Rachel Simon, who retired from the University Library in 2022, has published Cultural, Social, and Political Perceptions in the Folktales of Libyan Jews: Life in a Tale with Cambridge Scholars (2024). “This study of the folktales of Libyan Jews examines their views regarding a wide range of social and cultural issues, some of which could not be expressed openly due to social and cultural inhibitions as well as the fear of the reaction of the surrounding Muslim majority. The study examines relationships between couples (how they got married and relations between the spouses), within the family (between parents and children and among siblings), the position of women, and attitudes towards the “Other” (mainly Muslims, as well as Christians, Jews from other locations, and non-humans).” 

Simon was the leader of the Library’s Middle East Approvals Section and cataloged Hebrew, Turkish, and Ottoman books.