In the days where all the world’s information laid within the covers of books, librarians were our guides to hidden treasures of knowledge. But the Internet has brought a glut of information to our fingertips. So who needs a librarian? All of us do, says longtime magazine writer and author Marilyn Johnson. She became interested in librarians while researching her book about obituary writers, The Dead Beat. She found that librarians lead fascinating lives, being at the cuttingedge of research and technology.

Marilyn spent nearly four years inside the often strange and compelling world of librarians, meeting as many pink-haired, tattooed librarians as the stern, finger-wagging variety. And she calls for a renewed appreciation for libraries in This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. She joined us from her home in Westchester, NY.

You can hear Marilyn Johnson read on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 5 pm at the University of New Hampshire's Memorial Union Building, and on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 pm at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth.

Lea's Book Critiques: This Book Is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson

The Wall Street Journal: From Wisdom to Wi-Fi

A list of Marilyn Johnson's favorite librarian blogs