Awful Library Books

Fast Food Careers

June 22, 2022 Holly Working 9-5 2 comments

Opportunities in Fast Food Careers
Eberts and Gisler
1989

Submitter: I work in an academic library and this “career advice” book was still hanging out on the shelves in mid-2022. I was really surprised to see that there was an entire book dedicated to this topic. There are some chapters about the history of the fast food industry and what franchising entails but the majority of the book is dedicated to becoming the best possible customer servant you can be and climbing the ladder to middle management. The authors dedicate an entire chapter to the necessary educational credentials which is probably one chapter more than what is necessary. Check out the vintage photos!

Holly: High school courses in math, science, business, and computer science are helpful in just about any career, but and the idea that “Most home economics departments are now open to boys as well as girls…” (p.88) is beyond ridiculous in this day and age. It was in 1989 too, actually. The computer science examples miss the point of computerized fast food processes in this day and age, where every fast food restaurant has an app and point of sales systems are pretty complex. And yes, submitter is right that the photos are “vintage.” I’ll tell you one thing: anyone with fast food experience on their resume is worth a look in library service. They may be great at customer service, multitasking, and team work.

Every Kid's guide to the Juvenile Justice System

Criminal Kids

June 20, 2022 Mary Kelly For the Kids 7 comments

Every Kid’s Guide to the Juvenile Justice System
Berry
1987

Those of you who have been hanging around ALB for a while might recognize one of our “regulars”. (Here and here.) This time we have Berry tackling the serious issue of juvenile justice. To say that the look is a bit incongruous with the subject matter is an understatement.

The actual text isn’t bad for the late 1980s, but it does present a rather rosy view of how criminal justice works. I am quite certain that many non white folks are going to dispute this view. My other beef with this book is that I am not sure what age group she is targeting. The text is a bit dense for some elementary students but book looks like it might be targeting the young elementary.

Regardless of content, nonfiction or informational books really do need to define the target audience and present material in an appropriate way. I can see the older elementary crowd saying it looks young and the younger crowd becoming frustrated with the vocabulary.

Take my wife!

June 15, 2022 Mary Kelly Ha Ha Ha? 5 comments

Male Husbandry
or Conditioning Your Man to Marriage
Ketchum
1956

If you are in the mood for some throwback humor from the 1950s, here is your opportunity to joke with those poor henpecked husbands. The premise is how to train your husband, since he is nothing but a barely civilized dolt. The author offers wives some helpful “training” tips to get your man in line-mostly through emotional manipulation and subterfuge. Hilarity at its finest. (Insert rim shot)

Since this was plucked from a university collection, I won’t say automatically weed. It might fill some research needs. I am old enough to remember this kind of humor, but this is a poor example and it goes on way too long.

Boobs and Boys

June 13, 2022 Mary Kelly Looking Good 3 comments

Boobs, Boys, and High Heels
or How to Get Dressed in Just Under Six Hours
Brill
1992

So Dianne Brill is an actress/designer, an 80s-early 90s club kid, and muse of Andy Warhol. She was dubbed “Queen of the Night.” The book’s content isn’t really my cup of tea, but it is a legit purchase for a collection….in the early 1990s. Is it weed-worthy? In my opinion, and for my library, it is, unless I had some big circulation numbers. This book is 30 years old, so fashion design (and any health and beauty tips or products) are out of date. This might work for collections in NYC area or in specialty collections on pop culture or fashion design.

I kind of put some celebrity advice books in a temporary category in terms of weeding. If the book is still circulating, and the person is still noteworthy, I would consider retaining. There are lots of books that are like this. We have a couple of good examples: Sophia Loren, Travis Stork, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Dick Clark. They give lots of advice. I am not sure the advice is any good, but I guess that is a different book.

The Internet might turn out to be something big!

June 9, 2022 Mary Kelly Bleeding Edge, Show me the money 3 comments

Strategic Internet Marketing
Vassos
1996

This was still in circulation at a public library as of this writing. Yikes! You will notice that most of the examples are no longer relevant. (Oh Hello AltaVista! It’s been a while since you and I chatted. A librarian never forgets her first search engine.)

This book would have been a decent purchase back in 1996. It is a real deep dive, with emphasis on the research. This book was written for the business folks rather than the tech people. I also think this was written to help make the business case for the brick and mortar crowd that just didn’t get the technology.

Why it is still in a public library collection gathering dust is a mystery…

Marry Me!

June 8, 2022 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 17 comments

With These Words…
I Thee Wed
Contemporary Wedding Vows for Today’s Couples
Eklof
1989

This is one of those books that helps you customize your vows. I have actually had a couple of reference questions over the years about writing vows. Most of the time, I didn’t think of a book that would actually give you vows. Most of the folks I waited on were looking for specific poetry. I suppose this has an audience but I doubt this kind of book would be one that comes to mind.

TV of the late 1970s

June 6, 2022 Mary Kelly Entertainment, For the Kids 12 comments

TV Time ’78
Herz
1978

We have featured many of Peggy’s books here on the site. She generally writes pop culture type stuff for youth. Probably not the most glamorous of writing gigs, given the parameters. Totally appropriate for the time and probably was good for those reluctant readers looking for stuff about television shows. All the big hits from the 70s and 80s are here: Rhoda, Mork and Mindy, and Happy Days.

She also did compilations like this one. A little bit of age appropriate gossip and some pictures of the celebrities. All clean and sanitized for our sensitive children.

Just No Gelatine!

June 2, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 20 comments

The Knox Gelatine Cookbook
Rutledge Books, Inc, Knox Gelatine, Inc
1977

Submitter: Just in time for those summer gelatine/Jello salads – who wouldn’t want calico corn relish, creamy cranberry relish, or a zesty seafood appetizer in gelatine? The pictures just make my…mouth water would not be the right phrase. This one is off to the sale cart.

Holly: That corn thing looks disgusting, and I’ll eat just about anything! What was the obsession with gelatine in the 70s?? Especially paired with weird things like fish.

Mary: Jell-o-type products should only be used with fruit cocktail and maybe some whipping cream, if you want to be fancy. Even reading a recipe of one of these “savories” makes me gag.