History Main / ScaryLibrarian

* The aforementioned Conan the Librarian also appears in an episode of ''Series/ReadingRainbow''.

* ''[[Literature/AlcatrazSeries Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians]]'' - The second book takes it UpToEleven with scary undead soul stealing librarians.

* Philip K. Dick's ''Counter-Clock World'' has a really scary librarian, in a future where libraries don't store books, but destroy them.
* While generally friendly unless called a [[BerserkButton monkey]], the Librarian of Unseen University in Literature/{{Discworld}} is a human wizard transformed into an orangutan (still a wizard by courtesy), who is noted to be very successful at his job, as a single display of his fangs ensures that books will be returned on time (and woe betide the student who returns them in damaged condition!) Being able to climb the shelves without a stepladder and sort and stack books with his feet doesn't exactly hurt. According to the ''Unseen University Diary'', if you damage a book, you should immediately inform the Dean, who will arrange for you to be smuggled out of the building to start a new life under an assumed name on the other side of the continent. The Librarian isn't terribly keen on people ''reading'' books; he thinks they belong on shelves, and reading them wears out the words.

* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series, the Librarians of the Clayr protect several examples of SealedEvilInACan that have been known to ''kill'' Librarians (who're almost all powerful mages, swordswomen, and seers), which they defend with swords. The head librarian's sword was called [[{{Pun}} Binder]]. Lirael, chief protagonist of ''Lirael'', ''Abhorsen'', and ''Goldenhand'', is a Second Assistant Librarian and learns a lot of her high end magic working there, as well as the basics of swordsmanship.
** The difference between mundane librarians and Clayr librarians leads to some miscommunication in ''Goldenhand'' when Nick, a {{Muggle}} from Ancelstierre with some somewhat strange powers owing to a combination of a case of DemonicPossession and a last minute Charter blessing from the Disreputable Dog [[spoiler: a.k.a. Kibeth, formerly one of the most powerful beings in the setting, who helped create the Charter]] and by this point, [[spoiler: Lirael's boyfriend]], assuming that the Great Library of the Clayr is like an ordinary library, assumes that the librarians there are like the stereotypical librarians he knew at school. Lirael is understandably put out, and Nick a) later recants his mistake, b) ironically, ends becoming a temporary part of the collection as a way to get him inside the Clayr's glacier.

** Tammy 2, the Head of the Library Department, combines this with HotLibrarian. She's good looking (played by Megan Mullaly) but completely psycho. She was married to Ron Swanson--and turned him into a sex freak. She also stalked him for a time. And she is not averse to using the library as a tool of power (e.g. falsely placing embarrassing books on her enemies' checkout records).

* Series two of ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'' introduces Jeremy, a librarian who becomes obsessed with recovering a book that a woman has failed to return on time. He resorts to stalking her, calling her at all hours, breaking into her house and threatening her young daughter - all with the aid of, or possibly under threat from, a hallucination of a horrifying creature called the Silent Singer.

* Mr. Bookman, the library cop from ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', who treats Jerry like a murder suspect for having a book a couple of decades overdue.

* ''VideoGame/BendyInNightmareRun'': Dewey in his [[AllThereInTheManual promotional art]] has been stated to be a librarian. His method of punishing those who misbehave in library involves death. And Bendy misbehaved.

* Wan Shi Tong, the [[OminousOwl owl-like knowledge spirit]] from the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "The Library." He's a nice enough guy if you're a true knowledge seeker, but ''any'' hint that you intend to use the knowledge found in his tomes to gain an advantage over others-- even if those others are certifiably ''evil''-- is his BerserkButton, and he won't hesitate to trap you in the library ''forever'' for your troubles.

* Miss Dickens from the ''WesternAnimation/CarlSquared'' episode "Carl's Techno-Jinx." She crash tackles and handcuffs offenders, puts Carl's library card through a blender and drinks it, and C2 is convinced that she put a curse on him.

* In ''VideoGame/CriminalCase'', Case #26 features a librarian who's into voodoo and manages to terrify Jones even before he finds that out about her.

