Rivers of knowledge

9th Specials, Health and Law Libraries Conference

The image of the librarian visited

AR Andrew
Central Gippsland Health Service, Sale, Victoria

I would like to start by explaining that the title of my presentation was to have been the Image of the Librarian Revisited. Somewhere along the way the 'Revisited' became 'Visited'. I do not for one moment think that I am the first to visit the issue of the image of the librarian. In fact I would be the worst for thinking 'not again' - but there have been some interesting comments appear in the e-mail lists which made me feel that I would like to have my say on the topic.

I will begin by having a look at the definition of 'image' and then will move on to some of the strategies which can enhance our image.

I would first draw your attention to the two distinct types of image - one being the stereotype image, and the other, the professional image. I think it is most important to keep in mind the difference between the two. The stereotype image is one that we are stuck with, and we should all learn to accept it happily. We all know too well the stereotype image of the librarian and some may say we have suffered from the image of the grey-haired spinster, glasses, hair in a bun, conservative, tweedy - presiding over a silent reading room full of books - yes, all those things we are not. In the first instance I would say it was a back-handed compliment to have such an image. As far as stereotypes go, the most famous would be accountants, who are considered to be dull, Irish who are portrayed as idiots, and blondes whose image is that of being stupid. Yet all these images come from an affectionate realisation that they are really not all like that, at all, but you can never let the truth stand in the way of a good story. We must learn to accept our stereotype image for what it is, part of the culture of humour, and separate it from our professional image.

To gain a clear picture of our professional image, there is no better place to start than with identity. The matter of the identity of the librarian is a cause for great concern, as it indicates that we are basically not sure who we are. As far as I am concerned I am a librarian and will always be a librarian. My job is to manage information in whatever form it may take, and to me an institution which collects, organises and disseminates information will always be a library. The doubts that arose as to the 'correctness' of using the term library and librarian with the introduction of electronic information resources, were evidence of professional uncertainty. Instead of taking on board a new medium and embracing the change and opportunities it brought, many felt we should abandon the word librarian because of its association with books, and become 'information managers' with 'information resource centres'. Health librarians have only just recovered from an identity conflict following the adoption by medical records staff of the title 'medical records librarians' some years ago. How often have you told someone you were a librarian at the hospital and they say, 'Oh, yes, you look after patient records' Finally the medical records staff have abandoned the use of the name librarian, and we have reclaimed it, only to find some librarians calling themselves 'information managers' and becoming confused with computer people who have adopted the term 'information' in their professional titles. I have to say I was not in agreement with LAA becoming ALIA, and would have been far from impressed had I been a fellow of the association and thus have the honour of the letters FALIA after my name.

The first element in creating an image is therefore identity and I feel it is important that we confirm the fact that we are librarians, and promote our image as librarians and be proud of it. It is much more positive to tell someone you are a librarian than an information resources manager, and then have to explain why you are not in charge of computers, that is the role of the information technology manager. It would seem to be the same thing to a lot of people. I am not sure what to think about librarians who find it necessary to call themselves architects and scientists. Sheelagh Noonan's title of 'medical knowledge architect' is misleading as I think she is really first and foremost a librarian!

Having established our identity as the basis for our image, the next step is for each and every one of us to take the responsibility for promoting our image. It does not matter how great a job we are doing, if nobody knows about it, and nobody knows who we are. Each and every one of us, within our organisation, must provide an example which reflects the professional image to which we aspire. By so doing we will impress on our managers and colleagues the excellent attributes of the profession and they will be our ambassadors in the wider community. I would like to suggest several ways in which each of us can contribute to promoting the image of the librarian.

1. Firstly we must establish a profile within our organisation. If people know you, they are more likely to feel comfortable using the library. I think we are all aware of the fact that many quite competent professional people admit to being scared of the library. Generally this comes from a fear of appearing to not know where things are in the library and thus appearing incompetent. I believe we should aim to make users welcome in the library, and a familiar, friendly face is a good start.

   At the Canberra conference in 1991 one of the guest speakers was Guy St Clair, an American high profile advocate of the one-person library. He impressed me very much with his positive evaluation of the work done by the one person librarian, and I came away from that conference with an incredible boost to my ego, and much more positive self-appreciation of the job I was doing. One point I remember was his suggestion that we should practice 'management by walking around'. That was, we should get out of the library and be seen and meet the people in our organisations. At the time I had just gone from working ten hours a week, to thirty-two hours, with the help of a supportive medical director who made a deal that if I collected the money for patient TV hire, it could go into the library budget. Not perhaps the ideal way of establishing a library budget, but we all make sacrifices somewhere along the way. However, having heard what Guy St Clair said about management by walking around, I saw the positive side of what I was doing, as I visited all the wards every day, and at least I was meeting people and they got to know who I was. After five years the library work had increased considerably and the workload meant that I was unable to continue doing the TVs. I really missed the daily contact I had had with the clinical units.

