Librarianship: A Foreign World

Transcription

1 Librarianship: A Foreign World Steffi Rivera The question that started it all: Why? You must have asked the question at some point in your life why someone would want to become a librarian. What would be the reason behind someone choosing to spend lots of time surrounded by books in a very silent place? Contrary to popular belief, a librarian s job consists more than sitting behind their desks providing assistance. They meet social and technological needs in the library. A librarian takes care of information in many formats, including books, magazines, newspapers, audio recordings, video recordings, maps, manuscripts, photographs, and digital resources. Librarians must be able to think analytically and develop revised systems, possess knowledge of computers and the internet, have the ability to organize job duties and to communicate orally and in writing. I was curious to learn and comprehend the reasons of someone who would choose to pursue a career of a librarian. I enjoy the challenge of discovering more about groups I find different which is why librarians intrigued me. I realized that I have more differences than similarities with librarians, which is why I chose to research librarians because I possessed limited amounts of knowledge about them. I learned about myself during the process and figured out that most of the stereotypes that society holds about them are not true. Throughout my research of librarians, I have learned not only about them but also about myself. In the beginning, I held an almost hostile opinion about them because I was unable to comprehend the reason behind someone consciously choosing to become a librarian. Many individuals choose careers that are lucrative and that will pave the way for an indulging lifestyle. Librarians as we all know it, don t make much money and Donald, the interim librarian at UC Merced was sure to point that out in the interview when he said You know, sometimes, you 1

2 know people will say well, librarians don t make that much money but I have been doing it long enough that I can t complain. Jessamyn another librarian I interviewed also made sure to inform me of the poor pay. Being public employees means that there s rarely enough money for what you want to do. A lot of the way the world is changing digitally are making things harder for libraries to share things. I was able to read articles and books about librarians and I even got to interview librarian Donald Barclay in person and also interview Jessamyn West online and read her blog. Overall, I learned a lot about librarians during my completion of this project. I learned that librarians are sociable, well-rounded individuals who love their career. The majority of the stereotypes are not true so that was definitely a shocker to me. In the beginning, I almost thought that librarians weren t important. I thought that they were unsociable, nerdy people whose last resort was librarianship. In my first essay which I had to proofread various times, I almost sound angry towards them when describing the stereotypes about them because stereotypes of librarians in popular culture are negative most of the time. Female librarians are usually unattractive, lonely, introverted, usually wear messy buns, have eye glasses, are poorly dressed, antisocial and usually love books. Male librarians, on the other hand, are depicted as unattractive, timid, and effeminate. Librarians are expected to know a little bit about everything. People assume that they must know about every book and that they must possess vast amounts of knowledge about everything. They are expected to love books because they work in a library where lots of books can be found. I asked Donald why he thought that society holds these stereotypes about librarians and he responded with I don t know, I think they are kind of weird. I mean, there are all these different kind of stereotypes about librarians that they are, you know, that they are there s the mean librarian stereotypes and there s the kind of nerdy quiet librarian stereotype He didn t fail to acknowledge what I thought in the 2

3 beginning which was that librarians are nerdy and quiet for the most part which proved to be false. I emphasized how the majority tend to be Caucasian and indeed, that does hold some accountability because both of the librarians I met are Caucasian. The stereotype is that librarians tend to be middle-aged Caucasian women. The low numbers of Hispanics and African Americans among librarians are due to the fact that members of these groups are less likely to earn advanced degrees that are required to become a librarian. A librarian job which generally requires a graduate degree is more attainable by Caucasians and Asians because they tend to obtain advanced degrees. Hispanics are the most underrepresented group among librarians. Over 3% of librarians are Hispanic. There is also an age disparity among librarians. Most African American librarians are years of age. The majority of Caucasian librarians tend to be over 50 years of age. Librarians with over 20 years of experience or library PhDs tend to be over 60 years of age. My view did change significantly about this sub culture. I emphasize with them more because I now understand why someone would choose to become a librarian. They become one because they love what the job entails. They enjoy assisting others, writing, researching, and other tasks they have. Both of the librarians I interviewed didn t have the dream of becoming librarians when they were young. Jessamyn wanted to become a lawyer but decided that she didn t want to setting myself up for having to get dressed and argue with people for a living, so I talked myself out of that. But her answer to the first question I asked proved that she enjoys what she does. When I asked Jessamyn why she decided to become a librarian, she said One of the exercises my friend suggested was Think about what you liked doing most of all when you were in college and I d really enjoyed researching and working in the library on papers. 3

