We all recognize the librarian stereotype. The caricature that shows a woman, not especially young, probably a spinster, wellread, humourless, sensibly but boringly dressed – probably in a tweed skirt, cardigan, comfortable shoes, old-fashioned spectacles (with a neck cord), stern expression and always saying ‘shush’.

From cardigans...

This stereotype is common in newspapers
and magazines and often features
in literature and films. A recent example
in current literature can be found in
Denise Mina’s novel The Dead Hour
(2006): “The clippings library was a
pocket of calm order in the chaos of
the newspaper. Helen, the chief librarian,
dressed like a real librarian would,
in tweed pencil skirts and jerseys. Her
glasses hung on a red beaded chain
around her neck.”
Just why female librarians have become
a favourite motive for caricaturists is a
matter for speculation. Could it possibly
be that women are rewarding subjects
of ridicule? Or is it simply because
the profession is dominated by women?

The profession of librarianship has a
long tradition. (Remember Alexandria).
But it was first during the early
20th century that women were able to
gain employment as librarians. Prior to
that, men monopolized the profession.
The male librarian has never, however,
been subject to stereotyping the way
female librarians have.

Admittedly the male librarian has occasionally
been represented as geeky, or
tired and reclusive, or, in a more modern
variant, a hip person with a pony
tail. But none of these stereotypes have
had the same impact as the image of
the woman in the tweed skirt.Male
librarians have been overshadowed by
the ‘the real librarian’.

Another limitation of this stereotype is
that it one-sidedly reflects Anglo-American
cultural values. The existence of
female librarians in African or Asian
libraries doesn’t appear to have registered
with caricaturists. Of course the
climate in these countries is hardly
conducive to the wearing of woollen
skirts and cardigans. That’s one explanation.
Another more probable explanation
is that an overly nuanced caricature
becomes conventional and thus
less humorous.

Generally speaking, the profession is
not overly receptive to an image that
communicates a misleading representation
of libraries and librarians. Efforts
have been made to correct, modify and
modernize this image, albeit without
noteworthy success. The stereotype has
proven to be tenacious and endures
despite fashion trends. Clothing styles
and fashion trends change but the
image of the female librarian remains
the same.

... to overalls

When a new generation of librarians
stormed into Swedish libraries during
the early 1970s they were quick to discard
pumps, woollen skirts and cardigans.
The important thing was relating
to patrons. This meant, among other
things, dressing in flannel work shirts,
beak boots, overalls and other clothing
styles associated with the work ethos.
Swedish libraries teemed with proletarians.
To what degree Swedish workers
appreciated this has never been investigated.
There is however documentation
showing that workers constituted a minority
among library visitors.
The overalls have since disappeared. If
one were looking for a reliable indication
of current fashion trends among
librarians, the Swedish Library Association’s
Annual Meeting or other library
conferences would be a logical place to
start. These are hardly the type of
events a caricaturist would attend –
and if he did, the chances of meeting a
librarian in a tweed skirt would be
minimal.

In these days of globalization an international
perspective is perhaps judicious;
for instance the fashion styles
displayed by IFLA’s female delegates.
Not a tweed skirt in sight. Rather, the
tendency is towards exclusive brand
name garments. The fact that elegance
is more in evidence than ever reflects,
perhaps, a rise in the status of the profession.
Subtle fashion details allow
conclusions to be drawn regarding nationality.
I refer here to delegates from
same cultural spheres; for instance
Western European countries, the United
States or other Western Countries.

Delegates from non-Western Countries
differ dramatically. The female delegates
from various African countries
are often clothed in stylish, colourful
robes; the Indian delegates in elegant
silk saris, while delegates from Muslim
countries tend more towards a more
discreet, dark voluminous garb. In
short, the stereotype librarian is rare in
real life – nationally or internationally.

Cybrarian

The technological developments that
have had such a dramatic impact on
library activity should, reasonably
enough, have even contributed positively
to the general image of libraries
and librarians.

Libraries have been quick to adopt the
new technology. Technological competence
has developed in step with ICT
advances. In many places it is the library
that is in the forefront in using
information technology and techniques.
The new technology embodies
the new future – the new recipe for
success. Tradition-bound institutions
like libraries have a fairly low hip-factor.
It is not unreasonable to suppose
that the technological advances in
libraries have contributed to modifying
the image of the library as book collecting
institutions and only that.

The profession has, in any case, been
quick to realize the potential of new
information technologies and to adopt
them as a way of updating the image of
the library. The efforts made in this
respect have often been of a semantic
character. It’s a well-known method:
changing the name of something in the
hope of replacing a negative connotation
with a positive association.
During the 1980’s expressions such as
‘information specialist’ began to appear.
In articles in the trade press it
wasn’t uncommon to come across
assertions such as: “Librarians have to
move up and become information
specialists or they can move out”.

New appellations flourished. Titles
such as Knowledge Manager, Knowledge
Resources Specialist, Electronic
Resources Coordinator, Content Manager,
Interface Specialist, etc., endeavour
to displace the word Librarian.
The designation Cybrarian is, so far,
probably the most innovative of these
and about as far as you can get from
the stereotype of a librarian in a tweed
skirt.

Infotek

Even the very word Library has been
displaced by more dynamic and modern
terms. Many libraries display new
signs calling themselves ‘Mediatek’ or
‘Infotek’. New designations are rapidly
introduced: dot.com Library, e-brary,
Digital Library or Library Without
Walls. In Great Britain the establishment
of ‘Idea Stores’ has become popular.
Library associations have succumbed
to the temptation of renewing themselves
by changing names. The illustrious
Library Association based in
London is now called the Chartered
Institute of Library and Information
Professionals (CILIP). Other library
associations have removed the word
library from their logotype.

So far, these efforts haven’t made a noticeable
difference. But it does take time
to change fundamental perceptions.
The question arises as to whether the
efforts to combat a stereotype stand in
reasonable proportion to the results. Is
it possible to eliminate such a deeprooted
image? Why not do the opposite
by turning the caricaturists’ own
weapon against them and transforming
the caricature into a trademark.

Certainly, the stereotype exudes a sort
of propriety that borders on the boring.
But the image of ‘the real librarian’
does actually communicate a positive
message: a sense of knowledge,
reliability, quality and tradition.

It is certainly true that to a certain
extent libraries have lost their monopoly
as information brokers thanks to
the rise of the Internet and search
motors like Google. These days, most
people – even students and researchers
– search for their own information. In
many places the pressure on library
reference desks has lessened. But in an
age of information overload, the librarian
will in all likelihood still be a key
person.

So, let us recognize the positive aspect
of the stereotype and use it. Professional
competence certainly doesn’t reside
in a cardigan or spectacles with a
neck cord. But, if these superficial attributes
communicate a sense of professional
competence then we’d be foolish
not to take advantage of the situation.
Besides, the image is quite funny.

Barbro Thomas

Translated by Greg Church