   Another simple exercise is to frequent the staff cafeteria or dining room, even for morning tea. It may be easier and quicker to stay in your office, and you may be short of time, but it is a worthwhile 'time out' where you can make yourself known to other staff on an informal basis.

2. We are all constantly challenged by the need to market our service and promote the library. We can spend a lot of time and money in traditional promotion exercises, but the best promotion comes from becoming well-known in your organisation and apart from getting out of the library and being seen, another way to do that is to take on a role which will get you out among the other staff in a role that is complementary to your work as a librarian.

   My 'alternative' role in our organisation I acquired almost by accident and it has proved to be a most successful way to gain notoriety. I am now known, I could safely say, by every member of staff in our organisation, as the 'person who does the jokes on Friday' - and I hope that they also know I am the librarian. Some three years ago I was sent some of those witty e-mail jokes, and thought it would be fun to share them, so one Friday I sent out an e-mail to all staff, saying 'Thank God its Friday, and here is a bit of humour to get you through the day'. The first reply I got was from the manager and I thought well, that's the end of the jokes, he will probably disapprove - and he thanked me and said it was just what he needed, he was not having a good day!

   The rest is history. I now also send them out to all the doctors, and past members of staff make sure I have their e-mail addresses before they leave. I have several contributors and I vet the jokes to make sure that no-one will be offended. This is very important as there are some which are suitable for restricted audiences only, and I am never sure where they will end up. One doctor brought me in an e-mail he had received from a friend in America, and as I read it, it seemed a bit familiar - it was actually one of mine!

   So I would strongly recommend that you find a role within your organisation outside the library, which will help you to become more widely known. The social club is an excellent way to meet people from across the organisation. One librarian I know of took on the role of 'footy tips manager' - an excellent way to become better known - a big job, which he did for a few years, but the benefits remain and there is always someone who will have a chat about the footy.

   I would like this session to be interactive and if anyone has an example of a role they play in their organisation which enhances their image, I will be asking you to tell us about it when I have finished - so be prepared.

3. Participation on committees is another important way of improving contact with other staff. Some years ago I was appointed to the Medical Records committee which has in time evolved into the Information Management Team. This group includes IT, medical records and the library and reports to the quality management committee. The opportunity exists to participate in decisions on information management in the organisation, and librarians should embrace the opportunity to be chairpersons of this committee, which enables them to attend quality management meetings creating the opportunity for liaison with other leaders and management representatives. I am aware that many libraries have an ongoing battle with their IT departments, and I may have been lucky, but I have a good relationship with our IT staff. I gently but firmly made them aware of the value of electronic resources to the library and they came to respect the expertise I had and have been willing to work with me.

   Much as many of us do not like to attend meetings, it is a useful exercise in exposure in the organisation. Attendance at Department Heads meetings, or the equivalent is an important factor in establishing your position.

4. Do not be afraid to impress people with your knowledge and skills. Modesty will get you nowhere. If someone asks if they can have an article 'now' - explain the wonders of the GRATIS network and if possible give a quick demo of the GRATIS site - it is sure to impress and shows off your ability to use the internet to extend your access to resources.

   Most importantly be on the lookout for opportunities to impress managers. If you are aware that your managers (especially your general manager) are struggling with e-mail, or having problems locating web-sites they have been directed to, do not hesitate to offer to help them - ten minutes spent in their office may be worth a fortune - or at least some consideration in your budget. It is imperative that management know what you can do, not only for the benefits within your workplace, but also for the occasions when they attend meetings outside the organisation, hopefully they will state publicly the value of the library to the organisation, thus enhancing your image and that of our profession.

   The distribution of contents pages to appropriate personnel is a useful tool for constantly reminding staff of the access you are able provide to information. There has been some discussion on this subject and some librarians have indicated that they advise staff that the contents pages can be accessed on the internet and leave them to get them for themselves. I have kept the personal touch by forwarding on to staff the contents pages for the journals they request and I still provide them with the articles they require. I also scan the contents pages to pick out any articles which may be of interest to staff members, in journals they would not normally see. It is amazing how often a really good article for the quality manager can turn up in a journal of surgery, or an article on patient education in an orthopaedic journal. Staff members mostly appreciate the fact that you are aware of their interests and it takes little effort to provide this service for them.