4 Donald Barclay taught English after obtaining his Master s degree in English. In the beginning, he wanted to get a PhD but realized that that would take a while and he didn t want to be in school while in his forties. He said I would go to library school because someone I knew had gone to an archive school He ended up going back to Berkley after obtaining his Master s degree from there and got his library degree. Like Jessamyn, becoming a librarian was not his dream as a child. He began teaching and was pondering on obtaining a PhD but he went to library school to avoid all those years in school. In the beginning, I also thought that they were not sociable, that they all dressed a certain way, and that they were insignificant. I now learned that they are indeed sociable to an extent, they don t dress like the typical librarian in movies and they are significant and matter so much more than what most people think. They do much more than sit around behind a desk assisting people. They write grants, research, teach, and some even write books and have their own blogs. For example, Jessamyn has a blog and has written three books and Donald Barclay has written eight books and has conducted research about artificial intelligence. Jessamyn wears cardigans and has short hair so she does not wear her hair in a bun like the stereotypical female librarians and Donald Barclay is male and dresses very professionally due to his working environment. When I was in Donald Barclay s office I took note of one young woman with short brown hair, jeans, red shirt and blue cardigan. She didn t seem like the typical librarian that the media depicts in movies. Everyone was nice. Donald came outside his office to greet me. His hair was neatly parted to the left side and he looked a little bit tired. He was wearing a white collared shirt, a blue blazer, grey pants, a red tie, grey long socks, and shiny black shoes. He was dressed very professionally and he wasn t shy when speaking about his education and his extensive knowledge about his field. 4

5 Librarians are very intelligent people, overall. For example, Donald Barclay received his master s from the University of California, Berkley. Jessamyn when asked about the stereotypes she responded Nope. I am smart and like cardigan sweaters but otherwise, nope not at all. She said she did not fit into the librarian stereotype but didn t fail to acknowledge that she is smart. They hold vast amount of knowledge and skills which makes them very intelligent. Breaking Common Stereotypes I did also learn about myself while working on this project. I learned how stereotypical and analytical I can be. I can be very judgmental when I am not sure about something. I believed the stereotypes about librarians and held a hostile attitude towards them without truly knowing what they were about. I was very critical in the beginning. As I learned more about them and got to interact with a few of them I came to realize that the old cliché saying Don t judge a book by its cover holds some truth. I was judging them by what I saw on the surface which was just boring, unsociable people who worked in a library because they were unlucky to find another career but after speaking with Donald and Jessamyn and learning from them I realized that none of that is true. I think that I only saw the surface of this sub culture because that is what the media portrays. The media never gives much importance to the profession of librarianship. I was not realizing or even taking into consideration how well-rounded and great these people really are. They are very valuable to libraries and the communities. If it weren t for them we wouldn t know what books to check out for a certain subject or even where to look. We would all be lost! They should be given more credit than what we give them because they are indeed an important 5

6 source of information in universities, public libraries, and private libraries. But sometimes people don t appreciate what librarians do because they don t comprehend exactly what their job consists of. Jessamyn was kind to point this out A lot of people don't understand what we do and why it's important. Librarians are more sociable than I thought they would be. Jessamyn, for example, attends presentations daily and even presents herself about her research. When asked about her everyday duties, she happily replied I did outreach programs at high schools where I d go talk to teenagers and tell them about the things we had at the library. Donald Barclay, on the other hand, teaches on his free time sometimes and considers himself an extrovert. When I asked him whether he was an introvert or extrovert he responded I think anybody who works for me would tell you I am more extroverted. Librarians are in fact, not hermit crabs and shy people but that is what the media portrays and sells to society. The majority have worked in various places and libraries before working where they currently work and they have passions other than librarianship. Jessamyn worked in a number of libraries. She worked in a few libraries at the University of Washington, the Shoreline Community College library in Washington State, the Rutland Free Library in Rutland VT and her town library which is the Kimball Library in Randolph VT. Donald, on the other hand, worked in Idaho teaching English and had other jobs as well after obtaining his Bachelor s degree. Librarians are also part of associations that deal with librarianship and other matters they are passionate about. Donald Barclay is passionate about intellectual property and Jessamyn is passionate about the LGBT community and intellectual freedom. Something that librarians do have in common is how passionate they are for what they do and how peaceful and calm they are. Jessamyn had a calm demeanor while skyping and chatting. 6

