Library Doctor Talks Mysteries

The Library Doctor

There are all kinds of mysteries for us to ponder. And talking mysteries with librarians is the way to go! Librarians have all the good information, as well as a few book recommendations. Join Mary, the Library Doctor, each week as we look at a new mystery together!

Episodes

  1. Feb 23

    Episode 107 Inventio Fortunata

    Let's explore this week's mystery: what happened to the book Inventio Fortunata - the Fortunate Discovery.  We'll knock out the first mystery right at the beginning: what is the Inventio Fortunata? At the heart, it's a lost book. It is a travelogue, written by a person who traveled to the Arctic in about 1360, found interesting things, wrote about the trip, and brought that book back to the King of England. But then, it went missing.   I'm a librarian, so I know that books do go missing. They are stolen, misshelved, accidentally weeded from a collection, hidden by ghosts - you just don't always know why things happen. Heck, a few episodes ago we talked about an entire library that is missing. But the idea that a book has been missing since the 1300s, with all of its content and ideas and information gone, is very frustrating to me! Let's see what we can figure out there, and get the whole picture. You can read the Show Notes and check out all the links on our Patreon page.

  2. Feb 10

    Episode 106 Jerry and Rita Alter

    This small mystery may be a little higher profile than some of our stories, but I was surprised when I stumbled over it. It is a true crime story, which is not really my genre of interest. But in this case, it's not so much the crime we're looking at, it's the people, the oddness of this story. And it's just the kind of story that I like: nobody gets hurt here, nobody dies (well, only of natural causes), and there are mysteries happening right in plain sight - that nobody really saw.   For all the show notes, including the many links that librarians love to share, head to our Patreon page.

  3. Jan 27

    Episode 105: Mt Shasta's Underground City

    The Pacific Northwest is an area that is extremely beautiful (famously so), filled with amazing trees, mountains all over the place, and some of the most stunning scenery you can imagine. The wilderness is dense, and it's easy to see how the legends of Bigfoot have spread across the area. Once you get into the trees, it's hard to see very far; but you know that all kinds of creatures are also in the woods with you. It can be unsettling. In today's small mystery we are exploring the story of JC Brown, and what happened to him when he was exploring this area in 1904.

  4. Jan 20

    Episode 104 Where is Enoch Lincoln's Body?

    am a doctor of information and library science, and I've been a librarian for more than 25 years. That means I like to know things, and I like to figure things out - and want to explore all the mysteries I can find. We are going to explore some small mysteries that nobody has solved yet. So, if you're curious, and just a little bit nerdy — you're in the right place.  Let's explore this week's mystery: Where is Enoch Lincoln's Body? Well, let's go back a bit, and start with a more fundamental question - one that we CAN answer: who is Enoch Lincoln?  He was, among other things, a poet and the Governor of Maine from 1827 to 1829. (We all contain multitudes.) Check out our Patreon page for the full show notes, including all the links!

  5. Jan 12

    Episode 103: The Burnt City

    We are going to explore some small mysteries that nobody has solved yet. So, if you're curious, and just a little bit nerdy — you're in the right place.  Let's explore this week's mystery: What happened to the Burnt City? Today we are going way back in time, farther than we have been so far. We are going to visit an ancient city, filled with some amazing things. A place that emptied out all the people, mysteriously left abandoned. Check out the full show notes, available on Patreon

  6. Jan 5

    Episode 102: The Golden Library

    My name is Mary, the Library Doctor. I am a doctor of information and library science, and I've been a librarian for more than 25 years. That means I like to know things, and I like to figure things out - and want to explore all the mysteries I can find. We are going to explore some small mysteries that nobody has solved yet. So, if you're curious, and just a little bit nerdy — you're in the right place.    Let's explore this week's mystery: What happened to the Golden Library? How was Ivan the Terrible involved? Are there cursed books hiding in the Kremlin? Let's work through some ideas! Check out the show notes on Patreon, and join in for all the details!

  7. 12/29/2025

    Episode 101: Missing Russian Crown Jewels

    My name is Mary, the Library Doctor. I am a doctor of information and library science, and I've been a librarian for more than 25 years. That means I like to know things, and I like to figure things out - and want to explore all the mysteries I can find. We are going to explore some small mysteries that nobody has solved yet. So, if you're curious and just a little bit nerdy — you're in the right place.  Let's explore this week's mystery: the Missing Russian Crown Jewels. And a spoiler: a library is going to be pretty heroic here! (the best kind of story!)

  • 7 Episodes

About

There are all kinds of mysteries for us to ponder. And talking mysteries with librarians is the way to go! Librarians have all the good information, as well as a few book recommendations. Join Mary, the Library Doctor, each week as we look at a new mystery together!

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