5. The explosion in the development of information technology, and particularly the internet has created a fantastic opportunity for librarians to enhance their image. All those years we have been developing structured 'search engines' for print material have paid off handsomely as we would be the only professional group which has a logical training in searching. What a brilliant opportunity to impress our clients, as they fumble about trying to search the internet, with no concept of constructing a search or using a search engine to its fullest capabilities. If the search engine fails to find a subject they have no lateral thinking which will help them to perhaps find another way to dig out the information they are looking for. Use this opportunity to impress - go out of your way to produce the elusive material, or give them a quick lesson in key word searching - a great opportunity to show off your expertise.
6. Not only are we ideally trained to search the internet we have also the essential skills to organise information onto web-sites. How often have you cringed at the information - or lack of - on a web-site. The IT staff who have the technical skill, very often do not have the information skills and it is high time we told them we are here and we must work together to develop more valuable sites.

   Allow me to quote from an excellent article which was featured on our aliahealth list. From the online journal Online, Bob Ainsbury made some valid comments in an article called 'The revenge of the library scientist'. In essence he said that library scientists do not get enough respect - they have ruled the information retrieval world for twenty years, and didn't know it. He pointed out the skills that have been developed are ideally suited for developing internet resources and the librarian is the skilled professional who should be playing a leading role in the development of resources. It is time for librarians to stand up and say 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more'. We have the expertise and it's time everyone else knew about it.

7. Our image is what we make it, and I believe it is up to us to actively create a positive image in our workplace. Management need to know what a great job we do, and it is therefore up to us to gain a reputation as the type of people who will provide any information that is required. I am happy to provide a street directory, an atlas or a thesaurus - if I don't have some information I will get it. I was surprised to hear from our OT of her experience at a conference. She spoke with enthusiasm about getting the librarian to assist with finding information, and one of her colleagues had said that their librarian would only provide information that was directly related to patient care. I realise that some of you are forced to work within very tight constraints, but I believe that a library should provide an holistic service. In much the same way as holistic medicine provides for the all-round health needs of a person, the library should be able to provide for the all-round information needs of staff.
8. Organisation newsletters provide an excellent avenue for exposure - and the job of editor is one which is often going begging. What better way to have contact with all areas within your organisation? I am in the Corporate Services division of our organisation, and we have a weekly newsletter which helps us to know what everyone is doing. I was nominated as editor and have the honour of harassing the other department heads every Thursday and getting the newsletter out on Friday. That does wonders for my image - but at least they know I am around.
9. Publicise what you do. In any way possible, whether within your own organisation, or town, suburb, city, state and country - contribute to the media. I would like to see letters to the newpapers, articles in the weekend press and TV features on librarians, but who is going to do it?? - We are! There was a message on the aliahealth list from John Holgate with the heading 'Image and library bashing'. John quoted from an article in the Australian with regard to the interruption to the internet late last year which suggested that scuba-diving librarians were responsible for the recent cutting of the undersea cables and the sabotage of the internet - 'They are unhappy that people are turning to the internet rather than going to the library to borrow books which they would forget to return, accruing enormous fines that allowed librarians to live the high life.'! Rather than pointing out the serious errors in this argument I would like to have seen John reply with a letter announcing that 'Librarians love the internet!' I hesitate to accuse ALIA of being an example of lack of publicity, but I have seen little evidence of statements and publicity which could be made on a national scale to enhance the image of the library profession. How much press do our conferences get? Very little. It should be a major objective of organising committees to get a dynamic, pushy librarian to harass the press into giving us some good positive up-to-date publicity.

   Perhaps a goal for library week should be for every librarian to get an article about your library into the local press - or better still on television.

10. Participate in knowledge management in your organisation. The new buzz-word 'knowledge management' means different things to different people, but any job description of a knowledge manager would make a librarian sit up and say - 'hey, that is what I do.' I understand the knowledge manager to be a combination of a librarian and a personal assistant cum office record manager - a job I would imagine to be almost too big to be humanly impossible. However it is worth taking an interest in any plans for introducing a knowledge manager into your organisation and take the opportunity to re-acquaint management with what you do, and if there is to be a knowledge manager, work with that person to maximise the use of your resources.
11. Participate in your professional association. You should all be aware of the changes that are occurring within our association and this is an excellent time to become involved. There is always a need for committee members and office bearers, but should you be unable to commit to an active role, be prepared to actively support those who do. A part of the role of a professional association is to promote the image of the profession and the best way to achieve this is through the activities of members and their involvement in discussions, meetings and dealing with issues. The more members who participate, the better the outcome for the whole group. The e-mail listservs give us a wonderful opportunity to unite with librarians worldwide to provide strength to tackle issues which concern us all. The present 'battle' with publishers over the cost of journals, charging for online journals, etc, is a perfect example of the power which can be gained from working together. US publishers are facing a dilemma as they try to charge for online information, which libraries have traditionally provided for free. Pat Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers says, 'Politically it's the toughest issue. Libraries have a wonderful image, no-one wants to go up against libraries.'

    Be involved, have your say and show that librarians are a strength to be reckoned with.

