An old post discovered in the drafts folder (from January 2012) - still relevant now?
My fellow tweeters in the information management profession have been amusing themselves recently with a list of qualities commonly held to represent the Librarian stereotype (compiled by Wordshore).
My fellow tweeters in the information management profession have been amusing themselves recently with a list of qualities commonly held to represent the Librarian stereotype (compiled by Wordshore).
The list was compiled by a group of Birmingham librarians, in a pub, in December 2011. Over 150 librarians have so far scored themselves on the checklist. The highest scorer, and therefore, the most stereotypical so far, has 16 points. Out of 24. Most librarians got fewer than 10 points on the scale. I got 14.5, which means that I am 60% Librarian stereotype.
All of which makes me wonder whether the stereotype (a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group) of the librarian is being kept alive by librarians themselves through these kinds of exercises.
Analysing the list, many of the qualities can be classified in the following distinct categories:
Librarian as alcohol/drug user
Drinks wine
Drinks gin
Member of CAMRA
Uses illicit substances
Librarian as animal lover
Owns one or more cats
Listens to the Archers
Owns one or more dogs
Librarian as obsessive compulsive nerd/geek
Pedantic about definitions of what a librarian stereotype is
Owns a collection of cardigans, sweaters or jumpers
Set up a library as a child, or at school
Arranges their CD collection in a particularly exact or OCD manner
Wears glasses or contact lenses
Plays digital games
Watches Doctor Who
Likes and/or watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Listens to Radio Four
Owns or collects bookplates
Owns or collects bookmarks
Librarian as social misfit
Dating, or partner of, an IT professional
Has dated several other librarians
Has or had a parent who was a librarian
You forgot the twinset and pearls!
There are two items on the list which are purely discriminatory, in terms of age or in terms of sex: Has grey or greying hair / Wears their hair in a bun on a regular or frequent basis.
There are many librarians without a touch of grey, and I am the only librarian I know who puts their hair in a bun (because I have long hair and it keeps it neat and tidy). I have never known a man with long hair put it in a bun...
So, the stereotype above is a female Librarian who uses alcohol and drugs, loves animals, is obsessive compulsive, over 50 and doesn't get out much.
Let's rewrite the stereotype based on real information professionals:
1.Cat lover
2.Enjoys home crafts (knitting, cross-stitching etc)
3.Prefers sensible shoes
4.Has short, cropped hair or a bob
5.Wears glasses or contact lenses
6.Dresses informally or individually
7.Member of CILIP
8.Tech-savvy (Tweets, blogs, Googles)
9.Loves information research
10.Drinks coffee regularly
11.Enjoys going to meetings and conferences
12.Overqualified
Which means I score 2/12 - 16% stereotypical.
What is the point of the stereotype? (It's shorthand, a part representing the whole)
Is the stereotype real? (Perhaps in the 1950s it was, very unlikley to still be now)
Who created the stereotype? (Perhaps we'll never know)
Who is perpetuating it? (Now I think it's librarians themselves, in a bid to prove they are more interesting than they actually are: "Look at me, I'm a cool librarian, I'm different from the recognised image, I'm not a stereotype at all!")
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| Librarian Action Figure from http://www.mcphee.com |
The figure of an elderly lady with her greying hair in a bun, wearing glasses, an ill fitting skirt suit and sensible shoes, is perpetuating the classic stereotype of the Librarian.
Surely the best way to refute a stereotype is to create a new image based more accurately on the people being stereotyped. But where's the fun in that? So let's change it to: Librarian as Indiana Jones-style action hero and go for some mindless escapism instead.
