What does the word "librarian" mean? Should it be used to identify only those people who have a library degree? Are any of you who have library degrees offended when someone who doesn't have a degree refer to themselves as a
librarian? and if you are offended, why?

Is it important for the library profession to make this distinction? I'm not so concerned what the public would think, as to them anyone who works in a library might as well be a librarian.

I have an MLS and i must say it bothers me a bit when other library workers call themselves librarians and yet have no degree. It bothers me because i went throught the process of getting a degree to earn that title of librarian.

any thoughts?

thanks

Well I took four MLS courses, basically to buy my way into a job, and I can tell you that my paycheck will attest that I am not a Librarian.

my paycheck will attest to that too, but i am a librarian :)

I'm very torn on this subject. On the one hand, I agree that librarians don't get the respect they (we) deserve as professionals. On the other hand, I'm hesitant to do anything which puts down my fellow library workers, because I respect their hard work and rely on their expertise and I don't think that making sure library workers without an MLS "stay in their place" is a good recipe for improving the status of all library workers, as a whole.

Other types of professions don't seem to have as much trouble with this as we do, so perhaps we need to borrow some ideas from them. Anyone want to wear white lab coats? ;)

I like the lab coats. (But lots of people wear lab coats that aren't doctors...) Maybe we should make an official librarian uniform with sensible shoes and glasses on chains and everything?

I think that some people automatically assume that working in a library makes them a librarian. I also think that some people think having a fancy piece of paper makes them one too. I really think that being a librarian is something above and beyond both of those things. When I was in law school, a professor always used to tell us that graduating from law school doesn't make you a lawyer. It just means you have a degree in law. I feel the same way about librarians. I know some librarians with MLS degrees that I don't think have any right to call themselves librarians. On the other hand, I know a lady who has no MLS, but is the most amazing librarian I have ever met, and I would not be upset if she called herself a librarian (which she won't).

>5
Look at these uniforms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoHDT1wZr...

I am not sure if the librarians really use those...

If somebody has the job title librarian, then they are one with or without the MLS. I have coworkers who are librarians in spite of not having an MLS, either due to having been hired in that position long ago when competition was lower and it was easier to get in without a degree, or because they have a masters in some other subject that relates to their specialty.

I have my MLS. I work part time for one county system and sometimes substitute for another. The place where I'm part time, my job title is librarian. Where I'm a substitute, my title is Reference Associate. They care about what they hired me as, not what degrees I have.

If I was laid off from my part time job, would the MLS still mean that I was a librarian? Maybe in the sense that a person who passed the bar might call herself a lawyer even when she isn't practicing. But then if somebody asked me what my job was, the correct answer would still be "I'm a reference associate."

I run a library even though I don't have a MLS. I don't even have a master's degree. I agree that a title should be based more on what you do than on what degree you have. Nevertheless, since I work in a school, I call myself a media assistant rather than a media specialist. I'm just not assisting anyone.

I do refer to myself as a librarian though. For one thing, I am trying to teach the young children what a library is and what librarians are for. Other times I am called a teacher even though I do not have a teaching certificate. Basically, most of the time you end up calling a spade a "spade" even if it wasn't made in a spade factory. There's just no better name for it.

My title is Library Media Technician but all the students (and most of the teachers) call all of us "the librarians" even though only one of us is a Teacher Librarian (with an MLS and a teaching credential). We are also often called "the library ladies," which is more accurate. :)

FionaCat, I like the idea of being called "library ladies" (or library men?). It denotes affiliation with the library without actually having to determine who is "professional" and who isn't.

Being a librarian is more a calling than a profession. I know untrained people who are better librarians than people with an MLS. The piece of paper only means that you had the opportunity to follow courses in a structured environment, some people may not be that lucky.

That said, my pay check says that I'm 'Assistant in scientific work' and the title on my business card reads 'Curator of old books and manuscripts' so I can't complain :-)

As a 'not librarian' I've been resisting the impulse to intrude. Please forgive me!

