Here’s Some Stereotypes About Librarians You Probably Already Believe

“Good librarians are natural intelligence operatives. They possess all of the skills and characteristics required for that work; curiosity, wide-ranging knowledge, good memories, organization, and analytical, aptitude, as well as discretion.”

-Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All (2011, Harper Perennial).

Johnson’s quote about librarians is important. She is mentioning their intelligence and what skill characteristics it takes for librarians to put in their work. Everything about what Johnson says about librarians reflects on who they are and what they do. Prior to writing this article, I interviewed seven librarians who worked at various public libraries. The librarian interviewees were Valerie Sandlian, Summer Greenwood, Megan Ellis, Leigh Mauer, Brittni E. Ehrhart, Tanya Prax, and Anne Boger.

They all came from the Eloise May Public Library, Schlessman Denver Public Library, and the Aurora Central Library of Colorado. I chose to interview librarians and write about their subculture because they are outgoing people. When it comes to greeting and communicating with patrons, they are always there to help them with finding any needed materials. I chose librarians as the center of this project because I knew I would not experience any behavioral issues while associating with them. I was not worried that they would come off rude, bitter, or disrespectful.

It is part of their daily objective to be kind and welcoming to other people. They are good sources of data collection, which is another reason why I chose to interview librarians and write about their subculture. When it comes to their personal lives and careers, librarians were the best option for me to write about. On the job, they can help library patrons find books, audio-visual items (DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, etc.), newspapers, magazines, and so on. They are also experienced at helping job seekers with resumes, applications, and looking up information online.

The average annual salary for librarians was $57,000 as of May 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is roughly the equivalent of $27.41 an hour (Bureau Labor of Statistics, 2018). Typically, when people think of librarians, a lady who wears glasses and only checks out books for patrons comes to mind. However, those are not the only things librarians do. They are well-educated and have responsibilities beyond what most people think of. There are unique things about their daily routines, personal lives, and other activities they do.

A librarian is professionally in charge of all the responsibilities that have to do with running the library. They provide access to information on literature, are trained in library science, and are engaged in managing library services. Becoming qualified as a librarian requires getting a master’s degree.

The two different degrees a librarian can receive are the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) and the Master of Library Science (MLS).

The academic requirements of a librarian do not really differ from state to state. A master’s degree would still be a requirement in order to become a librarian in any state other than Colorado. Staff members with certificates or a licensure to work in the library are not qualified to be master librarians. They are library assistants. The differences between being a librarian and a library assistant are the educational requirements. A library assistant helps librarians with preparing and organizing materials.

Assistants may perform other miscellaneous tasks that are needed to run a library. On the other hand, librarians are the individuals who work professionally at the library.

Librarians need to be effective in communication, interpersonal skills, and be comfortable using computers. It also helps if they have excellent organizational skills, can work as part of a team, and have an interest in books, as well as other informational sources. These skills are not only expected of librarians. They are also expected of all other staff members who work at the library, in general. For somebody to get a job as a librarian, they need to obtain a bachelor’s degree first, earn a master’s degree, and gain experience in other specialized areas.

There are some common stereotypes people have when they think of librarians. Some think that librarians are not educated. Others think they do not go through a lot of training to earn their titles. However, these are misconceptions. Librarians go through a lot of education and training to become qualified. This is especially true when it comes to them earning master’s degrees in their field in order to qualify for a wider selection of library employment.

“Education systems and professional development I would say, as a whole, for librarians is really important,” librarian Brittni Ehrhart said.

“A lot of us serve on various committees for different professional organizations. We go to workshops. You know…just anything to move us forward professionally,” she continued.

Professional development is one of the major factors for librarians to engage in. This is because it is part of what helps librarians get the education and training, which they need to work professionally at a library. Serving on various committees for professional organizations and going to workshops are other things librarians do to keep themselves professionally motivated. They are really dedicated when it comes to education and training. They are determined at what they do when getting involved in other settings at the library.

Librarians also place value on literacy, reading books, and having knowledge as well.

"I think professional development is important for librarians too…we are constantly changing and evolving so it’s important to keep up with different trends that arrive in the library world,” Ehrhart added.

