What do you think of when you hear the word librarian? Are you visualizing a middle-aged woman with glasses on a beaded string sitting low on her nose? Perhaps she's wearing a cardigan with speckles of cat hair and a menacing glare that will keep you whispering so low that not even a mouse can hear, just to avoid being spotted and shushed? This specific librarian stereotype has been portrayed so frequently in film and television that I sometimes wonder if I should buy a new cardigan for each day of the week! Trust me, this librarian stereotype is an antiquated description and not a genuine portrayal of the modern-day librarian or the library worker.
If you haven’t had a chance to interact with the University Library staff, we promise we aren't cold or unapproachable, and rest assured, we will never shush you – just another great perk of being a virtual library! We take pride in our friendliness and are always exploring innovative ways to connect with you. If you haven’t already, check out our offerings:
- Keeping up with the Librarians blog - we try to give you a glimpse of how we see the library world! (Subscribe to get notified as new posts are published.)
- Various webinars to walk you through the maze of materials compiled in the library
- An ever-evolving library homepage that highlights our newest resources and products.
- Toolkits and How Do I guides provide you with everything you need to research your topics when you need it.
- We know that it isn’t possible for our library to have every article ever published. But our staff can usually find what you need through our Request a Document service.
- Helpful videos on the library's YouTube channel are available because sometimes you just need to be walked through the research steps.
As we continue to celebrate National Library Week, I think it is appropriate to address some common librarian stereotypes. People I meet for the first time often tell me I don't look like a librarian. I explain, “I really am! I had to go to library school for this career, too.” Take, for example, the character Evie Carnahan from the 1999 film The Mummy. She doesn't look like a librarian, either. But Evie hunts mummies and battles creepy ancient beetles with the help of her librarian skills and knowledge.
Did you know you need an advanced degree to be a librarian? It was in my first job after college in a middle school library where I learned that one needs a master's degree to become a librarian. So, I enrolled in library school. I was excited about becoming a librarian, especially as a woman of color, and contributing to the dissemination of information. I was eager to bring in my own version of what a librarian could, and not should, be. Sometimes, when I put on my blue light-blocking glasses, have my hair up in a bun, and am wearing a fluffy cardigan, I feel like I am in character and channeling my inner Barbara Gordon. Yes, I am talking about Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, from DC Comics. And she has a PhD in library science!
Libraries today employ workers from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. There is also a diverse range of workers in the library beyond just the librarians, including student workers, tech workers, volunteers, and project managers, among others. Here in our library, we have a unique blend of job titles, interests, and personalities. While I haven’t encountered any mummy-fighting librarians in real life, neither are all library workers introverted or meek. Like any other profession, libraries (including our beloved virtual library) comprise a multitude of personalities, cultures, and, yes, perhaps a few stereotypes.
But just for fun, let's look at a few:
- The scary librarian: Monsters University's 40-foot monster librarian, Margaret Gesner, resembles an octopus, yet doesn't fail to have a tiny bun on the top of her head. She instills fear with her ironically cacophonous “quiet” and literally throws any patron out of the library with one of her many tentacles. She also seems to need her lorgnette to read books and look out into the library, which makes it easy for one to slip by her, provided you are quiet enough.
- The glaring librarian: Madam Pince from the library at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry exemplifies this stereotype. The Harry Potter films portray her as incredibly strict and fearsome to the students.
- The annoyed librarian: If you have ever watched the animated series Bob's Burgers, you are likely well acquainted with Mr. Ambrose, the show's school librarian. The students at the library get a taste of the sarcastic librarian who seems to hate his job and is annoyed by students asking for library help.
- The spinster librarian: Perhaps one of the most infamous spinster librarians is Mary the old maid from the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. This movie portrays a librarian for less than a minute, but it's enough time to let the viewers know that a librarian is the least desirable and even nightmarish profession.
- The genius librarian: Rupert Giles from the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Giles has an immense amount of encyclopedic knowledge, which aids Buffy as a pivotal character in slaying the supernatural.
- The shusher librarian: In my opinion, this is the most famous librarian stereotype in film and television. The shusher librarian is too ubiquitous to identify just one, but a great example is the librarian portrayed in the 1961 classic film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Now, this isn't an exhaustive list of all the librarians portrayed in the media. There are so many more! Do you have any favorite or memorable librarians that come to mind? Let us know in the comments!
Lyanne Garcia is a librarian who works with the reference and content development teams. She believes that crushed ice is superior to all other ice types.