Reel Vs. Real Librarians

Abstract

Librarian. a person who is skilled in library work.” — The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language “Let’s try a game of word association. What profession do you think of when you read or hear “ambulance chaser,” “take two,” “slide rule,” “pork barrel,” “open wide,” “shhh”? You probably think immediately of lawyer, doctor, engineer, politician, dentist, and librarian. You are reacting to common stereotypes, even though these professional people perform important tasks. My line happens to be science/technical information specialist and library administrator, but you’d call me a librarian. – Wayne Wiegand “...the days of the librarian as a mouser in musty books must pass...” Melvil Dewey. In 1986, the popular television game show, Family Feud, posed a question to a group of 100 people and then asked the contestants to identify the four most frequently given answers. The question was: “What are the typical characteristics of a librarian?” Survey said, librarians are: 1. quiet 2. mean or stern 3. usually single or unmarried 4. Wear glasses. At the time, this program irritated a number of librarians, but whether their irritation was based on the question, the answer or the fact that the contestant guessed all four “correct” answers is still to be determined.