Puss in Books: Adventures of the Library Cat

Dewey, Carnegie, Melvil, Baker, Taylor. Great names in the library science field? Well, yes, but more importantly, the names of great library cats. As of the end of 1997, nearly 250 public libraries with junior "librarians in charge of rodent control" had been identified. From the legendary Baker & Taylor (Nevada library cats named after the library wholesaler; Baker passed away in 1994) to Muffin (a cat evicted due to a staff member's allergy; a move that would cost the library $80,000 in withheld donations) and Fred (who successfully withstood a demand from a cat-fearing patron that he be removed), the stories collected in Gary Roma's exceptionally entertaining Puss in Books are funny, touching and--quite often--disturbing. Interviewees include the slightly wacked Phyllis Lahti, president of the Library Cat Society (if you're a subscriber Phyllis, sorry about the "wacked"), a pet psychic, a cat therapist and a wide range of librarians, from the seemingly sane to the somewhat--as they say in Young Frankenstein--"Abby Normal." Insightful as much for its look into the local politics of small-town America as for its guide to the feline infiltration of our nation's libraries, this engaging documentary is warmly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)