at you.”
More librarians as Batgirl:
Chrissie Morrison, NY; photo credit John Aiello
Laura Ward and family, PA
Krystle Tiedeman, PA (in her Batgirl-decorated office)
Tangential P.S.: It appears many librarians are finding this post. If you are one of them, please also see this post...and if you are convinced by it, comment under it. (Some would argue that it, too, is about a hero, though not one with a cape.) The post has already generated one of the most overwhelming response rates this blog has seen, but I want and need more. The more positive feedback I get, the more likely that book will happen...[1/6/14 addendum: I sold the book!]
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