NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Hello all, 

My name is Laura Birkenhauer and I'm the Chair of the NMRT Online Discussion Forum Committee. Our committee's October 2021 topic is Combating the Librarian Stereotype. I hope you'll take the time to participate right here in Connect; simply click on the Reply button to share your thoughts. 

We're all likely aware of the librarian stereotype. Plenty has been written on the topic (see: this, this, and this). 

This month, let's highlight the diversity of the New Members Round Table membership and the many representations of library work within the ranks of NMRT! Who are you? What are your experiences? (How) do you defy the stereotypes? 

Share as much as you are comfortable detailing in this space. I look forward to hearing from new and returning members of NMRT!

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Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
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I was just discussing this topic with my husband in the context of Harry Potter and the school librarian, Madam Pince. It occurred to me that she was all the worst stereotypes of librarians. She's suspicious of students, enforces a strictly silent library, often breaks up study groups, withholds information from the students, and all manner of other stereotypes such as being a spinsterish middle-aged lady. My husband's argument was that she was working with very dangerous books on magic, and thus it made sense for her to be stricter than normal. But I think it's just a bad British stereotype of Librarianship. We compared this to the character of the Librarian in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, which seemed much less stereotypical to me, though I can't articulate why exactly. 

Anyway, it just strikes me that even in these popular media, we are still encountering damaging stereotypes about what librarians are like. They are a bit older now, so perhaps newer popular media is combatting this, but I can't much think of any. And I compare this to the even older depiction of a librarian in "The PageMaster" who is rather the antithesis of stereotypes and I'm even more salty about some of the most popular media of our times (Harry Potter) having such a problematic depiction of Librarians feeding directly into people's minds. 

As for how I combat stereotypes, mostly I'm just me. Enthusiastic, queer, disabled, openly fannish, with pink hair and an internal body-temperature that discourages cardigans. I try to be as open and helpful as I can, and actively try to combat injustice in the library to my limited ability. 

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Kestrel Ward
Library Associate I
University of Florida Smathers Library
she/her
------------------------------

I am a left brained woman having extraordinary right brained experiences.  Now at the age of 56, I'm viewed as the eccentric new staff member.

I'm the Business Librarian.  My colors are too bright, my shoes are too funky. Style is important to me.  I am not going to wear black and brown shoes with bows.  

I am not genetically inclined to color inside the lines.  I wasn't spawned from a fit in/blend in gene pool.


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Lauren Carter
Business Librarian
Atlanta University Center
She/Her/Hers
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Fellow business librarian who doesn't fit in checking in! The students are always a little taken aback when I walk in - most business students dress very conservatively, 'professionally,' etc. in class. No unnatural hair colors or tattoos to be seen! I typically have both. I get a lot of comments about how I remind them of their school librarian (are school librarians typically tattooed?!). I enjoy it though - I feel like I crack their stereotypes a bit and bring some entertainment into the classroom with my bad jokes.

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Jennifer Wilhelm
Business Librarian
Texas A&M University
She/Her/Hers
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Original Message:
Sent: Oct 04, 2021 09:42 AM
From: Lauren Carter
Subject: Online Discussion Forum October 2021 Topic: Combatting the Librarian Stereotype

I am a left brained woman having extraordinary right brained experiences.  Now at the age of 56, I'm viewed as the eccentric new staff member.

I'm the Business Librarian.  My colors are too bright, my shoes are too funky. Style is important to me.  I am not going to wear black and brown shoes with bows.

I am not genetically inclined to color inside the lines.  I wasn't spawned from a fit in/blend in gene pool.


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Lauren Carter
Business Librarian
Atlanta University Center
She/Her/Hers
------------------------------

Hi everyone!

In my first position out of library school, I worked at a very small community college in TN. My director and some coworkers definitely fit in with the older stereotype of grumpy librarian who didn't want to hear a squeak of a mouse (which we hopefully didn't have!).  My director even believed that we should always dress formally because we are a serious profession. I disagreed wholeheartedly.  If kids came into the library with their parents, I got on the floor with them and entertained them. My coworkers started calling my Aunty Kim. I slowly started dressing more casually with fun patterned leggings and silly socks. I actually let the students get to know me, so I ended up having many conversations with student workers on Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Marvel movies. There are certain lines I didn't cross in terms of getting too personal with students, but I didn't put on a "professional" mask around anyone. I just acted like my weird, goofy self. The result? The students were more comfortable asking me for help.

Kim

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Kimberly Cull
Rare Book Project Cataloger
University of Virginia
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I'm really enjoying the responses to this thread so far. The depictions of librarians in books, movies, on TV shared here make me wonder about more recent portrayals of librarians in the media. Do you have any to share?