Titles, like other words, often mean what the user wants them to mean and is prepared to argue for, given his/her knowledge of what other people take them as meaning in her/his working environment. That varies enormously outside the set who recognise themselves as 'librarians'. {For many males, I suspect that the 'female librarian' concept unwittingly strays into the group of females that includes female nurses, police, traffic wardens, French maids, etc.}

If you think you have problems, consider the title 'engineer'. Although for many this is recognised as worthy of much respect, in Britain the term is usually applied to someone who fixes broken engines.

The online Oxford English Dictionary defines 'librarian' as 'The keeper or custodian of a library'. I can't imagine many librarians seeing themselves thus. Or do they ... ?

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Maio 21, 2009, 4:08am.

#10 -- We ordered t-shirts last year that say "Library Crew", which we wear on the occasional Friday. I think that is a gender-neutral, teen-friendly title.

Oooh! I want one of those black jackets that U.S. marshals wear on raids, only it would say "librarian." (Which, of course, bring us back to who is allowed to call themselves a librarian, but I just think it would be cool.)

The degree won't turn someone into a librarian. It prepares us to be librarians and go places. I have coworkers who have it and are great, and others who are less than desirable. Likewise there are paraprofessionals who rock.

Creativity and imagination mixed with foundations of the profession carry the day. I wince when I hear a slacker call his or her self a librarian but resist the urge to shake them. I don't mind at all when the great ones do--like all professions, I imagine.

You know what really hurts? When one of the greats won't even consider getting the MLS. That is the real problem, I think. I used to encourage one of my colleagues to go for it but he just won't, and so he can't progress, and he is awesome. Make the argument for a license or certification program that lies somewhere in between.

I believe that whether or not you attach the title of Librarian depends on your emotional connections to the word. I watched my older sister work extremely hard to earn her MLS. Despite being a library assistant with the same responsibilities as others with an MLS and librarian title, I cannot tell people I am a librarian without feeling like I am misrepresenting myself and betraying my sister's achievement. I have been told by many that I earned the title through my work; however, until I have the degree in my hand, the feelings of dishonesty will remain.

#6
Anneli, I can assure you that all of the front office library staff at the central branch of the Amsterdam Public Library wear these uniforms. The are designed for the librarystaff, because the informationdesks are removed when the central branch moved to a new building. In the local branches library staff don't wear the uniforms (at least not in my local branch).

However, this does not mean that people recognize them as library staff. People just don't see recognize staff, so there's is something wrong with the uniforms. Or people still expect an information desk, I don't know...

On the other hand.....somehow people always ask me how the copier works and how the loan books with the automatic lending machine ;). I have worked in a corporate library, and apparently it's "written on my forehead".

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Maio 23, 2009, 6:11pm.

re:#6 I have one word for those "uniforms".... Ugh!

I kind of dig those uniforms. They look like the uniforms in every dystopia movie I've ever seen...

As for who is a librarian and who isn't (I think I wrote this same paper half a dozen times in library school-there's one distinction between librarians and non-librarians for you LOL): I think it's the same as any profession. There are a slew of people without whom a library could never function. One of those people is a librarian. Doctors are great, but they can't get much accomplished without nurses, lab techs, insurance liaisons, schedulers, etc. I worked in a hospital as a lab tech before making the career switch. I never called myself a doctor (or nurse) and never aspired to be one. I knew, though, that without the work I did, they could never treat their patients. But they did far more that I did not want to be responsible for.

I'm not sure about other libraries, but there are a number of things I'm expected to do that my (excellent and I could never work without her) assistant isn't, including act as a liaison, do collection development, delegate duties, and teach. In fact, when she started with me, she was in school to become a librarian, but quit after two semesters. I don't have a doubt in my mind that she would make an excellent professional librarian, but she doesn't want that responsibility. She prefers having someone as a backup for all her decisions and really prefers never having to attend meetings. On the other hand, I actually enjoy my committees (2 library committees, an ad-hoc committee, a provost committee, and 2 standing committees)-most of the time.

There are also many with the credentials who suck at it, are burned out, or who should have gone into a different field. Luckily (for me) most of the people with whom I work did have a calling to be a librarian; many more actually did have a calling to be library support staff (including my assistant and our ILL clerk).

