The Librarians: ‘The Office’ for libraries

Just have to post about an Australian TV series that I’ve been meaning to get on DVD for ages. They’re three series down the track over there, but I’ve just bought Series 1 (from ebay) and started watching it with the wife this week. It’s a bit like The Office, but instead of David Brent, we have Head Librarian Frances O’Brien played by Robyn Butler (Butler, like Ricky Gervais is also co-writer).

Called ‘The Librarians’ its about day-to-day life in a public library filled with er, well, library types. I’d like to say that the characters are caricatures but I’m not entirely sure they all are. I was a confirmed fan after watching the opening scene, which shows the beautifully engraved glass walls of the building exterior with the word library in every language but English and in larger letters ‘Learning Resource Centre’, before the camera pans down to a sheet of A4 with ‘Library’ written in marker pen sellotaped to the glass. The writers certainly know and understand the library world.

Anyway, I’m only three episodes in, but so far I’m finding it an entertaining, if slightly painful – because its too true, watch.

There’s a great promo advert for the first series below…