Libraries

Doramraz: Libraries
There are four libraries in the Upper Levels of Doramraz, each sponsored (and their content monitored) by The Mraz Family. There is one library in the Zenith, and two on Upper Fourth, and one on Upper Third (though it's a Law/Medical Library).

The Zenith Library has its own rules, and will be discussed separately later.

The Lower Level Libraries are each staffed in the same way (see below), although their content differs. Upper Fourth Library East (or East Library) and Upper Fourth Library West (or West Library) contain history, art, culture, valuable reference books, classical literature, and a growing selection of the modern novel (although each time a new novel is admitted to the collection there is a heated debate about its merit between the head librarians). Access is restricted to the upper class--anyone not a resident of Upper Fourth must be issued a library card by the head librarian himself, and library cards do not transfer between libraries (that is, to make use of both the East and West libraries, an individual would need two library cards, one issued by East, and one issued by West).

Upper Third Library is strictly a Law/Medical Library, and does not check out books, although it does monitor the use of its books--that is, a person checks a book out of the shelves, but may not leave the library with it, and must check it back in. A log is kept showing who references what, and while access is less restricted than the East and West Libraries, individuals without standard Upper Third clearance must obtain a library card from the head librarian, who may choose to restrict their access to certain parts of the library.

Staff
These libraries are cared for and managed by a rather eccentric, insular group of librarians--they protect the books from damage (the high pollution is hardly good for them!), maintain the card catalogs, carefully record the books that are checked out, and keep the restricted reference sections--both older documents and historical data of a sensitive nature--under lock and key.

Each library has a head librarian. A head librarian reaches his post by training for many years with the previous head librarian, and only assumes the position in the event of his predecessor's death. Head librarians do not retire, and are very unlikely to have separate home life and family because the head librarian is required to live in his apartments within the library at least five days a week. Most head librarians (and, in fact, all head librarians in recent history) choose to live in the library full-time, and rarely leave the library at all, except to visit the other libraries. The head librarian bears the full responsibility for his library--its catalog, its staff, its records--as well as monitoring who uses the library. He is answerable only to the High Librarian (see below).

Each head librarian has two assistant junior librarians. The junior librarians are not required to live in the library, but most choose to do so anyway, even though it means sharing a small apartment with their fellow junior librarian. This can lead to tensions, because it is generally one of the junior librarians who, on earning the favor of the head librarian, is slated as the head librarian elect. When a junior librarian is slighted and their co-worker is chosen as the head librarian's successor they often leave the library system altogether and attempt to make their way in the lower levels, leading to the colloquialism 'lost librarian' for a clueless, alien person.

Most junior librarians begin their careers as pages--each library has a small squad of pages, usually young boys or girls from the lower middle class placed there by their parents. A library page has a slim chance of being promoted to junior librarian, but will more often go on to be a clerk in the government offices. The pages shelve books, fetch books to the circulation desk, run errands between the libraries and sometimes government officials who send to the library for a certain volume. Once a day--usually in the morning--a library trolley manned by pages travels between the lower three libraries, to transport requested books to and from their home libraries. Since most library pages com from lower levels and may carry pollutants on their clothing, library pages do not wear their street clothes in the library--before they enter the library proper, they change into uniforms consisting of white shirts and pants, waistcoats, and pocketed aprons in the color of their library (Green for East Library, Blue for West Library, Maroon for Upper Third).

Content
The books available in the Lower Level libraries are selected once a year by the head librarians. Once a book is on the library shelves, it remains there, but before a new book is added it must be approved by the head librarian, and seconded by a head librarian from another library. Consequently, the libraries do not see a lot of growth in their catalogs. Additionally, the books that the head librarians select are chosen from a list of pre-approved books provided by the High Librarian.

The Zenith Library
The Zenith Library is the only uncensored library in Doramraz. It was originally the private library of the Mraz family, who later donated it to the city. It has a huge catalog, containing books of all sorts, and access to it is strictly restricted. It is extremely rare for anyone outside of the Mraz family or the higher tiers of government officials to receive a library card for the Zenith Library, and even some family members (fallen out of favor) have had their access revoked. Individuals with access include members of the Mraz family members, the three head librarians, and certain government officials. Partial or short-term access (after the submission of a formal application and vetting through an interview process) is occasionally granted to junior librarians, associates of the Mraz family, or foreign scholars approved the Foreign Office.

The Zenith Library is ruled by the [b]High Librarian[/b]. Publicly, he answers to no one, and the head librarians are answerable to him. In reality, the Head Librarian has always been loyal (and often in debt) to the head of the Mraz family, He controls the content available in the Lower Level libraries, controls who has access to the Zenith library, and keeps the knowledge in his library safe and secret.

The High Librarian, instead of junior librarians, takes on an apprentice, the [b]Librarian Elect[/b], who assumes the post of the High Librarian after his death.

The Zenith Library has its own staff of pages made up of men and women--some of them disappointed former junior librarians, some of them specially recruited by the Mraz family from the lower library pages--known as the High Pages. They care for the library, guard the collection, and assist the Head Librarian. They wear black uniforms to separate them, and do not associate with the staffs of the other libraries.