What is a librarian? Part three- The Reality.

I have a shocking statement to make: Librarians aren’t just people who are in charge of books, and not all of them are interested in working in a library.

From the first librarians who were in charge of the archiving of clay tablets in the temple rooms of Sumer, to those who protected the papyrus records in Egypt, to the workers who stored clay tablets in Nineveh, librarians have always been protectors of knowledge.

The infamous destruction of the library in Alexandria became a symbol of the irretrievable loss of the knowledge of a culture, which equated to a loss of power. When Sir Francis Bacon wrote the expression, “ipsa scientia potestas est”, translated to, “knowledge itself is power” in 1597, he was echoing the Book of Proverbs, 24:5, “The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.”

So where is cultural knowledge stored today? Is it all contained in the neat rows of books that exist in many of our country’s libraries? Is it solely contained conveniently online and searchable by only entering a few words in a Google search box? How do we contain and preserve the knowledge that is constantly traveling back and forth in social media? And what about the knowledge that exists outside of technology and books? Who is in charge of collecting and preserving the history, stories, and knowledge contained within people through the oral tradition?

The role of the librarian is both more important and less valued today than in any other time in history. Information is now found everywhere. Who possesses the passion, skill set, and aptitude to tackle this formidable opponent?

Librarians.

They’re not just shelving books anymore (not that they ever were doing only that).

What fields are librarians well suited for?

• The expected- traditional libraries, such as public, academic, and school libraries
• The slightly less expected- special libraries, such as museums, law firms, corporations, and historical societies (to name a few)
• Specialties within libraries- curator, archivist, cataloger, collection development, information literacy, outreach, etc.

Oh, but there is so much more (this list is in no way exhaustive):

• Database designer
• Social Media expert
• Subject Matter expert
• Instructor
• Data analysis (crime, intelligence, project, financial, report, etc.)
• Technology trainer/futurist
• Project Manager
• Researcher
• Knowledge manager
• Due diligence
• Investigation work (private, skip tracing, background check,etc.)
• Information Architect
• Content strategist
• Big data
• Copywriter/Information Privacy expert
• GIS (geographic information systems)
• Competitive Intelligence
• Publishing
• Chief Information Officer (CEO)
• Instructional design
• Genealogist
• Information Recovery
• Certified Records Manager
• Automation Coordinator
• Information broker
• Usability engineer
• Taxonomist

The challenge for the field of Library and Information Sciences is to change the perception that librarians have a very narrow skill set that can only apply to traditional library settings.  I’ve seen a few instances lately that have given me hope.  The C.I.A., for instance, actively seeks librarians for both traditional library positions and non-traditional jobs, such as analysts.  A new venture by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, is looking to redefine journalism.  The project is called First Look, and while it’s still in its early stages, he is actively seeking librarians to fill most major roles.

So there it is- the reality of today’s librarian.  Are you surprised?  Relieved that someone is there to wrangle all the info?  Indifferent?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject!

What is a librarian? Part two- What does the general public think?

 

 

 

Yesterday I conducted a completely unscientific survey among my Facebook friends.  I asked them to share words that would describe a typical librarian’s personality/skills.  The only rule I made was that librarians and LIS students could not respond.  Soon after, however, I had to add a second rule: Brutal Honesty.  I suppose my lovely friends were worried about offending me?  Once I gave the green light to let loose, here were some of the responses (I’ve grouped similar responses):

Personality Traits:

• Conscientious, Perspicacious, Practical
• Brainy, Erudite, Knowledgeable, Resourceful, Curious
• Prude, Circumspect, Unhappy, Patronizing
• Fastidious, Detail-oriented, Methodical, Systematic, Efficient, Analytical
• Rule-enforcers, Strict, Stodgy
• Organized
• Helpful, Friendly, Eager to Help, Personable
• Book lovers

Skills:

• Organization
• Alphabetizing
• Patron De-escalation
• Retrieving Information

I was a bit surprised by the lack of skills listed in my results, so this morning, I tried again. I conducted a second, equally unscientific survey asking specifically for a list of librarian skills. Once again, no librarians or LIS students were allowed to respond.  Here are my results:

• Organization
• Research skills
• Basic technology skills
• Ability to present information clearly
• Attention to detail
• Communication skills
• Typing skills
• Being awesome (a librarian friend broke the rules in order to sneak that one in!)

My two surveys, I think, are a good representation of what the general public thinks about librarians.  The good, the bad, and everything in between.  Two questions rise to the surface as I’ve been pondering the results:

1. What did my friends miss?  Librarians don’t acquire all their skills in library school.  It takes a certain type of person to be attracted to library school in the first place- a person with a particular set of skills and personality traits. Of course every person is unique, and the skills needed to work in the field have changed over time, but what can generally be said about the skills held by librarians?
2. How do we as a profession help turn the tide of a society/media who still in large holds on to stereotypes from an era of the profession that is quickly fading?

After all, my sneaky library friend who added “being awesome” to my list of words to describe librarians may be the closest to the truth. Author Neil Gaiman was quoted as saying, “Librarians are the coolest people out there doing the hardest job out there on the front lines. And every time I get to encounter or work with librarians, I’m always impressed by their sheer awesomeness.”

Now, if we can just figure out how to let the general public in on his secret.