Scott's post and the sub-sub

Scott "Book of Nature" Vieira has a post on the sub-sub librarian and the technorati tag. He inquires, "back to that sub-sub librarian. I tried Googling this--is there a history to this reference before Melville?"

I don't know if Melville didn't just make up the term. I sorta think so, but it makes sense anyway. It's the whole librarian I, II, III, IV thing that might have even existed back in his time, and a sub-sub is below all of them. I always thought of the sub-sub as a hard-working librarian who stays with the books rather than move into admin...(for better or worse)...Obviously, Melville identifies with these hardworking, passionate, and completely unappreciated folks. Ishmael makes a special point of going to sea as a sailor. The consumptive usher who supplies our Etymology "loved to dust his old grammars." And we have the "poor devil of a Sub-Sub." At least the Sub-Sub is a good librarian and supplies all references without bias...be them "sacred or profane."

Actually, when Beth Schultz (my advisor at KU and my mentor in all things Melville) suggested I should go to library school, we used to joke about the sub-sub thing. It seemed like a nobel life, even it requires talents and virtues I lack (like, you know, patience).

I've linked to Scott V's blog on the side. If anyone else is reading M-D and posting on his/her own blog, be sure to tell me so I can link to it from here, too. And don't forget your technorati tags...sometimes it will take a while for them to be included in the tag stream.....

Moby-Dick06 (technorati tag)