The Lonely Librarian: Depictions of Librarians in Modern Romance Novels, 2020-2024

<p class="p2">This study is a content analysis of depictions of librarians in romance novels published from the year 2020 to 2024. The study examines stereotypes in the portrayals of librarians in these novels as identified in previous literature. The last identifiable study of a similar nature was published in 1996 and examined portrayals of librarians in romance novels from 1980 to 1995. The goal of this thesis is to fill a gap in the literature pertaining to modern romance within the last five years. Additionally, the paper compares earlier stereotypes, how portrayals of librarians have evolved over time, and the attempts to identify any differences between depictions of male and female librarians within the sampled literature.