7 She did in fact declare her love for her job when I asked her if she enjoyed her job. Donald Barclay also confessed his love for his job when I asked him if he enjoyed his job. He did say that librarians are usually less recognized than the rest of the faculty in the university and that they sometimes feel like oompa loompas but that that is part of the job and he accepts that. They are passive, interesting people who are smart and love to read. Donald likes watching movies that involve librarians and Jessamyn likes to read other blogs that deal with librarianship. Donald asked me if I had ever seen the movie Shawshank Redemption and proceeded to telling me a synopsis about the movie and even took into account the mean librarian in Harry Potter. Donald obviously does different work than Jessamyn due to his work place. He does less of what a librarian does but he still teaches and assists students in researching when he can. Jessamyn gives presentations to inform people of technology. She also writes books, works on her blog and reads and conducts research. Librarians can be very diverse because they can come from very distinct backgrounds. They all have a different reason to why they chose the career they chose but they all love what they do and that is all that matters. Jessamyn was not shy when declaring her love for her job yeah I love being a librarian, it allows me to mesh my personal beliefs with my professional ones into doing a job where I get to help people and make the world a better place. I get to work for the public and every day is different and my love of computers is a plus not a minus I'm happy I chose it as a general professional direction. A Librarian s Home: A Deeper Insight I got to visit the library, the place which serves as a home to librarians, and I got to analyze it and view it for something else than what most people see on the surface. I realized that this place is filled with intellectual individuals who want to learn and want to gain as much 7

8 knowledge as possible. It is also very silent which might mean that librarians like silent places making them introverts, but on the contrary, both of the librarians I interviewed said they were extroverts. As I entered the library, the silence was apparent. As the entrance doors slid open to let me in, the first thing I noticed was the slight smell of coffee and the lack of sound. I imagined that this is the place where librarians come and sit after a long day s work to drink some coffee and catch up. I looked around and to my surprise I noticed the lack of people at the Lantern Café. The Lantern Café is part of the library located at the bottom of the building. It is important because it attracts students and it is part of where librarians work. I decided to sit down on one of the booths to observe the people around me. I noticed the three booths on each side and all the tables in the middle. I observed a group of Asian students as they were studying, a young blonde woman eating a snack and drinking her coffee, and I observed a young woman intently reading a book and sipping her tea. It was nice to see someone actually reading a book and who was not immersed in her laptop. I m sure librarians would be glad to know that some students continue utilizing books as their main sources of information. After reaching the second floor, I saw the librarian s sanctuary. This is where one can locate the librarians for research assistance or other library associated needs. There it was in big blue capitalized letters, the words library offices on top of the door and the number 275 on the side. I could see the aqua blue walls from where I was sitting. I stood up and opened the door for my interview with Interim Librarian Donald Barclay. I was greeted by a young woman who asked my name. The offices were spaced apart and I again noticed the dull color of the wall and how close the cubicles were. No one looked like the typical librarian stereotype. I entered his office and he inquired 8

9 why I wanted to know more about librarians. I answered that I always wanted to know the reason behind someone becoming a librarian and he just smiled. He was very compliant and answered all my questions to the best of his ability. He did use ummm a lot and took a while to answer some questions but I assume that was because he was thinking about how to answer the questions. He was very laid back and friendly which was surprising. Because of the librarian stereotypes, I thought he would have been mean and a bit cold but he was the complete opposite of what I had in mind. Throughout the interview, I realized that librarians use language in a way to welcome the individuals they deal with. They make you feel comfortable and this makes them very likeable. Librarians each use language in a unique way. It highly depends on each individual on how their language functions. Librarians are able to communicate effectively when assisting people in their work environment. When they provide assistance to the individual, they are inviting the person into their world and providing them with appropriate guidance. A Look into a Librarian s Linguistic World The majority of librarians usually have gone through extensive schooling and have conducted research and engaged in extensive reading so they tend to possess a broad and extensive vocabulary. They don t use language to make others feel inferior nor do they alienate them. They use language to make people feel at ease and to welcome them. They do come across a wide variety of individuals in their work place and their main job is to assist individuals with their concerns and problems about library related issues. They have to make people feel comfortable in order to provide the assistance needed. If they made individuals feel inferior, then they wouldn t be able to convey their message therefore hindering their attempt at providing the assistance necessary. 9

10 Librarians use more technical language when they interact with each other that everyday individuals would not be familiar with. They talk about databases, intellectual property, fair use and copyright law. Jessamyn West informed me that she speaks to library associations about fair use and copyright law and Donald Barclay shared with me his passion for intellectual property. When I asked her about her everyday duties she said, I worked with the local historical society to do a cable access show with them about some of the online databases that we offered and she informed me of her presentation I m doing one this week in New Jersey about Fair Use and copyright law. The majority are also a part of various library associations that many are not familiar with such as the ALA, IFLA, FAIFE, and ACRL which stands for Association of college and research libraries. Jessamyn was involved with SRRT when I was an ALA member. I am involved in VLA s intellectual freedom activities, but we don t have a website Donald said Okay well, the biggest one is the American Librarian Association which pretty much everybody who works as a librarian is a member Librarians, most of all use their language to assist and perform their job to the best of their abilities. They have to be socially adept and learn to communicate effectively to satisfy the people who need assistance in the library. They use formal and inclusive language when speaking to others. They do have to maintain their professionalism while including and welcoming the people they come across with. Their language is inviting and by no means do they try to alienate or communicate to the people that they are superior because that would only hurt them. Individuals usually don t like feeling alienated and inferior and if librarians made the people they are supposed to assist and feel welcomed inferior, then they would be failing at their job. They wouldn t be providing them with the opportunity to express their concerns and need 10

11 for assistance. They must attend to their needs at the library and they do so with welcoming and formal language. Librarians also use language to communicate their passion for their career. Jessamyn, for example, was very adept in using her language to effectively communicate her love for computers and her ability to explain technological issues in a simple way that people can comprehend. When asked about the best part of her job, she said, The best part is getting to meet lots of different types of people and feel something I am good at (explaining complicated technology issues in a very straightforward and non-threatening way) is useful and helps people She also communicated to me her everyday duties in a very formal and understandable manner. I was an outreach librarian at a public library and so I had desk hours (mostly when people were at lunch) and then I would plan outreach activities. So we did a Food for Fines program where people could bring food for the food bank and we d take some money off their fines. She also informed me of the professional organizations and activities she forms a part of. She did this by using welcoming and non-threating language to help me understand what she was about and how much she loves her job. Donald Barclay was also effective in using his language to explain thoroughly his love for artificial intelligence and his career. When inquired about artificial intelligence he responded Umm, and I am interested in how artificial intelligence can be used to help umm, students, especially undergrad students, be more successful in finding information because you know, if you are an undergraduate and you are taking a course He was very welcoming, even though he is the main librarian of the university he did not attempt to make me feel inferior in any manner. His language was very casual and not very technical which was very inclusive and non-threatening. 11

12 Librarians also have to be very careful in the words that they choose in order to make the people they assist feel comfortable. Jessamyn was kind to point out that she interacts with different types of people and is very good at explaining complicated technological issues in a non-threatening way, which welcomes the people instead of alienating them. If they are able to comprehend, they feel at ease and don t think that the other person is trying to show off their superiority. Donald Barclay was very careful in choosing the words he used when describing the worst part of his job. He referred to librarians as oompa loompas but later said that that was just the reality of the job and that every career has its downsides. He said Being a librarian you sometimes feel like being an oompa loompa you know, you are not there s no Nobel Prize for being a librarian, you know so it s a different game. I don t think they are horrible downsides, I just think those are reality at the job. He was also very careful in choosing his language when explaining his research about artificial intelligence to make me comprehend his work and also when he explained to me his book about library construction and management of library buildings. When inquired about one of his books, he said, I did in collaboration with Erik Scott, who is another one of the librarians and it was about. It was really interesting because it was about library construction and management of library buildings. You learn all this stuff about plumbing and electricity and carpeting and furniture and paint and you know, just a million things you have to know. The library stacks, you know, how they work and so on so you have to develop this whole area of knowledge and typically you sort of learn on your own so Erik and I wrote this book with the idea that well, we ll bought it in a book. He avoided using any technical language when explaining to me how the UC system collaborated to ensure efficiency among the system to make me feel at ease and welcomed. Well, we all work together to try to 12

