Introduction: "You don't look like a librarian"

The server at the hotel told me I didn't look like a librarian. My response: you should see my friends!

Alesha Lackey

Abstract: Often librarians that do not fit the stereotypes are confronted by comments that they do not look and/or act like librarians. This chapter provides the background experiences of the author which serves as a catalyst for the composition of this book. It briefly discusses the elements that perpetuate librarian stereotypes, events that led to the current revisiting of the stereotype discussion among professionals, and offers a concise summary of the following chapters.

Key words: librarians, stereotypes, library action figure, Nancy Pearl

"You don't look like you work here." In my nine years as a library employee, I have heard this comment on numerous occasions. Initially, I stood baffled at the statement. After all, I had wanted to work in libraries since I was a child and never did my looks play into that decision. As time passed, I began to ask questions in return. "What does that mean?" "What am I supposed to look like?" "What look were you expecting?" My questions were never challenging, but the answers that I received were very revealing.

"Where's the glasses and the bun?"

"You don't look like any librarian I know."

"You were not what I expected."

Admittedly, I did have a unique look that is typically unexpected of one in the library profession. The brightly colored, frequently changing hair, the blatant tattoos, and eccentric clothing often confounded people who expected more inhibited attire and less self-expression. I was a known pageant queen, which further confounded people, yet customers seemed more astonished by my sunny disposition. Rarely was I sitting behind a desk; I was more than willing to cease my current task to locate items for which the patrons were searching. In fact, I preferred the shelves so that I could enjoy the collection while completing my tasks; one only had to ask a Readers' Advisory question to ascertain my love for my work. I passed our customers with a "hello"; I asked if they needed help finding anything.

Others were simply unaccustomed to seeing cultural minorities in professional and paraprofessional library positions. A few years ago, while working as a Library Associate, I encountered a middle-aged gentleman. He wore baggy jeans, a worn windbreaker jacket, and a navy baseball cap that fit snugly to his head. His Spanish accent was unmistakable when he finally stepped to the desk and reluctantly asked, "Do you work here?"

"Yes Sir," I answered.

"You. really?"

When I nodded, he realized that his stupor may have offended me.

"I'm sorry," he began. "It's just that you're. you know. like me-different." He ran his fingers across the back of his opposing hand. I smiled, and he laughed with ease before asking his questions.

As days at the branch became months, I noticed the young brown-skinned students who waved away my fellow co-workers to seek my assistance instead. Or the Vietnamese woman who often asked me specifically for suggestions of interesting novels. Another man leaned in close and whispered, "It is good to see one of us here." He knew that I knew what "us" meant.

I also received a similar surprise when working with teenage customers. I became the go-to person when they needed help with or suggestions about assignments. The anxiety that appeared when working with older librarians (some of which was caused by stereotypes about librarians and some stemming from discrimination against teenagers) was nonexistent with me. Eventually, I was hustled into becoming the Teen Representative for my branch. The Teen Advisory Board grew, and attendance at teen events burgeoned. I was only six or seven years older than most of them; I also looked more like them, so the comfort level was high.

In one meeting, we discussed the stereotypes surrounding librarians. I asked, "What words come to mind when you hear the word 'librarian'?"

"Old!"

"White!"

"Hair in a bun!"

One participant did not even bother to say a word. She simply placed her index finger against her lips and exhaled, "Shhhh."

"Not cute. ugly," one girl answered with a nervous giggle before looking at her peers for validation then back to me. "You know what I mean?"

Sadly, I know exactly what she meant.

I have seen the stereotypical librarian-old, white, and female with dowdy, bland-colored clothing, ill-fitted glasses, and sensible shoes. So had the students who easily answered my questions about librarians.

Figure I.1 The stereotypical librarian

One shared that until he met me and my fellow worker, who sat seemingly stoic yet very aware with his royal blue and red plaid shirt, gray pants, and black Chuck Taylors, he had never thought of librarians as cool: "Most people who work at the library are not like you guys."

Because of the extensive amount of time that I spent in libraries, I recognized that librarians were not like the images splashed across the television screens. My first experience working in a library challenged my already open views. I was a library assistant at an academic library at a mid-size, liberal arts university. I expected to be out of place in my holey jeans and peasant top on the first day of classes. Instead, I found myself surrounded by hippies, punks, homeboys, goths, and outcasts. One of my supervisors was a flower child of the 1960s. Her braided ponytail stretched nearly the length of her petite body, which was almost swallowed by her full Navajo patterned dresses. The finance manager conjured images of Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter. She so loved the series that on the days of the film and book releases, she would dress as a professor from Hogwarts. Another co-worker was a friend from Charlotte, North Carolina. He was cool, popular, and majoring in Pre-medical. His dark skin was accentuated by his brightly colored t-shirts; his booming voice resonated when he worked at the circulation desk. On Monday mornings before the doors to the library were unlocked, we would convene to discuss the pageant in which I competed. We were a bunch of characters and comfortably at home.

Unfortunately, most people will not have the experience that I had with libraries. They will never have the opportunity to see the varying styles and personalities. They may never see the cataloger with the short, spiky haircut who fire dances on the weekend or know of the archivist who was once a CIA agent working undercover to disband the Italian mafia. Librarians, like the rest of the general population, have a range of interests that extend beyond reading. Our duties also encompass more than sitting behind desks. Too often, the public will only see us at our desks; they will rarely see us outside of the library. And for those who do not visit the library, the only images of librarians that they will see are those in films and on television. In each of these instances, the stereotypes trump the reality of information professionals.

Very recently, Accoutrements, the parent company of Archie McPhee's in Ballard, created an action figure modeled after popular Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl.1 Information professionals were elated at the news. Nancy Pearl is one of the most well-known contemporary librarians. She developed the program "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book" in 1998, which was later adopted by other libraries across the country. Pearl is also the Women's National Book Association Award recipient and author of the bestselling "Book Lust" series, recognition of which led to the Seattle Channel's "Book Lust with Nancy Pearl." She is a regular commentator about books on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" and NPR affiliate for the Seattle and Tulsa areas.2 She is a librarian and book lover rock star.

Figure I.2 The librarian action figure Courtesy of Sharon Chapman

The elation became horror when the librarian action figure was released. One version of the action figure is complete with a chart full of books, desktop computer, and nerdy glasses. Her outfit is oversized and terribly drab, and is made worse with the matching "sensible shoes." This version seems a bit younger with her red outfit and coal-black hair when compared to the gray-haired version. Although they have smiles on their faces, both have their fingers pursed to their lips. The marketing tagline for the action figure is "with amazing push-button shush action." The action figure reinforces unconstructive stereotypes that have plagued librarians for decades!

Some library professionals were not at all perturbed by the figure, reasoning that it asserts ownership over the librarian image....