It might not seem like a given that librarians would be fond of Twitter — but the social media platform is actually the perfect place to go on a long, expletive-filled rant without disturbing the quiet of the library.
Alex Halpern, a Portland-based librarian, certainly used the tool for some strong but silent shaming earlier this week.
Alex — who calls himself The Angriest Librarian — grew livid when another Twitter user claimed that libraries should all be shut down, going off on a long, multi-tweet rant that proved so effective that the anti-library Tweeter apologized.
Read his lips! A Portland librarian’s epic rant about the importance of libraries has earned him thousands of fans and plenty of attention on social media
Start of the feud: Newspaper columnist Andre Walker tweeted that public libraries should be closed for lack of use
The ultimate shushing! Alex Halpern, who calls himself The Angriest Librarian, told him exactly why that’s not true
Alex explained that funding being cut for public spaces has made libraries more essential than ever
His tweets have been liked thousands of times each by other library fans
Alex told the library hater that he was ’embarrassingly mistaken’ if he thought books are all libraries have to offer
He explained that they are important to the community for educational and recreational needs
In his anger, he continued to curse and insult the person who set him off
The saga started on Monday when Cressida Cowell, the British author of How to Train Your Dragon, tweeted a lament that public libraries are closing. She asked how children from low incomes families are supposed to become readers without access to books.
Andre Walker, a columnist for the New York Observer, replied: ‘Nobody goes to libraries anymore. Close the public ones and put the books in schools.’
His dismissive comment quickly incensed people on both sides of the Atlantic who hold library cards — including Alex Halpern, who took Andre to task for his tweet.
‘Hang tight folks, because I am about to drop some necessary knowledge on you. First off, library usage is on the RISE motherf***ers,’ he began.
‘As conservatives have taken over state and local governments, and the NO MORE TAXES crowd has gotten their way, public space has decreased. That means is that there are a lot fewer free, public gathering places in America anymore. What’s one? The motherf***ing public library.
‘If you, like this jackalope, think libraries are just warehouses for books, you are sorely and embarrassingly mistaken. Sorely.
Alex, from Portland, has been overwhelmed by the support he has received
In his tweets, he noted that you can get a lot more than books at a library
People can also check out technology and access the internet
Disadvantaged people can come to the library to learn and better themselves
He told the person that if he didn’t like libraries he shouldn’t come to them
He then added humorously that he didn’t mean that, and that everyone is welcome at the library – one of its charms
His rant lasted for several tweets and struck a chord with many
‘In addition to meeting a community’s need for educational and recreational materials, PARTICULARLY FOR YOUNG FAMILIES… public libraries are evolving to meet the demands of the 21st Century, unlike the neanderthal who sparked this thread.
‘Books? Books make up a RAPIDLY decreasing percentage of a library’s budget. You want to check out technology? Get a library card.
‘You need internet access because you are one of the WAY TOO MANY under-served and marginalized persons in America? Go to the library.
‘You need a safe place to learn about yourself, LGBT teen? Come to the library. You need to learn English to get a job? Come to the library.
And to the man who thought libraries should close, he had a personal directive: ‘You need to close libraries because you have no idea what the f*** they do? Stay the f** home and shut your mouth.
‘Just kidding, everyone is welcome at the library, even the backwards thinking simpletons who want to cut our budgets,’ he added humorously.
One teacher said she even met her homeless students at the library because it was a ‘normal’ place where they could feel safe
Alex said being a place for the marginalized is one of the reasons he wanted to work at a library
Plenty of people thought it was funny that a librarian would curse so much
Alex continued to call Andre out while he made more anti-library statements
However, though he started out angry, he was happy to see so many people on his side
Andre eventually walked back what he said and admitted he was wrong
The tweets, which he shared late Monday afternoon, quickly vent viral, with the first in the thread being liked 51,000 times so far.
Clearly unaware of Alex’s rant, Andre continued to criticize libraries, writing: ‘Librarians are like French teachers. These jobs exist in order to pay the wages of sad people who can’t get proper work.’
But Alex continued to call him out — and other people shared their own stories about how libraries are still very much a part of their lives. One teacher noted that she meets her homeless students at the library because it is safe and warm. Another woman added that she, too, went to the library when she was homeless.
Eventually, the backlash against Andre grew so strong that the columnist reconsidered, and took to Twitter to recant.
‘Dear (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) all 110,000 people who replied to my tweet about libraries,’ he began. ‘Your sheer numbers have proved the point that libraries aren’t as unpopular as I believed this morning!’