Pop Culture Series #1: In which the library saves Hogwarts

Such treasures as the library holds

"A warning: If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat, or show lack of respect towards this book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them."
-Madam Pince

Dear Libraries,
It is a true testament to your awesome glory that you appear almost casually in every corner of pop culture. You're considered such a standard, a constant, that oftentimes your appearance is incidental and ostensibly not even noteworthy. You never fail to do great things, however, and inevitably you aid our protagonist on his or her search for knowledge (and consequently, power. it is commonly known that knowledge = power. this is what makes Dumbledore "the man"). As a tribute to the good you do in the ongoing battle against the forces of evil, I am proud to introduce my Libraries in Pop Culture series. First stop: Hogwarts.

Now, the Hogwarts library plays an interesting role in the Harry Potter series as it comes across as an almost forbidding place; however, the series does a remarkable job of illustrating several important principles of librarianship, including professionalism, access, and censorship. First off, it seems that the only person who enjoys spending any amount of time there would be Hermione--not even Madam Pince seems happy to be there, though she hardly seems happy to be anywhere, save close to Filch. This is another thing that ruffles me a little, that the only librarian represented in the series is austere, forbidding, and obsessively protective of any and all books. She seems to miss the memo that libraries should be an accepting place, for on many occasions she can be seen chasing students out of the library for food policy violations, and even once sent Harry out just for loitering near the restricted section. Her knowledge of books and reference ability is vast, but her aggressive attitude towards the students deters them from seeking her advice all too often. Hardly your model school librarian. (Note: Rowling did actually apologize for Pince's demeanor at a press conference once: "I would like to apologize for you and any other librarians present here today and my get-out clause is always if they'd had a pleasant, helpful librarian, half my plots would be gone. 'Cause the answer invariably is in a book but Hermione has to go and find it. If they'd had a good librarian, that would have been that problem solved. So ... sorry.")

Bookshelf porn at its finest

Hermione, on the other hand, touts the library's advantages at nearly every turn as the driving force behind the kids' research team, and she is arguably the most librarian-like in the series. As Ron quips in Chamber of Secrets when she rushes off to the library, "Because that's what Hermione does...when in doubt, go to the library." (Ch 14) At times her message gets a little lost under the insufferable know-it-all attitude, but no one can deny that if you need answers, Hermione is the one to have them, or better yet, to know which books to look in to find them. The exception is in the first book, as the gang undergoes their first research project; having gotten the tipoff from Hagrid, resident blabbermouth, that the dark events surrounding the castle have some relation to a mysterious dude named Nicholas Flamel, the kids spend hours in the library trying to discover who he is. The library, however, bears no mention of him, and the only clue Harry, Hermione and Ron get comes in fact on a chocolate frog card. (I've often wondered what the cataloging system at the Hogwarts library is like. It seems unbelievable that if a man were famous enough to get his own chocolate frog card, there wouldn't be at least a book or two on him or his work. Or at the very least a periodical somewhere. Perhaps further proof that Hogwarts should reconsider its library staff.)

Ah, youthful delinquincy

The Restricted Section poses some interesting questions for librarianship in the wizarding world as well. This special area of the library perhaps provides a thoughtful solution to book challenges (pertinent in light of the recent Banned Books Week) in that it houses books that are quite literally dangerous--many contain information about the dark arts, and one even seems to have a carnivorous appetite. Rather than simply choosing not to shelve the books of questionable content, however, the Hogwarts library decided to create a Restricted Section which more advanced students may access with the permission of a professor. The "danger" of certain books is transformed into an extremely literal manifestation in the series, evidenced by Tom Riddle's voracious consumption of the dark books and subsequent rise as Lord Voldemort. And yet the library does not remove the questionable content, nor is there even any discussion of the matter that we can see. Having been questioned and censored herself, there is no doubt that Rowling is aware of the power of concerned parents (and concerned parents do play a role in Hogwarts politics now and again). But regardless, the dangerous books continue to inhabit the Hogwarts library, and I believe this paints the wizarding school as a space where intellectual freedom and access are embraced, with certain caveats. I don't think I would lend a book on horcruxes to an eleven-year-old, either.

There's also a curious element of censorship present in the books as relating to Voldemort. This particular species appears as something resembling self-censorship in that only two people will even speak the name of the brutal snake-man, even after he's presumed deceased. Voldemort's greatest achievement is the culture of fear he succeeds in building around himself, and this lends him considerable power. As Dumbledore notes at the end of the first book, "Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself" (SS Ch 17). The wizarding world's refusal to speak the name of the vanquished unholy terror allows him to linger as a terrifying presence for over ten years. The self-imposed censorship also allows him to institute the Taboo when he seizes power that essentially targets Harry as the only wizard unafraid to speak his name, endangering the wizarding world's only hope for deliverance. Indeed, censorship is a dangerous thing--even more so when a community chooses it for itself.

All in all, the wizarding world, as in most cases, provides a very interesting take on the world of libraries and the issues that librarians must face daily. Important to note is the fact that technology is simply impossible in the world of magic, so students at Hogwarts will never have access to an online catalog, and poor Madam Pince will never be able to keep up with current librarianship blogs. Maybe we should cut her some slack. Still and all, the library at Hogwarts proves an excellent resource for those clever enough to use it (Hermione does manage to discover the  secret of the basilisk, even if her timing is poor). As Dumbledore in all his ancient wisdom says, "Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it" (COS Ch 14). Just, maybe you should consider asking Hermione rather than Madam Pince.

What I wouldn't give to get my hands on some of those books in Hogwarts, Libraries. Until the next.

Love,
Maggie

P.S. Since I write a lot on my phone during my lunch break at work, my writing often falls prey to the whimsy of autocorrect. There's only so many times I can see the words "poop culture" without giggling helplessly and needing to share. I'm sorry, Libraries, I had to...I'm only human.
P.P.S. I was, however, delighted to learn that "Hogwarts" causes autocorrect no problems. Suggestions for "Voldemort," however, include: "chokeberry," "virginity," "filthier," "homebuyer," "humanity," and "bookseller." Ponder those, if you will.
P.P.P.S. big thanks to Red for being my own angel of reference re: HP. makes my job easier!

Sources:
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/pince.html
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Irma_Pince
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/images/covers/qa-cover.jpg
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091108174610/harrypotter/images/b/b3/Library2.JPG
http://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/57/main/1/198541.jpg