“And then I think that also, as librarians, that because we value literacy, books, and knowledge, I’d say most of us are very eager to learn new skills,” said librarian Leigh Mauer.

Librarians have the desire to be trained for what they are professionally doing because they have the courage to learn new skills. Their job is all about immediately applying the new skills that they learned. Every time they are learning new skills, they are gradually progressing at their level of expertise. Therefore, professional development is important for librarians. Not only does professional development help them gain the education and training needed to work professionally, but it also helps them become more experienced.

There are not a lot of librarians who would choose to go further than what their degree requirements call for. However, they may take coursework in business or management if they want to go for an administrative trustee position on the library’s board. Such an aspiration would not require another master’s degree or a Ph.D.

“I would say that it wouldn’t be a very big percentage of librarians that would go beyond getting a master’s degree in terms of college education,” said librarian Valerie Sandlian.

“Very few would go back to school to get another degree like a Ph.D. or a second master’s degree. So, most of them might take some coursework but they wouldn’t get another full degree. I would say a really small percentage would take that path…maybe like 10 percent,” she continued.

A Ph.D. is not required for an individual to become a librarian. After obtaining a master’s degree, they have all they need to work professionally at any library. Another misconception about librarians is that they do not have much responsibility when on the job. However, they have plenty of responsibilities to take care of when it comes to their day-to-day duties at the library.

“There might be meetings with other departments. There’s a lot of planning for programs and then we actually execute the programs. We might have one or two programs a day,” Mauer also said.

The duties and responsibilities of a librarian include organizing catalog materials, educating individuals about how to use the library system to find information, conducting special programs or classes, and participating in grant writing, as well as fundraising (Brown, 2001). Librarians are productive when it comes to their workplace responsibilities. They do not just sit or stand in front of a computer to check out materials for people.

When some people think of librarians, they assume that these professionals do not have their own daily routines or schedules. However, I would say otherwise. Librarians have full-fledged daily routines and schedules; whether they may be inside or outside the library.

“Often, I will have an ‘ask a librarian’ appointment where I’m helping someone with their resume, a job search, some labor market research, or genealogy, which involves researching their family history,” said librarian Summer Greenwood.

“Often, I will present to two groups of job seekers or genealogical societies on library resources. I also mentor staff members. I help them with everything from advising them on how to use our eternal databases to providing job help and genealogical resources for patrons. But I can also help with managing the internal databases,” she continued.

Librarians keep themselves busy when dealing with other tasks, which are involved with what is in their daily routine. Just because librarians already have responsibilities to take care of at the workplace, it does not mean they do not have their own personal lives to deal with at home. Librarians remain busy and they have much to take care of on a day-to-day basis.

The final common stereotype people make about librarians is they are boring; with nothing else to do other than work at the library. Librarians are active when it comes to extracurricular activities. So, they are not boring people.

“I’m in a Colorado Clemson Club, which consists of fans of the Clemson University College football team in South Carolina. So, it’s people from there that live in Denver. If they went to school there, we meet with them and watch games in the fall together,” Mauer said.

Librarians are intelligent people. They are dedicated to learning new skills. They value knowledge and literacy. They are some of the most educated and responsible people that others could look up to. There are more unique things I could also say about librarians. However, their daily routines and personal lives are the two main factors that make them unique. One thing I learned about librarians is that they provide a variety of answers to questions people may have.

Seth Godin is an American author and former dot.com business executive. In a profound statement, he once said:

“The librarian isn’t a clerk who happens to work in a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a Sherpa, and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user (Godin, 2012).”

References

Bennett, A., Cleeves, A., Godin, S., Hill, Susan, Holland T., McDermid, V., Mangan, L., Miéville, C., Moran, C., Mosse, K., Myerson, Julie., Rai, B., Shriver, L., & Singh H.K. (2012, February 02). The library book. The Reading Agency.

Brown, J.M. (2001). Time and the academic librarian. portal: Libraries and the Academy 1(1), 59-70. doi:10.1353/pla.2001.0009.

Johnson, M. (2011). This book is overdue: how librarians and cybrarians can save us all. Harper Perennial.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, June 2). Librarians and library media specialists: occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm.