So
how can working librarians get past the chronic stereotypes and
present themselves as information professionals who represent a vivacious
21st century profession? Personally I believe the stereotype that librarians have
will always be there; because for one it gives people something funny say when
they come in contact with someone that works at a library. I too must admit
that I once stereotyped librarians. I always thought of librarians as being
mean, old, and smart (I thought they knew everything). I viewed them
(us) that way because that’s all I had seen on television, so when my parents
would take me to the library it terrified me.
Now as technology is progressing so has the
duties of a librarian, and they are changing constantly, but the foundation
will forever be the same. But getting past the stereotype and striving in the
21st century doesn’t and
won’t happen overnight.
Working librarians will get past the chronic
stereotypes by knowing who they are as a person and as a professional. Many
people become librarians because they enjoy helping others find information. We
have librarians that are stereotyped as tall, short, big, little, big hair, no
hair, with teeth, and without teeth. None of these attributes contribute or
take away from how we provide services to our users.
Today more than any time in history information
is more social and more online and because of this, librarians are possessing a
whole new professional look. The
physical building of a library no longer enslaves librarians to a particular
space. Librarians now must venture into the digital space, becoming a
professional on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs. With the new found duties are also
some new titles; Information Scientist or Information Specialist (Sutter,2009).
Reference
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/