I notice many of us have gravitated toward descriptions of the way we dress as setting us apart from a stereotype, which was also one of the first things I thought of, too. I work on a college campus - and the same campus where I completed my undergraduate degree - and have recently embraced dressing down on Thursdays and Fridays, usually opting to wear school spirit gear with jeans or other casual pants. I've been wrapped up in the idea of what a professional is "supposed" to look like for too long and even this small change has felt liberating. It also feels like my interactions with students when I'm dressed this way are more relaxed and - I hope at least - allow me to be a somewhat more relatable figure. 

Speaking of changes to how I interact with students... I've been intentional about being open and willing to share and talk about mental health topics with students. Even sharing a little bit about my own experiences or resources I've used related to mental health have made a major impact in conversations I'm having with students this semester. 

I'm trying to combat stereotypes by showing up to work as my whole, authentic self - and that includes talking about mental health, about childcare, health, and parenting struggles with my (almost) two-year-old, about burnout... all of it.

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Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
------------------------------

It's interesting you mention the unspoken dress code. I'm the kind of person that needs things spelled out for me, so when I started at my first (and current) library job, no dress code was exactly articulated to me. So I end up wavering between cute nerdy dresses and leggings, and t-shirts & leggings. I've never had anyone say anything to me about how I dress, and I've noticed some of the people I work with have been dressing down more too, and I wonder if it's possible that seeing me do it successfully has helped some of my older colleagues who were maybe trained more strictly in the ways of dress to be more comfortable dressing in a variety of ways. 

But I think more than how librarians dress, we need to disrupt the stereotypes of how we act. We need to embrace being open and accessible to our patrons of all colors, creeds, and abilities. And yes, we need to be bringing our whole authentic selves to the library, so we are talking about the important issues like Justice, mental health, disability, child rearing, burnout, etc. I *am* noticing that a lot of these conversations are happening on Library Twitter. I see people all the time bringing their most authentic selves to Twitter and discussing important topics. Even making zines about it, or creating podcasts (anybody else listened to Library Punk yet? It's quite good, if a little rough around the edges in production quality still).

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Kestrel Ward
Library Associate I
University of Florida Smathers Library
she/her
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Oct 04, 2021 01:25 PM
From: Laura Birkenhauer
Subject: Online Discussion Forum October 2021 Topic: Combatting the Librarian Stereotype

I'm really enjoying the responses to this thread so far. The depictions of librarians in books, movies, on TV shared here make me wonder about more recent portrayals of librarians in the media. Do you have any to share?

I notice many of us have gravitated toward descriptions of the way we dress as setting us apart from a stereotype, which was also one of the first things I thought of, too. I work on a college campus - and the same campus where I completed my undergraduate degree - and have recently embraced dressing down on Thursdays and Fridays, usually opting to wear school spirit gear with jeans or other casual pants. I've been wrapped up in the idea of what a professional is "supposed" to look like for too long and even this small change has felt liberating. It also feels like my interactions with students when I'm dressed this way are more relaxed and - I hope at least - allow me to be a somewhat more relatable figure.

Speaking of changes to how I interact with students... I've been intentional about being open and willing to share and talk about mental health topics with students. Even sharing a little bit about my own experiences or resources I've used related to mental health have made a major impact in conversations I'm having with students this semester.

I'm trying to combat stereotypes by showing up to work as my whole, authentic self - and that includes talking about mental health, about childcare, health, and parenting struggles with my (almost) two-year-old, about burnout... all of it.

------------------------------
Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
------------------------------

I noticed when I first even mentioned library school that people thought it was a good fit for me because I had a background in teaching. They knew I found teaching exhausting because it was just too much extroversion for me in any given day because you are always on. I feel like past and present media stereotypes still show librarians as being introverts though, which I connect with, but I also love working with people and it's my favorite part of my job. Working with students is the best - I just also love having some quieter time to recharge during my day to accomplish other work too. I don't think the media shows, though, how much we really interact with people, and that's sad! It really is the best thing :)

And while I might love my cardigans...I'm also rather heavily tattooed with a few piercings, and somehow it's never impacted my ability to be able to do my job. If anything, sometimes it helps start conversations that may otherwise not have happened with students. I think that stereotype transcends libraries, though. Tattoos also seem to be a taboo that might be fading away in some settings.

