The Glee-ful Library: Books, Movies and Music for Gleeks

Call me a Gleek.
Call me a Gleetard.
Call me a Gleeject.

Just don't call me on Tuesdays between 8pm and 9pm, because I'm watching Glee.

Fox's hit musical dramedy Glee cleaned up big at Sunday's Golden Globes.  It started with Chris Colfer's shocking (mostly to him!) win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, continued with Jane Lynch's win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and was topped off with the Best Television Show - Comedy or Musical award.  True, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrisson didn't win for Best Actress or Best Actor, but a clean sweep would be just too much to ask for, wouldn't it?

But I'm getting away from the point of this post!  Yes, it's terrific to have so much success to celebrate, but how does the library best respond to the Gleeks they serve?  Here are some must-haves for any library - public or school - that serves middle and high school students (and yeah, adults like me) who just can't get enough Glee!

The Glee Celebrity READ Poster - The latest (and greatest) from ALA Publishing provides an immediate "Glee fans welcome here!" feel to any library.  I ordered mine today.

Glee: The Complete First Season - Obvious.  And why not pre-order Season Two while you're at it.

Glee: The Music - Yes, get Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4, but don't forget that the Madonna and Rocky Horror episodes have their own discs,  and life wouldn't be complete without the Christmas Album.  And then there's Love Songs, Journey to Regionals and the Best of Season 1.  Just sayin'.

Glee Karaoke Revolution - There are going to be video games programs in your library, aren't there?  Ensure that the Gleeks aren't left out.  That happens enough at school.

Fame - The original Glee.

High School Musical - It also came before Glee, and its success is probably the reason Glee was created.  This one is a personal favorite of mine, mostly for the catchy music.

Of course, the core of the library's collection is the reading material.  Gleeks read too!  And here are some titles that are sure to please...

Glee: The Beginning - The first in the official Glee book series.  This one is a "before the show" look at the characters.  The second one Glee: Foreign Exchange is due out in February.  I'll confess to not having read them and not putting too much stock in their literary quality.  But they're a must-have for die hards.

Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner - This one is for the 16+ Glee crowd.  No, it's not about a glee club.  It's about a summer theatre program for drama kids.  There's lots of overlap.  The plot: Playwright Olivia has sworn off men.  Actor Max is determined to get Olivia.  Olivia writes her first musical, Castration Celebration.  Max is the lead.  Raunchy and hilarious, it'll have you singing the songs in your head, and possibly out loud.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart - Yep.  This one's theatre camp as well.  Sarah/Sayde is the overly dramatic "lead" actress and Demi is the gay black actor.  Both are trapped in smalltown Ohio, until the opportunity to express themselves at theatre camp arrives and changes everything.  Well, almost.  Demi is in his element, but Sayde learns she's not the only one with Broadway dreams.  Drama ensues.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford - Awkward situations and non-stop laughs at the characters expense? Check.  Perfect for male Gleeks.

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman - A great choice for middle school Gleeks.  A football player forced to attend rehearsals for the school play turns into something of a drama kid, much to the dismay of drama queen (and Drama Club President) Rachel.  Snappy dialogue.  Humor.  It's got everything.

For more recommendations, GreenBeanTeenQueen Sara and Sno-Isle Libraries have some great additions to this list.

Talking about Glee in the library wouldn't be complete without the Glee cast singing and dancing to U Can't Touch This in the library, would it? Nope.  Here ya go!



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