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Library Music Parodies

Beginning about seven years ago, libraries were making music parodies that were garnering huge viewerships.  You may have seen these (or many others we don't have space to include) before, but they're all well worth another look.


Librarians Do Gaga
by the University of Washington Information School
Students & Faculty (2010)



Libraries Will Survive (2010)
by The Central Rappahannock Regional Library (Virginia)



Check It Out (2014)
by St. Joseph County (Indiana) Public Library



Librarians Do Taio Cruz (2010)
by Suzanne Walker &
Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library



"All About Those Books" (2014)
by MDIHS Library


Go Ask Reference (2013)
by Rachel Montgomery & Meghan Adams
(& Mooresville [Indiana] Public Library)



Monday Night (2011)
by Bismarck (N.D.) Veterans Memorial Public Library

My apologies to all the other libraries who have made wonderful music parody videos for not embedding them in this blog post. Find them by searching library music parody videos (or some other similarly crafted keyword search) on YouTube.  They're a hoot to watch.

Music parodies are loads of fun to make, and they are a cute way to impart information to patrons about the library and its services and resources.  They don't seem to be made as often nowadays as they used to.  Video fads come and go.  More recently, there have been library versions of bucket challenges and mannequin challenges and such like.

Parodies are expressly excluded as infringement from the federal copyright act, so we're on safe ground using our own library-related lyrics to parody famous tunes.  Anyway, who could object to all the fun these librarians are having?  Surprisingly, some librarians themselves have criticized these types of videos as being undignified or somehow casting aspersions upon the sanctity of the library profession.

Bosh, with a pinch of balderdash.

Let's not take our profession too seriously.  Librarians are stereotyped as shushing killjoys, too uptight to let people have normal conversations in public spaces in the library.  That stereotype has always been silly, but lots of people unconsciously adhere to it, so we need to lighten up and show that we can have as much fun as any other professional group. Actually, we can have much more fun.  I've been hanging around with librarians for years, and they're more fun than some of the other professions to which I've belonged (college faculty, attorneys, general contractors).  (Actually, I'm just kidding.  Those folks are fun, too.)

Patrons enjoy library music parody videos, and they carry away a favorable feeling, not to mention a positive message, about libraries.  That's what we're marketing, after all.  Why not share some joy and a few laughs in the process?

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