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Ella Gibson
Online Learning & Instruction Librarian
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
She/Her/Hers
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When I first read this questions, "I was like, I don't mind the stereotypes! Many of them apply to me! And I love it!", but then once I read the responses,  I realized I had different stereotypes in mind, ones based more on modern librarian archetypes, the people I work with, and interact with in the profession - mostly (white) women, brightly colored clothing, vibrant and quirky style, into arts and crafts, not prone to ssh-shing, unabashedly enthusiastic about what we like,  those sorts of things.

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Hanna Roseen
Branch Librarian
NCW Libraries
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I grew up most familiar with the shushing, glasses-and-cardigan wearing, frumpy white spinster wearing her hair in a bun stereotype. I probably fit this more than I'd like, save for the shushing. I'm also a bookish introvert, which adds to the persona. Someone recently guessed that I was a librarian after a short conversation.  I've worked in other fields where I defied the expected look, so I'm finding some privileged comfort in "looking the part." That being said, behaviorally, I think we all try to subvert the judgemental shusher and lean into being helpful and curious, so hopefully, what I lack in surprising looks I make up for with surprising kindness.

Another stereotype in pop culture is the sexy librarian, which we haven't mentioned yet. It's mostly a funny joke with friends but can lead to some annoying (or demeaning) pick-up lines. I know many public-facing people get harassment from it, but that hasn't affected me on the job yet. What have some of your experiences with this one been like?

While I don't personally debunk much, I think supporting librarians who defy stereotypes is something I put into practice.

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Marilyn Creswell
She/Her/Hers
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Original Message:
Sent: 10/7/2021 10:27:00 PM
From: Marilyn Creswell
Subject: RE: Online Discussion Forum October 2021 Topic: Combatting the Librarian Stereotype

I grew up most familiar with the shushing, glasses-and-cardigan wearing, frumpy white spinster wearing her hair in a bun stereotype. I probably fit this more than I'd like, save for the shushing. I'm also a bookish introvert, which adds to the persona. Someone recently guessed that I was a librarian after a short conversation.  I've worked in other fields where I defied the expected look, so I'm finding some privileged comfort in "looking the part." That being said, behaviorally, I think we all try to subvert the judgemental shusher and lean into being helpful and curious, so hopefully, what I lack in surprising looks I make up for with surprising kindness.

Another stereotype in pop culture is the sexy librarian, which we haven't mentioned yet. It's mostly a funny joke with friends but can lead to some annoying (or demeaning) pick-up lines. I know many public-facing people get harassment from it, but that hasn't affected me on the job yet. What have some of your experiences with this one been like?

While I don't personally debunk much, I think supporting librarians who defy stereotypes is something I put into practice.

------------------------------
Marilyn Creswell
She/Her/Hers
------------------------------

Hi,

I am a newbie librarian working at a public library.  I've experienced odd experiences (only a few) regarding the librarian stereotype.  One day when I wore my leather jacket to work a man asked for a librarian and when I told him I was one, he looked and replied "you don't look like a librarian."  Other experiences involved when I didn't wear my glasses. I hate to say this but people take me more seriously when I wear my glasses. It probably also doesn't help that I am Asian and look like I am in my tweens. But I've tried to combat my younger image/look by wearing my glasses and dressing in more corporate/business attires.  This doesn't always make me happy, but I don't ever feel I will climb the career ladder.

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Maria Lagasca
Library Manager
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I'm sorry you feel like you have to suppress part of who you are in order to get ahead in this field. The field should be more open to people of all types and backgrounds, but I know it's often intolerant of difference, especially among people of color. I'm white, so I get a pass a lot on being different, but I see my colleagues of color being more reserved and suppressing themselves all the time. It's one of the things that really needs to change about the profession. For a profession rooted in the freedom of information, which means freedom of expression, we can be awfully uptight about how people express themselves in library spaces. (Also, librarians who wear leather jackets are the bomb, screw that guy!)

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Kestrel Ward
Library Associate I
University of Florida Smathers Library
she/her
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Oct 11, 2021 04:07 PM
From: Maria Lagasca
Subject: Online Discussion Forum October 2021 Topic: Combatting the Librarian Stereotype

Hi,

I am a newbie librarian working at a public library.  I've experienced odd experiences (only a few) regarding the librarian stereotype.  One day when I wore my leather jacket to work a man asked for a librarian and when I told him I was one, he looked and replied "you don't look like a librarian."  Other experiences involved when I didn't wear my glasses. I hate to say this but people take me more seriously when I wear my glasses. It probably also doesn't help that I am Asian and look like I am in my tweens. But I've tried to combat my younger image/look by wearing my glasses and dressing in more corporate/business attires.  This doesn't always make me happy, but I don't ever feel I will climb the career ladder.

------------------------------
Maria Lagasca
Library Manager
------------------------------