* Patchouli Knowledge from the ''VideoGame/TouhouProject'' is a MagicLibrarian who is usually mostly inoffensive, but try to steal any books from her library or to attack her friend/employer [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Remilia]], and she '''will''' blast you out of the sky with her powerful elemental magic. She would be even more formidable if it weren't for her [[IllGirl declining health]] preventing her from casting some of her most powerful spells.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': The librarian has shades of this, most explicitly when she reveals that she's memorized who's buried in which grave at which cemetery.

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scarylibrarianmu.jpeg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Turn in your books on time ''or else.'']]

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* Mr. Bookman, the library cop from ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', who treats Jerry like a murder suspect for having a book a couple of decades overdue.
%%* In an episode of ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'', Pendleton University turned out to have one of these, played by Christine Baranski. She turned out also to be a HotLibrarian.

* Series two of ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'' introduces Jeremy, a librarian who becomes obsessed with recovering a book that a woman has failed to return on time. He resorts to stalking her, calling her at all hours, breaking into her house and threatening her young daughter - all with the aid of, or possibly under threat from, a hallucination of a horrifying creature called the Silent Singer.
* ''Series/DeadRingers'' had a parody of ''Series/HellsKitchen'' called "Hell's Library", with Simon Schama as a foul-mouthed, overbearing and violent librarian putting trainees through their paces.
* Pee-Wee Herman once got to role-play as one of these in a later episode of ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''.
* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' has a psychotic librarian who harassed Al Bundy when he was a young child, for literally any reason she could think of. She was also known for putting massive amounts of sugar in her coffee. The episode revolves around Al finding ''Literature/TheLittleEngineThatCould'' being overdue for 30 years and having to go back, but no problem... after all it's been thirty years she couldn't possibly still... *Cue scene of Al entering and seeing a sugar bowl on the front desk*
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' invoked this trope in a sketch where a gorilla [[spoiler:who is really a man in a gorilla suit]] is brought to a job interview for the position of chief librarian. The library executives are oddly excited by the idea of having a wild beast for a librarian.
-->'''Executive (Chapman):''' "I love seeing the customers come in to complain about some book being damaged and ask to see the chief librarian, and then, you should see their faces when the proud beast leaps from his tiny office, snatches the book from their hands and sinks his fangs into their soft...*{{beat}}*
* In a library, ''Series/MrBean'' is looking at a priceless manuscript while wearing WhiteGloves, which he accidentally scribbles in (by sneezing and blowing his tracing paper away), and then damages even more (with correction fluid, and a Stanley knife) as he tries to hide his actions. Although the librarian is a demure gentleman, Mr Bean tries to look nonchalant every time the librarian passes.

* Librarians in the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' universe not only keep the Libraries of the SpaceMarine chapters in order, but each one is also a [[PsychicPowers psyker]] AND a Space Marine, and has full access to PowerArmor, [[{{BFG}} bolt weapons]], [[{{BFS}} power swords]], and [[WeaponofChoice psychic-energy channeling staves]].

%%* The librarian from ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge''.
%%* Eike from ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'', but he's a nice guy, really.

%%* [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2049 This]] ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' filler shows that Real librarians are really scary. Only when people who don't have an MLS claim to be librarians (somewhat TruthInTelevision}
* Marcus of ''Webcomic/TheSilverEye'' is a variation of this. He is scary, and he is a librarian. Sometimes he's scary while he's being a librarian, such as expressing his irritation at the young orphans who bother him when he's trying to read out loud (to himself) in peace. But he can be scary when he's not at work, too--Especially if Apen Shephard is involved.
* In an ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' pinup, [[note]]which can be seen [[https://danshive.deviantart.com/art/Be-Quiet-In-The-Library-644239661 here]],[[/note]] Amanda, in a {{Stripperiffic}} HotLibrarian outfit, shushes the POV character with a ShrinkRay, as an [[EmptyPilesOfClothing Empty Pile of Clothing]] sits in the foreground.
* Dewey Oak, the elderly librarian in ''Webcomic/TwilightsFirstDay'', appears to be this from young Twilight's perspective. She mistakes his workshop, where he repairs and re-binds damaged books, for a "book torture chamber". Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, he turns out to just be a little gruff, but ultimately friendly.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': the librarian has shades of this, most explicitly when she reveals that she's memorized who's buried in which grave at which cemetery.

