[1] Source: "MTVe Librarian of the Year Award". Recorded Broadcast. 1993.
[2] Submitted by: Phbbbbbt Blorvyn Takk. VHS found in a discarded tote labelled “Phoenix Obscura”. Estate sale. Arizona.
[3] Uploaded to the archive: March 20, 2025. NotstalgiaArchive.org
Background
Most people forget that MTV began as a librarian’s network.
In fact, you’re not supposed to remember at all. The Librarian Coalition made sure of that.
It was 1981 when the Music Television Experiment (MTVe) first launched as a cable channel dedicated to library sciences. Dewey Decimal tutorials, archival best practices, and the surprisingly competitive world of interlibrary loan disputes were the backbone of the programming.
It was, by all accounts, thrilling television.
And yet, before long, something changed. Quietly. Deliberately.
The format shifted, the branding softened, and before anyone realised what had happened, it was nothing but music videos and neon graphics.
People assumed this was just evolution.
It wasn’t.
It was librarians, moving unseen as they always do, reshaping the cultural landscape while the rest of you were distracted.
This is just one example. Think about it - where did pop culture even come from?
The answer: libraries.
Every major entertainment medium can trace its origins to an obscure but powerful librarian initiative. Hollywood? Originally a project to promote film preservation techniques that spiraled out of control. Reality television? A failed attempt at making archive cataloging seem more exciting by adding confessional cameras. Even professional wrestling? A desperate effort to encourage reluctant readers through scripted, exaggerated retellings of classic literature (Ric Flair’s early persona was heavily based on Lord Byron, though you’ll never see that admitted in any official documents).
But let’s return to the MTVe Librarian of the Year Award. By 1993, the transformation of MTV was nearly complete, and the Librarian Coalition had no choice but to erase the network’s true origins.
This award was the last remnant of the old order, hidden in plain sight. Pppffftthh Aaron Smith’s win wasn’t just an honour - it was a signal, a warning, a final acknowledgment before the great cover-up was complete.
After that night, the Librarian of the Year Award was never mentioned again.
Note
I shouldn’t be telling you this. It’s not that the Coalition is malicious, but they are... thorough. Their reach is vast, their influence absolute. I will probably be asked to ‘misplace’ this document in the near future, which means if you’re reading it now, you should act like you haven’t.
And the next time you check out a book, thank your librarian. They built the world you live in. You just don’t remember it.1
Further reading
https://archive.org/details/DOPE243
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