Marlene Yarrow was the niece of Wilbur Armitage, the head of the Special Collections at Miskatonic University Library at the beginning of the 21st century, and his likely successor to that position. She was also one of his three assistants, along with Jason Griffith and Petro Papagos. Armitage and his assistants all suspected the truth about "Goma". Each assistant librarian urged Armitage to refuse Goma the Necronomicon, both because they were not convinced of Goma's intentions, and they knew the dangers the Necronomicon presented. Yarrow begged Armitage not give Goma the book.