How I’m Helping Break the Librarian Stereotype

I just knew I wanted to be respected. I wanted to be good at sport. I wanted to be pretty. I wanted to be head librarian.

~Lucy Lawless

I’m pretty sure most guys would admit they have a Sexy Librarian fetish (in fact, in the A-Team comic books, they even make a joke about the perpetual playboy Faceman having one.) There’s something about that quiet, mysterious, quasi-virginal lady with her hair in a bun, her oh-so-practical clothes, her tortoiseshell glasses on a chain around her neck. I’m sure it’s in the same ballpark as nuns, nurses and flight attendants.

I’m not sure where this image comes from. The 1960s, maybe, or some old episode of Leave it to Beaver. It continues to persist in popular culture; even the Star Wars flicks feature old-lady Jedi Archives librarian Jocasta Nu. I’ve worked in libraries for nearly five years now and I have yet to meet anybody who looks like the “traditional” librarian. This includes Staff Day, in which several hundred people are in attendance. Nary a tight bun or pair of practical pumps in sight.

There are countless blogs out there written by other library folks (my personal favorite being the one featuring librarians as romance novel heroines.) I’m hardly an expert on what does or doesn’t make a “proper” librarian. I do bear more than a passing resemblance to the chick in the illustration above, only I don’t wear glasses and my favorite footwear is Chuck Taylors in summer and Harley boots in winter. People wouldn’t know I was a librarian just by looking at me. If anything they might assume I worked at an edgy cafe or alternative boutique. Which is the general idea. I don’t really want complete strangers to think of me as a 32-year-old virgin who goes home to a house full of cats every night and reads Sartre for fun.

But that’s the whole point. Libraries are at a major crossroads right now between old and new, tradition and innovation. I think there’s room to incorporate both. No matter how much e-readers make inroads, I believe there is and always will be room for the printed word. There’s something amazing and tangible about holding a book. But we also have to change with the times and make libraries a place people want to go. We offer e-books, computers, mp3s, and multimedia presentations. My old school librarian, who really did wear torti glasses on a chain, would scarcely recognize the library today.

Part of the changed perception starts with the staff. Would I want to go into a building full of stern older people who constantly shushed me and didn’t want me touching anything? Probably not. On the other hand, a library filled with dynamic, knowledgeable (not necessarily young, but, ya know) staff where I was encouraged to engage would be much better. The current branch where I work was built in the early 90s and is showing its age. We’re getting ready to move to a bigger and brighter location; in fact, the meeting committee has been asking for input as to what the new branch should look like. For what it was worth I gave them much of this input. I certainly hope they use some of it.

I actually think librarians can be sexy (I don’t go for women, but if I did, I’d probably go after a female librarian.) For the most part we’re astute, knowledgeable, eager to assist, and actually like to read. We spend our working days surrounded by books, which, aside from being a jungle commando or professional stunt person, is the coolest thing in the world to me. We are archaeologists, scholars, computer geeks, cryptographers, and scientists all rolled into one. Occasionally we have to act as psychiatrists, bouncers, EMTs, or child care workers. Thankfully that’s not the norm.

I’m personally proud to be an alternative librarian. I’m also proud nobody seems to recognize me as a librarian when I go out in public (well, there is that one crazy guy who stalks me…but I won’t talk about him.) Here’s to libraries in the 21st century and beyond!

How do you feel about your local public library system and/or librarians? What changes do you think libraries need to make as technology changes? Do you have a thing for Sexy Librarians? Details, details!

"Faceman, you never told me you liked sexy librarians."

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~ by Howlin' Mad Heather on April 25, 2012.