This week in library links

I don't think anyone will argue that in recent years we've seen an explosion of "comic book movies" on the big screen. Whether this surge is due to the popularity of comic books and graphic novels themselves, or too their potential mass appeal, is a good subject for consideration. Another good topic for debate: how can libraries "read" this phenomenon in order to better serve their patrons? Which comics and graphic novels with movie tie-ins are worth having in the library? What are your thoughts?

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If you've ever been to a book fair, you've probably seen a few of the strangers titles that are out there in the world of published books. I've got one: How to Gorge George Without Fattening Fanny, a 1970s diet-style cookbook by a model. (I bought it in college while researching my thesis on food and identity.) It seems that, for the past year, AbeBooks, an online bookseller, has dedicated a page to these odd tomes. Ever wanted to know the history of dentures? About Gloucestershire cheese-rolling? How to knit figures of famous historical figures? It's all there in the Weird Book Room. What are your favorites?

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Sometimes the timeline of when I decided I wanted to be a librarian gets a bit jumbled in my head. I know that somewhat early influences were the movie The Mummy and an article in Bitch magazine about librarians in film. The Huffington Post has updated this "librarian" movie list to include 11 films featuring librarians in important roles. Sadly, they're missing The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, which really deserves to be a librarian classic. Are there any other films you think should be on the list?