Lords of Serendipity - by Randy Boyagoda

University satire just gets darker and darker, even as it shines a brighter light on the inner workings of the Academy.

Boyagoda's work has readers traveling from Sri Lanka, to Italy, to the United States exploring how the Ivory Tower covers up things it doesn't like and maintains the privilege of the white, male hierarchy, all while presenting a face that wears a DEI mask. My professor husband and I listened to this on Audible and enjoyed some true belly laughs together.

There were a lot of characters in this novel, of course my favorite was Patricia, the information literacy librarian at the fictitious Haven College. Always fighting the good fight, she was a true educator, but without the protection of tenure. She is forced into early retirement by "Puck" an AI assistant she is required to "train". 

I must admit that I am happy to have decided for myself to retire early. The Administration at my University would like nothing more than to have AI do all the librarians' jobs, and shrink the physical space of the library as well. Currently the number of professional librarians is smaller by three than when I first started, and the building space is smaller by one entire floor. Plans are to make it smaller still within the next few years. Encroachment was an issue for the entire 27 years I worked there. Who needs a library anyway? No one reads books anymore.