%%* Hilde, the queen librarian in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius: The Works''.

* The ''Literature/HowToTrainYourDragon'' series has the Hairy Scary Librarian who will (at the very least try to) kill anyone who enters the Meathead Public Library without permission. Due to vikings not being allowed to read books and therefore the library not being very public despite its name, that means anyone who isn't him.
* Mistress Krine, head librarian for the Royal Library in the ''Literature/GarrettPI'' series, is equally dedicated to keeping Garrett from tapping the Library's books for information ''or'' junior librarian Linda Lee for a date.
* In the ''Literature/JoshuaDread'' series, Joshua and his friends are attacked by a creepy librarian who turns out to be a half-shark mutant. She was sent by the Gyfted & Talented organization to test if they were good enough for the program.
* ''Literature/SpectralStalkers'': The Library in Limbo's librarian is a fire-breathing, talking ''dragon''.
* ''Literature/AkataWitch'': Sugar Cream is the head librarian of one MagicalSociety community -- which, because knowledge is power in that society, means she's both TheArchmage and a justiciar with huge discretionary power, and the library in question is a [[MagicalLibrary profoundly magical]] EldritchLocation besides.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'' opens with a genuinely alarming spectral librarian, who at first appears to be a homely old woman (who responds with a "Shhh!" when they try to speak to her), but who [[GameFace turns scary and horrific when they make a rush at her]]. The [[VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame 2009 video game]] makes her surprisingly sympathetic: [[spoiler:she was seduced and murdered by a man who would later become Azetlor the Collector, the true "boss" of the Public Library.]]
%%* It could have been much worse: do an image search on the movie ''Film/FrightNight1985'' to see the ghost they rejected for being too hideous.
%%* ''Film/TheLibrarian'' had one in the character of Charlene.
* Wong in ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' guards the library of an order of sorcerers; given [[TomeOfEldritchLore the kind of books]] on their shelves, he takes the job very seriously.

* While generally friendly unless called a [[BerserkButton monkey]], the Librarian of Unseen University in Literature/{{Discworld}} is a human wizard transformed into an orangutan (still a wizard by courtesy), who is noted to be very successful at his job, as a single display of his fangs ensures that books will be returned on time (and woe betide the student who returns them in damaged condition!) Being able to climb the shelves without a stepladder and sort and stack books with his feet doesn't exactly hurt. According to the ''Unseen University Diary'', if you damage a book, you should immediately inform the Dean, who will arrange for you to be smuggled out of the building to start a new life under an assumed name on the other side of the continent. The Librarian isn't terribly keen on people ''reading'' books; he thinks they belong on shelves, and reading them wears out the words.
* "The Library Policeman" from Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/FourPastMidnight'' has Ardelia Lortz, a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent more-different-than-most vampire]] with insectlike attributes who [[EmotionEater feeds on the terror of children]]. The titular Library Policeman is some kind of servant or familiar who takes a form resembling [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil the man who molested the protagonist as a child]].
* Philip K. Dick's ''Counter-Clock World'' has a really scary librarian, in a future where libraries don't store books, but destroy them.
* Steven Piziks wrote two stories ([[http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Hoard "Hoard"]] and "A Quiet Knight's Reading") about a librarian who's actually a shapeshifted ''dragon'' (the books were originally her hoard). Thieves can expect to be eaten.

