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Unshelved #11
Reads Well With Others
Our very first full-color collection, Reads Well With Others features stirring tales of library derring-do, often inspired by, and occasionally blatantly documenting, true stories from librarians around the world. In this volume you'll find strips about:
Unattended children
Creeps
Staff trainings
Website redesigns
Reading Levels
Confidentiality
Bookstores
Coffee
... and much more, including Conference Tips never seen on our site.
Unattended children
Creeps
Staff trainings
Website redesigns
Reading Levels
Confidentiality
Bookstores
Coffee
... and much more, including Conference Tips never seen on our site.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2015
1 person is currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Bill Barnes
41Ìýbooks33ÌýfollowersI'm the artist of and write . I mostly read sci-fi, history, biography, science, and mainstream comics. Whenever went wrong in the past and resulted in an alternate dystopian present, I'm a happy man. I have a small bookcase of favorite books that I re-read every year or two.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
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September 20, 2015
It's my life in comic form.
January 18, 2021
I love these. My only regret is reading them out of order since the characters develop over time.
July 21, 2015
I'm tempted to add a non-fiction label, as quite a lot of the scenarios in the book are familiar and might've occurred...
August 18, 2017
One of the best sequences in this volume is where Coleen activates the print-based reference librarian network to help a patron find the information he is looking for. The on-going characterization of the library director Mel is a constant reminder of why I am so happy I don't work for another librarian.
October 23, 2017
Gene Ambaum has clearly walked the librarian walk. Love this library-specific comic series. A must read if you are in the library profession, or are a library power user.
April 20, 2018
So much truth in these comics.
December 24, 2019
Very funny comics about what some librarians wish they could say to people. LOL
October 22, 2020
A series of comic strips that take place in a public library. Humorous and fun.
November 28, 2022
Hilarious, and (some) true stories about library culture. I rarely laugh out loud while reading books but this one had howling.
August 19, 2023
Unshelved is ALWAYS funny!
September 21, 2015
The Unshelved web comics is very dear to my heart despite the very average quality of the drawings (although it's probably quite good for a web comics). The reason for that is quite simple: I work in a library myself and I can recognize in those strips situations I've found myself in so many times. Believe me, it's much better to choose to laugh about it than go insane!
The quality of the strips is improving with each new volume, but unfortunately the novelty of the concept wear off so it's not uproarious anymore. However it's still quite funny and entertaining to read (maybe less if you don't know well the library domain). Again, like the last couple of books, I deplore that they haven't included the “Unshelved Book Club� pages, but at least now the book is 120 pages in full color. You can choose to read the comics for free online, but personally I prefer the convenience of having a real book in my hands (and it offers encouragements to the creators). This should be a mandatory reading for all library staff!
You can read my entire comment on
The quality of the strips is improving with each new volume, but unfortunately the novelty of the concept wear off so it's not uproarious anymore. However it's still quite funny and entertaining to read (maybe less if you don't know well the library domain). Again, like the last couple of books, I deplore that they haven't included the “Unshelved Book Club� pages, but at least now the book is 120 pages in full color. You can choose to read the comics for free online, but personally I prefer the convenience of having a real book in my hands (and it offers encouragements to the creators). This should be a mandatory reading for all library staff!
You can read my entire comment on
February 7, 2017
My favorite one of the series.
November 10, 2015
Yes there are stupid questions and they are asked by unexpected dumb people. Welcome to the secret world of reference librarians. Have you ever wondered what a librarian is really thinking when you walk away, this is that book. The drawing are average. What makes the stories special is that a they are drawn from the experiences of real library workers. This is definitely a rare frank look into the minds the people whose job into help you.
August 2, 2016
Library life in the as viewed from both sides of the desks by librarians and customers in the library. It’s also sprinkled with offsite visits to the coffee shop, bookstore, and library conference. It hard to say which side has the advantage when it comes to making snarky comments, but the interactions are both characteristic and LOL funny.
October 16, 2015
It's funny because this is what I do, and these situations are completely real! It's nice to know I am not alone, but also odd to know that crazy people are wide spread and crazy in very similar ways.
August 4, 2015
Now I am all caught up and have to wait for the next book.
July 20, 2015
So much truth to this strip!
July 25, 2015
Love this series. The characters, the setting, each volume has its moments and its a funny read. And the covers are also good. Another good volume. One of my new favorite series.
October 30, 2015
Another masterful work! So many of these I've personally experienced. Thank you for capturing them.
December 2, 2018
I work in a library so the humor found here hits close to home.
March 7, 2016
I picked this up at ALA midwinter. Good library humor.
March 14, 2016
This is the first I've read in this series, but it was funny and I could relate to it as a often beleaguered librarian myself.
April 7, 2017
So many identifiable situations with so many fantastical responses to them.
July 5, 2017
Good comics.
June 20, 2015
True life
February 2, 2016
great collection of the latest unshelved comics!
January 17, 2017
This is the first I've read in this series, but it was funny and I could relate to it as a often beleaguered librarian myself.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
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