In tough times, a librarian is a terrible thing to waste.

Librarians consider free access to information the foundation of democracy.

Libraries have always been there for me. Of course I'll stand up for them!

They seemed to be quiet types, the women and men in rubber-soled shoes. Their favorite word, after literacy, was privacy--for their patrons and themselves.

Good librarians are natural intelligence operatives. They possess all of the skills and characteristics required for that work: curiosity, wide-ranging knowledge, good memories, organization and analytical aptitude, and discretion.

The vast waterfall of history pours down, and a few obituarists fill teacups with the stories.

This is the greatest and most fraught romance of modern society, the marriage between the IT staff and those who depend on them.