Comments on: Shattering Those Stereotypes

By: MargeauxB

MargeauxB — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:00:28 +0000

I always assume librarians are people who think they’re edgy as hell, what with the Tweety bird tat on the ankle and the alternative band tshirt. And the multi-pierced ears and the old car in the parking lot. About as edgy as an after-dinner mint.

By: Corporate Lib

Corporate Lib — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:30:50 +0000

People tend to tell me “you don’t look like a librarian!” when I tell them what I do. I tell them “I look exactly like a librarian” because hey, I am one. It always gives them pause. I’ll leave it up to your imaginations what I look like, because it really doesn’t matter, now, does it.

By: Charming Billy

Charming Billy — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:39:36 +0000

I saw Black Flag before that clown was in it. Much better band.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:19:52 +0000

Bravo! Well said–my thoughts exactly. I thought the same thing about this “stereotype-busting nonsense” when I saw the Henry Rollins poster as keynote for ALA/ ACRL: Now are we really “cool” with tattoos and musicians–this is sad.

By: kim

kim — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:05:50 +0000

How wonderfully awkward. Our blog for our project in Foundations in Library Science is about this very thing. Does this mean that librarians cannot escape any stereotype no matter what they do? I don’t think just because two or three people make the same calendar doesn’t mean it’s all of a sudden cliche. Still, love your blog!

This is our project (mocking permitted):
http://whatreallibrariansdo.wordpress.com/

By: Charming Billy

Charming Billy — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:06:55 +0000

I’ve been in librarianship since the mid 80s. My first boss was a hipster librarian before they were called hipster librarians. Back then a hipster librarian wasn’t seen as a hipster. She or he was seen, often enviously, as a weirdo who’d found a niche.

I guess it was a holdover from the 60s counterculture. The idea was to find a position that would let you wave your freak flag high, provided you were a competent employee. The profession itself wasn’t viewed as cool, it was seen as a good place to be cool. See the difference?

I’ve watched individuals and the profession as a whole try to buck the stereotype for almost 30 years. It don’t work, y’all. Hip people don’t have to try to be hip, they just are. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And which of you by acting hip can become a hipster? And why take ye thought for raiment?

Our profession will die before the stereotype does. My advice: Use the stereotype as camouflage and get in touch with your inner freak.

By: Miss Magpie

Miss Magpie — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:20:59 +0000

How interesting. You lot need to come over here (Australia) I work in a small country library that services @30,000 people. We’ve got 2 gay staff (one from each camp)a bald tatooed man, a nervous wreck,a woman who seems to favour sleepwear as day wear, a goth and myself–a smoking, drinking, tatooed, occasionally foulmouthed old bat who’s not above stalking a good looking man around the stacks. We just won the local business awards ‘People’s Choice’category–got over 500 votes. shows what you get if you offer something, and somebody, for everybody.

By: Library Girl

Library Girl — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:05:31 +0000

The point of a calendar like this is to stir the pot. If it attracts more users or draws attention to libraries or, heaven forbid, actually raises money (because we’re all swimming in that, right?), what’s the problem?

Yes, of course, we ARE librarians and know the diverse bunch of people we are. But step outside of yourself and the every day library user. To the non-users, we are stodgy, old and boring with nothing to offer. Just because the idea isn’t fresh to us doesn’t mean it isn’t to someone else. I’ve talked to a lot of people about this calendar idea who have nothing to do with libraries (besides occasionally using one) and they are surprised by it. Surprised there are librarians with tattoos. Surprised there are any who are willing to do a calendar. Surprised that we aren’t a stodgy, conservative bunch. And these are people I would consider fairly open-minded and savvy, but that is STILL what they are thinking.

By: Tattooed Youth Librarian

Tattooed Youth Librarian — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:39:19 +0000

As one of the organizers of this fundraiser and a member of the executive board of MLA, I’m intrigued by your annoyance. The “shattering of stereotypes” angle was one pitched by a reporter, not by us. We simply wanted an interesting and conversation-provoking fundraiser. We certainly succeeded. You’re absolutely right that librarians are underpaid, disrespected and an often ignored. This is why librarians need to stand up and be noticed. As a group, we’re not terribly good at self-promotion.

This was a fundraiser for MLA and it’s a project that brought a lot of youth librarians together and also got people across the country talking about libraries and librarianship. Once people are aware of who we are, they might start to understand how important we are.

It’s my hope that we can continue to attract awesome, intelligent and dedicated people to the field… with or without tattoos.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:22:08 +0000

The goal of an accountant is to be trusted and look prosperous in order to gain people’s confidence in their ability to deal with money. Hence, suits. The goal of librarians is varied, depending on the library and the position. Accountants are thinking just as much about their reputation as librarians do (perhaps more, since they usually have dress codes), it’s just that many librarians have the goal of being approachable and fun in order to encourage patrons to enjoy the library, while excitement is usually not a good thing in an accountant’s office. I think it’s perfectly healthy to consider whether your personal presentation is giving people the right impression of your service.