June 24th, 2010
“Because women don’t have special powers. Let’s dispense with that theory right now. They don’t have intuition, they don’t have a sixth sense.”
–Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina), Sports Night
I’ve been reading library-centric blogs since 2003 and doing my best to participate in library-related discussions for about as long. I’ve noticed something that’s really starting to stick in my craw.
Librarians love to talk about how special we all are.
This basically comes in two different flavors: librarians are awesome because we have special values, amazing skills and we touch people’s lives in crucial, near-mythic ways; or librarians are pathetic because we as a whole are insecure, passive-aggressive, socially awkward, fashion-challenged and nerdy.
I’m coming to realize I think both of these ideas are complete and total bullshit.
Librarian are not inherently dysfunctional, neurotic or emotionally stunted. I say this with a great amount of affection for the human race, but the fact is a lot of adults are dysfunctional, neurotic and emotionally stunted. It’s not particular to libraries, nor is it more prevalent in libraries. Let’s stop putting ourselves and each other down as a profession, because it’s simply not true.
And while I’m proud to be a librarian and think libraries are very important to human society, librarians themselves are not cleverer, more insightful or special than other working people. Yes, we have certain professional skills that we (hopefully) get better at the more we exercise them. The same is true of doctors, painters, automotive mechanics, farmers and strippers. Let’s take pride in our work, but let’s not put ourselves on a pedestal. Let’s just recognize that we, like other working people in our society, have a job to do.
Librarians are not special snowflakes. We’re not divine and we’re not demonic. We’re just people, for better and for worse. That’s all.
A-freaking-men.
Having just been in school, my main issue has been within the field itself, with people trying to differentiate themselves with terms like “guybrarians” or “cybrarians”. Take them or leave them as you will, but they’re not for me. When a campus publication was interviewing me and I told her I hated both of the terms, she said “well, then what am I going to call you?” I said “How about librarian?” She seemed baffled. Because, like you say, we’re all doing something that has a value (I hope), but it’s no more unique than someone doing their own profession justice, let alone some sort of need within the field to differentiate ourselves.
Long story less-long, the headline of the story called me a cybrarian anyway.
OK, now I have to have “Joshbrarian” printed on my business cards.
It’s true! No other profession is as normal and un-special as we are.
After coming up with a million insults, my wife cites me as a whiner and prefers “cry-brarian” to describe me. We are our harshest critics…
The “librarian as savior” idea is a pet peeve of mine as well. Like you, I agree that it’s good work, but some librarians use their profession as a pious pedestal for their ego. While this kind of sentiment can foster professional pride (a good thing), I too often see it veering off into self serving pride that I imagine patrons notice with disgust. Librarians would do good to remember that we all make mistakes. (Case in point, I think you meant to say that librarians are “not” cleverer in that next to the last paragraph.) Thanks so much for this post!
Ha ha ha! You’re right, Joe! Thanks for catching that. I’ll fix it right now.
I disagree. The library profession as a whole is slightly elevated over any other as a consequence of my inclusion. Just as my library system is better than any other due to my presence and my location is the best in our system.
Rats! I knew I was forgetting something. The Koppenhaver Effect!
If public librarians were as smart, as special, and as valuable as they think they are, they would have figured out a way to become as GAINFULLY employed as other (unionized) civil servants. If librarians in private corporate libraries were as smart and as valuable as they think they are all the corporate CEOs would be the librarians. If academic librarians….well, don;t get me started on academic librarians.
@Rick: Well, look how long it took CIOs to be included as shaping firms’ strategies rather than glorified plumbers.
@Josh: I think that organizations do have cultures which can shape the types of personnel who get hired, so to that extent I think you’re oversimplifying.
Steven, while organizations may have cultures that shape who gets hired and who doesn’t, I haven’t seen anything in my years working in public and academic libraries, nor my years working in other professions, that show that libraries tend to hire people who are significantly different than other workers. I’ve seen nothing to justify librarians thinking of themselves as more dyfunctional or more important to society.
Considering this is but one blog post, of course there’s some oversimplification going on. Have I ever claimed I was presenting detailed, multifaceted, well-researched papers? No, it’s just my blog. Now, do you think I’m wrong? If so, show me examples of how I’m wrong. Prove to me that librarians really are more neurotic and/or cleverer than other people.
I didn’t expect a research paper. But a number of studies (like http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=asdpapers) have shown a significant portion of librarians tend to be ISTJs or ISFJs on the Myers-Briggs scale. And amazingly, in the LSW room and elsewhere we complain about conservatism in our profession, which matches that. Shouldn’t we look at the profession as it exists, not as an idealized version of itself?
I agree on both points. We librarians may fantasize about being superhuman, be we are not, and we are not inherently worse than other people, either. I really like librarians a lot and enjoy hanging out with them online and in person, on the whole, but that doesn’t mean we are either perfect or inherently effed up as a species.
One side note: I think people share different kinds of information about themselves online vs. in person communication. For whatever reasons, folks (librarians included) tend to disclose more in online fora. I’ve observed that folks in general use online spaces to vent, seek support, seek validation, etc. Just something to consider.
Steven, the Myers-Briggs isn’t exactly a strong scientific test, and you’re not comparing libraries to other work places. And even if we accept that a lot of librarians are introverts, that doesn’t indicate that librarians are more neurotic or socially maladjusted than other professionals.
And the fact that a lot of librarians complain about conservatism in the profession doesn’t necessarily indicate it’s there, it just indicates that people are vocally complaining.
If anything, I think relying on Myers-Briggs tests and online complaints is just as oversimplifying the issue as anything.
I remember feeling LIBERATED when I heard that Sports Night quote. Because I was so damn tired of being told “oh, well, as a woman obviously you…” when I knew (and frequently protested!) that no, I really didn’t. It was downright refreshing even though it was in a very confrontational part of the show. I do think librarians have their own culture (having been raised in it), but so do most other jobs! (You know who really IS special, good and bad? Line cooks. Although maybe if I knew more of them I would drop that particular prejudice too. But for right now, oy. They’re all larger-than-life to me.)
I’m a nurse. I’ve also been a waitress, a care provider for adults with DD’s, a bookseller, a music seller, a door to door environmentalist, a ticket taker, a ticket maker and pop corn popper. Oh, and I also write on the side. When it gets right down to it, save for the few high school “boulots”, my job drive as been service oriented. I think that speaks to the kind of person (ality) that is drawn to certain professions. I don’t really think librarians are different. I don’t pretend to understand the field and it’s breadth, but from the outside looking in, it seems you MIGHT have to have certain……. um….. quirks….. to want to manipulate, present and categorize so much data for the world’s consumption……… cheers Josh!!!! a good read.