Joan Bruce knows a thing or two about rare books.

The 71-year-old has spent 34 years working at the State Library of Queensland, but it’s only now that she has become an online sensation, known to her legion of fans as Joan of Archives.

Within a month, one video of Joan’s thoughtful commentary on an old book from the library’s collection was watched more than 140,000 times on Instagram and Tiktok.

In the clip, she shares the story of how the book was made – a collaboration between a beetle that carved its path through a tree, and humans, who contributed their skills in poetry, book binding, and cabinet-making.

The book is eye-catching and intriguing, but many viewers were more enamoured with Joan of Archives. One TikTok commenter wrote: “Joan of Archives – I’m obsessed with you.”

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