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The Librarian is a popular reoccurring character in Terry Pratchett's best-selling "Discworld" series. He is not a central figure in any of the novels, but plays a supporting role in most of the books in the series.

The Librarian, known only by his title, is head librarian at the Discworld's largest school for wizards, Unseen University. The Librarian first appears in the second Discworld novel, The Light Fantastic, in which a magical spell gone awry transforms him into an orangutan. The Librarian finds that his new body is perfect for library work, as he can climb tall bookshelves without a ladder and his long arms make shelving books easy. He enjoys being an ape so much that he refuses to be returned to his original form. The students and faculty at Unseen University soon come to accept this, and the administration is happy to have a librarian they can pay in bananas.

Despite his odd shape, The Librarian is in many ways a stereotypical preservationist librarian. He is fiercely protective of the books in his care (though they are known to be dangerous and can sometimes bite careless readers), and strict about borrowed books being returned by their due dates. In the novel Lords and Ladies The Librarian is invited to travel to the far-off Kingdom of Lancre with several senior members of the university staff. He is reluctant to leave his library, and is only persuaded to make the trip when he hears that Lancre Castle is full of books that have never been properly organized or catalogued. In Small Gods The Librarian travels through time to rescue rare volumes from the burning Library of Ephebe (the Discworld equivalent of The Library of Alexandria).

The Librarian does have interests outside the library, and involves himself in many community activities. He enjoys the theater (particularly slapstick comedies), is a talented organist, and serves in the Ankh-Morpork City Militia. He also enjoys hanging out a local tavern (the Broken Drum or the Mended Drum, depending on the book), where he plays the fruit machine game, drinks with the City Watch, and brawls.

One of the other features notable in the Disworld books is the L-Space, which is a dimension that connects all libraries, and through which the Librarian has been known to travel.

External links:

Wikipedia article on The Librarian

Discworld and Pratchett Wiki article on The Librarian

The L-Space Web, a Terry Pratchett and Discworld fan site

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