If we don't show enough respect to our paraprofessionals and support staff, that is a big issue. I know that the public doesn't show library staff in general the level of respect they deserve and tend to treat everyone the same. But calling everyone in a library a librarian isn't the answer to that. It's making sure everyone knows how they are valuable to the library team and how everyone else is valuable too.

Maybe librarians should introduce a new test and term. Refusing the term to, say, the manager of school library who doesn't have an MLS seems stingy to me. After all, "librarians" were around long before the MLS*. And I'm suspicious of the idea that a degree from *anywhere* that never needs to be renewed should put people in a totally distinct class. At the same time, there's a real difference most of the time, and if librarians want to be considered a "profession"—with the pay and amor propre that goes along with it—they should be policing the application of their professional terms.

So, how about some certification program—an "ALA Board Certified Librarian," renewed every ten years?

Just throwing out ideas.

*So were doctors, but doctors have always had "professional" status--whether from a master-student guild-type relationship or something more formal. And they've always defended their definition.

Actually, I rather like the idea of board certification. Until then, I'll just have to make due with performance reviews and tenure board.

Around here, the word "librarian" isn't used much. There are lots of "Library Directors," all of whom are state-certified, but not all have MLS. There are also staff in the big libraries who are not "directors" but who go by many different titles. Some are wonderful, some are less so. The degree doesn't predict which is which.
For my money (what little there is) if you do the work, you deserve the title.

BTW, I do wear a navy blue jacket with "LIBRARY" in yellow on the back. ...and the matching baseball cap.

I've noticed more ads recently asking for how many years of "professional" experience you have in libraries. How do you properly answer this? Is a "professional" job as a librarian one that requires you to have a degree? Or one in which you do the work of a librarian?

@23

If I had pre-MLS library experience, I'd refer to "x years of library service" (totalling pre- and post-MLS experience) in my cover letter, and let them do the math from the resume if they so saw fit.

If I received an application that did so, I wouldn't see a problem with it as long as the pre-MLS experience was related to library service, whereas I may be irked if someone moved from building maintenance to librarianing and tried to obfuscate it.

Awaiting the prescriptive patrol.

#20 - Tim, I agree that since an advanced degree is commonly required for professional librarian positions, there should subsequently be a certification or credentialing program to reinforce/maintain professional recognition. The Medical Library Association sort of does this with the AHIP (Academy of Health Information Professionals) program, but this is voluntary. However, as a medical librarian currently working toward AHIP, I applaud medical library directors who strongly encourage their librarians to work toward AHIP as a way of maintaining strong ties to the profession more broadly.

I wonder if my pet theory about teachers holds true about libraries--that we should fire 2/3 of all librarians, and pay the remainder three times as much... :)

Several years ago, I told a friend when I first met her that I was a librarian. "Oh, me too!! Oh yeah, I shelved books while I was in college. That's so funny." Now she's a psychologist. I wonder if sitting at the ref desk a few hours qualifies me as a psychologist too!!!

With some of the stuff in that "funny patrons" thread, librarians should qualify as specialists in abnormal psychology. And toenail podiatry.

I prefer the title "liberrian" since that label is simultaneously self-deprecating and pisses off my fellow "liberrians." (doesn't really piss them off - they know my sense of humor)

I've suggested we all get tattoos with "MLS" (or equivalent) to distinguish ourselves from the unlettered paraprofessionals, but that constantly falls on deaf ears.

Seriously, I've observed that there is a difference in the use and defense of the title/label between public librarians and academic librarians.

my husband is a civil engineer and in Canada (not sure about elsewhere) all the engineers (not just civil, but all of them) wear an iron ring on right pinky finger (originally supposedly made from a bridge that collapsed, to remind them that lives depend on their work being done properly). For my 50th birthday he decided that I needed a professional ring and had one made for me featuring the library symbol. I love it. It is a one-off, though. No other librarian has one or is required to wear one.

>30

I do wish sometimes that librarians had tattoos. You never know when you approach the counter whether the person you're going to talk to is a masters-level specialist in information studies or, basically, someone who knows how to move a book across a counter.

Doctors wear white coats and get a special name prefix for a reason. It's so you don't explain your symptoms to the billing person.