* [[spoiler:Jorge of Burgos]] in ''Literature/TheNameOfTheRose'', although not the official librarian, defends the Library with rather ''odd'' methods...
* ''[[Literature/AlcatrazSeries Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians]]'' - The second book takes it UpToEleven with scary undead soul stealing librarians.
* One of the {{Literature/Goosebumps}} books [[http://www.bloggerbeware.com/2006/07/08-girl-who-cried-monster.html had a librarian who was a literal monster]]. Although, [[spoiler:since it is revealed in the twist ending that everyone is a monster, and the librarian gets eaten by the main character's parents,]] this might be an inversion.
* The children's book ''The Librarian From The Black Lagoon'', which is part of a series. The kids think she's scary and does horrifying things, but in the end, it's subverted, when she's actually nice. All the books are that way.

* In the seventh ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' book, the librarian is a cranky {{Moral Guardian|s}} who has banned almost all the books in the library, leaving only one book that can be read. The library itself has posters warning about the dangers of reading.
* In ''Literature/APrincessOfLandover'', Crabbit, head librarian of Libiris, is this--tall, dark, and sinister, dressing all in black, gaunt and cold, and at first extremely inhospitable. After Mistaya claims to be his page's sister, [[SubvertedTrope he allows her to stay and seems to thaw]], showing a friendlier (albeit clearly out-of-practice) side. [[DoubleSubverted But then he turns out to be]] an EvilSorcerer [[SealedEvilInACan trying to release he demons of Abaddon]] and [[TakeOverTheWorld take over Landover]], and he only let Mistaya stay because he knew exactly who she was and wanted to use her to {{Blackmail}} her parents.

* A 1970-era ''ComicBook/TheFabulousFurryFreakBrothers'' comic had Fat Freddy rushing off to the university to join in student revolution - which for him meant liberating 'f**k books' from the library. He encounters a seriously ScaryLibrarian who sends him running off in full-tilt terror.

* In a library, ''Series/MrBean'' is looking at a priceless manuscript, which he accidentally scribbles in (by sneezing and blowing his tracing paper away), and then damages even more as he tries to hide his actions. Although the librarian is a demure gentleman, Mr Bean tries to look nonchalant every time the librarian passes.

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' has a psychotic librarian who harassed Al Bundy when he was a young child, for literally any reason she could think of. She was also known for putting massive amounts of sugar in her coffee. The episode revolves around Al finding ''Literature/TheLittleEngineThatCould'' being overdue for 30 years and having to go back, but no problem... after all it's been thirty years she couldn't possibly still... *Cue scene of Al entering and seeing a sugar bowl on the front desk*

--> '''Madam Pince''': WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? ''Chocolate in the library!'' OUT, OUT, OUT!

* Mrs. Hatchett, from the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Overdue". Even after the book was return, she just laughs manically.

* Series two of ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'' introduces Jeremy, a librarian who becomes obsessed with recovering a book that a woman has failed to return on time. He resorts to stalking her, calling her at all hours, breaking into her house and threatening her young daughter - all with the aid of, or possibly under threat from, a hallucination of a horrifying creature called "Silent Singer"

* ''Literature/AkataWitch'': Sugar Cream is the head librarian of one MagicalSociety community -- which, because knowledge is power in that society, means she's both TheArchmage and a justicar with huge discretionary power, and the library in question is a [[MagicalLibrary profoundly magical]] EldritchLocation besides.

* Ms. Hushbaum, better known as the Loud Librarian, from ''Series/AllThat''. As a comedy figure, she's not really scary, but her idea of enforcing the rules in her library, which is to [[HypocriticalHumor scream at the top of her lungs]], can startle first-time viewers.
%%* The episode of ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' called "The Tale of the Quiet Librarian." Need I say more?

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': In "The Great Dime Chase!" we meet Miss Quackfaster, who in this continuity is Scrooge's archivist. She takes her job ''very'' seriously (and [[LargeHam very dramatically]]); at one point she threatens Dewey and Webby with ''a huge sword'' for "disrespecting the archives".

* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series, the Librarians of the Clayr protect several examples of SealedEvilInACan, which they defend with swords. The head librarian's sword was called [[{{Pun}} Binder]].