Bridges, Karl F. 1964–

PERSONAL: Born March 14, 1964, in Vincennes, IN; son of William (a poet) and Karen (a freelance writer) Bridges; married; wife's name Rita (a librarian). Education: Franklin College, B.A., 1986; Miami University, Oxford, OH, A.M., 1988; University of Illinois, M.L.S., 1991. Politics: "Conservative." Religion: Church of England (Anglican).

ADDRESSES: Home—24 Baycrest, Apt. 404, South Burlington, VT 04503. Office—100 Bailey Howe Library, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05403. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer and librarian. Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, librarian, 1991–98; University of Vermont, Burlington, librarian, 1998–. Consultant in Web-site development.

MEMBER: American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, Vermont Library Association.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Expectations of Librarians in the Twenty-first Century, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 2003.

Contributor to periodicals, including Illinois Libraries, American Libraries, Wilson Library Bulletin, Computers in Libraries, and Library Instruction Roundtable News.

WORK IN PROGRESS: 100 Novels You Should Read, for Libraries Unlimited, completion expected in 2006; research on Herodotus and his influence on nineteenth-century education.

SIDELIGHTS: Karl F. Bridges told CA: "Influences on my work include William Bridges (both of them), Stephen Bridges (for the art), Sally Hanley, Agathon, those unnamed people who were sensible enough to fire me (or refuse to hire me) for jobs for which I was unsuitable and which would have made me (and them) unhappy, and, most of all, my wife Rita, whose taste and culture greatly exceed my own. Cultural influences include the classics, England, the Clash, television, and Max Beerbohm.

"I don't know if I have a particular motivation for writing other than, sometimes, I see problems that are interesting enough to be worth commenting on. I'm fortunate enough to be in a profession (and a society) that encourages me to express an opinion—even though not everyone agrees with me.

"How do I get things written? I'm fortunate to be married to a beautiful woman who doesn't think it strange to find her husband sitting in the living room studying Attic Greek or Ge'ez rather than folding socks. So, I have rather more time than the average person. So, in sum, thanks to her I have more than I deserve.

"I don't know if I have any advice for other people who want to write, other than to say—simply do it. Writing is like lying: one has to practice it regularly in order to be any good at it. I suppose, being a librarian, I should say something about libraries. So: Go there. Read a book. Be nice to the librarian."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 2003, Sarah Watstein, review of Expectations of Librarians in the Twenty-first Century, p. 698.

Library Resources and Technical Services, April, 2004, Betty Landesman, review of Expectations of Librarians in the Twenty-first Century, p. 159.