13 where we can to work collaboratively. For example, through the California digital library which is in Oakland umm, we collectively subscribe to journals that all the campuses will use. So um, you know, there s lots of journals that every campus needs so by subscribing to them as a group of ten we get a much better deal than if we were all doing it individually and it s a lot less work because we are doing it all centrally cause each subscription doesn t have to be managed separately and so on and so on. Librarians are the main source of information in a library therefore they must be able to communicate with the people whom they come across. They have to have a method of communication that will provide the most assistance in an effective manner. They must achieve this by not making the individual feel inferior because they need assistance. They have to be careful about the tone of voice and the words they select. Jessamyn was kind to point out that librarians help people find information and have to be involved with their communities and have a basic understanding of technology and the advances of technology. When asked if she would recommend her job to people she said If they think they'd like the work, yes. It's a good job for people who like to help people find information, for people who like being involved with their local communities and for people who are okay with technology and the fact that things change a lot of the time. The majority of librarians form part of organizations and must give presentations if they are passionate about a certain topic. Jessaymn for example, informed me that she gives talks at the New England Library Association conference, even though she is not a member and she also enjoys attending technology topics conferences. I am a member of the Vermont Library association which is the state library association. I help them build their website and I participate in social functions there. I often give talks at the New England Library Association conference, 13

14 though I am not a member. They do a tech topics conference that I always enjoy going to. Their language must be formal, professional, and concise to convey their messages and to inform the audience about their topic and research. This type of language is also kept and utilized when interacting with individuals from the community on a daily basis. Donald Barclay mentioned that he taught for a while and got to interact with the college students and he still does when he teaches which is not very frequently. He said but I don t meet people as regularly as I did when I was you know, working or teaching classes, you know, you meet the students. I teach once in a while but still not very often. Being part of academia and working in a university forces the individual to use formal and inviting language to get the most out of their career and social network. The language must also be respectful and professional because it is what is expected in an academic environment. Librarians are not limited to working only in academic libraries, though. The Road to becoming a Librarian Librarians work at public libraries, academic libraries, and school libraries. Librarians must have obtained a MLS degree from an American Library Association (ALA) and a four-year undergraduate degree in any field, a master of library science degree, an ALA-accredited MLS degree plus a teaching certificate or an ALA-accredited MLS plus a second master s degree. Librarians must possess diverse knowledge about current technology. The improvement of technology has changed the role of librarians in the last 50 years. One way that it has changed has been the transition from traditional card catalogs to online public access catalogs. Librarians had to develop software, purchase it and learn how to use the computers necessary to use the software. Then they had to educate the public how to use the new technology and adapt to more technological working environments. Librarians hold large quantities of knowledge and possess 14

15 certain skills to succeed in their career and despite this fact popular culture has negative stereotypes about librarians. Final Thoughts In conclusion, not only did I learn about librarians but also about myself during the process of the project. In the beginning, I did think that librarians did not work as much as they should and I thought that most of the stereotypes out there about them were true. I was wrong to believe that the stereotypes were true because I confirmed that they are not. I am glad to let you know that librarians are not what we see in movies. I am glad that I was offered the opportunity to participate in a project that not only taught me about others but also about myself which is the most important. I was able to know what being a librarian is all about and I am glad that I had the opportunity to know so. My research has shed light on this sub culture and I now have more respect for them because they are in fact important and should be given more credit for what they do. We should all know how important librarians are to society and the community and should show some gratitude next time we interact with one. So next time you see a librarian, make sure to treat them with respect and to thank them for the great work they do. 15