Along with tattoo artists, cameramen, makeup artists, hair stylists and nannies we are working in jobs that are better than most people think according to an article in Focus. (20 jobs that are (much) better or worse than you think). The reason cited is that our hours are ‘reasonable’ even if we don’t work in school libraries.
A little further digging, and the source of this section is a 2007 article by Marty Nemko in US News and World Report. Marty sums up the librarian job.
“Forget about that image of librarian as a mousy bookworm. Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths, helping researchers plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records. It’s an underrated career. Most librarians love helping patrons dig up information and, in the process, learning new things. Librarians may also go on shopping sprees, deciding which books and online resources to buy. They even get to put on performances, like children’s puppet shows, and run other programs, like book discussion groups for elders. On top of it all, librarians’ work hours are reasonable.“
A couple of things immediately spring to mind.
Why is being a librarian better than most people think?
- It’s a fascinating view into people’s lives when helping them find information for the varied, weird and wonderful problems, hobbies and interests they have. I’d hazard a guess that a lot of people think working in a library is dullsville.
Why is being a librarian worse than most people think?
- Librarians do not get to read books all day. Surely this is the most widely spread myth about librarians.
What do you think? Not just what is good or bad about the job, but what is different to “most people’s” expectations.
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July 17, 2009 at 15:03
“What? You really need a library degree to be a librarian?”
Y-E-S we do! Really we do….
July 19, 2009 at 08:39
I still get asked if I shush people all day. Not as often as I used to, but its still there. And yes, I get asked if I like reading all day. People really have no idea what we do, but whose fault is that and how we do change that perception.
Admit though that I haven’t come across anyone who thinks my job is worse than they could have imagined. After talking with me about my job, they realise that being a librarian can be pretty cool and definitely better than they expected.
July 20, 2009 at 12:57
i still get asked if i am a volunteer. so much for bpsych and grad dip.