You Don't Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age

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You Don't Look Like a Librarian

Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age

By Ruth Kneale
Foreword by Elizabeth Burns

"A readable and entertaining look into the images of librarians in popular culture, You Don't Look Like a Librarian also functions admirably as a kind of What Color is Your Biblio-Parachute? for people interested in librarianship or those who are in the profession and considering a change of direction."

—Karen G. Schneider
FreeRangeLibrarian.com

Librarian stereotypes have persisted for generations, yet their practical impact has rarely been studied. How pervasive are such stereotypes in the digital era, how are they changing, and how do they affect our daily work, our careers, and the future success of the profession? What can we do to defeat tired old perceptions and create positive new images?

After exploring these questions for almost 10 years, librarian/blogger/pop culture maven Ruth Kneale offers insight and analysis in You Don’t Look Like a Librarian. In addition to presenting the results of a 1,000+-respondent survey and interviews with opinionated librarians across the spectrum, Kneale draws on published literature and lively discussions from her website. The result is a unique, entertaining, and eye-opening look at librarian stereotypes and their real-world consequences in the Internet Age.

"A thoughtful overview of the past, present, and future of librarianship ... generates excitement as we enter dramatically changing information and community landscapes."

—Michael Porter, libraryman.com and WebJunction.org