12. Promote librarianship as a career. We all know young people who can't decide what to do. If an opportunity arises, don't be afraid to tell them what a great career librarianship is. If you want an excellent article on librarianship as a career, there is one by Olivia Crosby in an online journal called Occupational Outlook Quarterly.

Finally I would like you to bear with me while I read some extracts from a most interesting article that Rhonda Mayberry passed on to us on the aliahealth list from a librarian in Jacksonville, Florida. She had found an article entitled 'Some cardinal principles of librarian's work' which was published in the journal Public Libraries in 1909. I am sure you will be amazed by some of the quotes from the article.

'The first cardinal virtues of a librarian should be toleration and enthusiasm. As a librarian a man should be tolerant as charity. He may have his own beliefs, his own tastes, his own fads and his own othodoxes and heterodoxes. But as a librarian he says nothing of these things, out loud. He is all things to all men - and all men are the same to him. He loves all ideas - even when he despises them and disbelieves them - for he knows that the ferments and chemic reactions of ideas keep the old world from growing mouldy and mildewed and effete. Let him attain to absolute intellectual hospitality - if he can.

The librarian today should be a good mixer. He will circulate with the long-heads and the pundits, and also with the flatheads and the triflers. All human interests are his interests. He is a man who supplies men with intellectual victuals: and he doesn't know his trade if he doesn't know the tastes of all kinds of victuals himself. He is ready to stand in his library, as at the threshold of a wayside inn, and welcome all his guests with an equal smile. And when he has welcomed them he should break out with the measles of enthusiasm and give them all his disease. By the exercise of his toleration he should get them all in, and then by the contagion of his enthusiasm he should make it all feel welcome and pleasant for them.

Well, now we have our librarian perfectly tolerant and perfectly enthusiastic, what does he need next? He needs a large appropriation. The librarian should set himself the task of getting a large appropriation. As a rule the majority of the city government know nothing about the public library and they care nothing about it. The librarian should learn to love the mayor and all the members of his board of aldermen. It is much more easy to give liberal appropriations to an agreeable librarian than a disagreeable one, to a visible rather than an invisible one. Let the librarian see to it that he is not an absentee among the city officials. Let not the pathway between the city hall and the library become overgrown with grass. He should never pester the city fathers with reiterated requests for more funds, but he should happen about at critical times when the financial budget is under discussion and look anxious. Do not ask the official holder of the public purse for cash, but keep near them in every time of trouble.

A librarian's attitude towards his trustees should be much the same as his attitude toward the city officials. The trustee system is not the best system in the world. In most instances the trustees are the governing board of the library - but nine men cannot govern a library. They cannot govern anything. A public library to be managed efficiently must be managed by a one-man power - and that one man ought to be the librarian. Let the librarian in his relation to his trustees yield his personal preferences on many minor points of management for the sake of carrying out his own broad general scheme.

Our tolerant librarian now having brought the city government and his own trustees under subjection, may perhaps have time to attend to his legitimate duties. What is his first great work? To get good books and get them read. But how shall he do it? It is the tendency of a small minded man when placed in a position of authority, to grow into a tyrant. I have seen libraries where it looked as if the librarian was under heavy bonds to make his library just as disagreeable as possible. So one of the cardinal principles should be the determination to keep down the tendency to tyranny and show men and women that you love them rather than despise them. Take as much pains to be pleasant to people as you do to catalog your books correctly. Get acquainted with as many people as you can.

Don't stay in the library all the time yourself and stagnate in the musty atmosphere of your dead books. Be a public not a private man. Get out and feel the dynamic thrill that comes from contact with live men. The club, the exchange, the street, the philanthropic and economic organizations are the places where the librarian should be found frequently. He should be the best known man or woman in the city. He is certainly the logical man for the intellectual leader. He is the custodian of the intellectual treasures of his town; he is the adviser of its scholars, the teacher of its teachers and the keeper of the keys of the vaults of knowledge. This is the librarian's modern opportunity. Let him become the intellectual file-leader of his community. Let him grow big enough to fill the great place it is his duty to assume.'

Sadly, it appears the stirring challenge of Sam Foss failed to galvanise the librarians of 1909 into action - or maybe it did, and history has failed to reflect the noble position of librarians in the community.

So let us hear no more complaints from librarians about our image - let us see plenty of action and hear more from our peers and our managers about the great job we are doing and how well they regard the profession of the librarian in the 21st century.

References

Ainsbury, Bob and Futornick, Michelle 'The revenge of the library scientist' Online November 2000. http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL2000/ainsbury11.html

Crosby, Olivia 'Librarians: Information experts in the information age' Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Winter 2000 Vol. 44, Number 4 http://stats.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2000/winter/contents.htm

Foss, Sam Walter 'Some cardinal principles of librarian's work' Public Libraries, 14, 77-81, 1909. http://www.libr.org/rory/wbm6.html