I'm not a librarian, and I don't play one on TV. I have worked at an academic subject library for over 15 years. We only have our librarian here on Thursdays. Well, most Thursdays. For some reason, the profs and students still keep coming back to us book movers for help the other six days of the week.

There are quite a few MLS "Librarians" in para-positions. If you can pay people with degrees to be book movers (and hope that they will act like a librarian when needed) why hire more librarians?

I don't have an MLS. I have a library technician degree. My actual job title is Library Clerk. But, I do run the school library by myself. I sometimes call myself the librarian only because everybody else does. No one has ever called me or referred to me as the Library Clerk.

I suspect most correspondents on this thread live elsewhere than the UK. Here, titles in general mean NOTHING! You work long hours for a PhD for three or more years and then you're lucky if even your family remember to introduce you to others as Doctor. Some people even get offended if you ask to be called Doctor, accusing you of passing yourself off as a medical doctor, even though most of them have an M.B, Ch.B, and if they acquire a doctorate they insist on being called Mister.

Incidentally I once upset an elevator-load of gynecologists' wives by wearing a badge saying 'Trust Me I'm A Doctor'!

Engineers fare even worse. Whereas in most of the civilised world the title Engineer is a mark of respect, in the UK engineers fix broken cars and TVs. I read somewhere that this was because UK led the world in major engineering inventions, and engineer relates to 'engines', whereas elsewhere it derives from 'ingenuity'. Probably an urban myth, though!

I don't think I'd want to wear one of those uniforms (6) but i do want a waistcoat like Lirael! And a library chief with a magic sword. Now that would command respect!

Way back when, long long ago when I attended a private college for girls in the US, we were instructed never to refer to our professors as "professor" nor as Dr., but as Mr., Miss or Mrs (Ms came into fashion a bit later on). The reasoning was that these eminent people, some of whom were world specialists in Greek, archeology or the like, were to be respected as "gentlemen" (-ladies) more than for their "mere" professional attainments. I'm guessing this class snobbery was borrowed from British universities, but haven't ever tested the question.

On the other hand, I am one of those career-shifters who has a higher degree as well as the MLS, and my (American) library colleagues often urge me to flaunt that degree, especially when condescended to by college teaching staff (not even sure if I can call them "professors" any more, since so many of them are paid-by-the-course adjuncts). I resist, pridefully, under the argument that the quality of my work counts more than the training that may or may not be behind it.

It is disappointing when people don't know the knowledge and skill that goes into librarianship, but usually they don't mean to insult with their comments about shelving or volunteering - they are innocently ignorant (or maybe a little sexist). I can't see that it matters much if someone confuses me with the person who fixes the copier (assuming they aren't applying a racial stereotype - I AM offended when I hear from Black librarians how they are assumed to be clerical or janitorial staff - but that's another thread). I don't care much if they call the student worker at the check-out desk a "librarian" either, as long as they are not rude to her when she has to refer the reference questions.

A few months back I watched as a student hailed the Head of our university library for help rebooting a computer. Our Head was polite, quickly found someone to assist and moved on, the student none the wiser.

As for me I would be perfectly satisfied to be addressed politely as Ms, Ma'am or the equivalent, no matter what my education and job description. Sad to say, most days it's "umm, I need" or "hi there!"

>37

I'm not sure about this particular practice being British class snobbery, but for me it recalls a lunch table anecdote told by a distinguished British scientist, a Fellow of the Royal Society, in his later years. I will give him the surname 'X'.

As a child, his nanny (I said he was British!) used to call him Eric, his given name. He went to school and was called simply 'X'. At university he became Mr X. His doctorate led to the title Dr X. Appointed to his first 'Chair' he became Professor X. He was eventually knighted for his contributions to science, and became Professor Sir Eric X.

With characteristic modesty, he told his rapt audience how good it was to be called Eric once again.

I have a masters and I've worked in libraries for 10 years, but I don't have an MLS or an ILS. So I would never tell another library professional that I am a librarian. However, the public really doesn't care what I am, and telling people - even my friends - that I'm a Library Assistant just passes over their heads; they immedeately translate it to mean Librarian. So I don't even try to tell people who work outside the Library what my job really is anymore.

rockinrhombus said:

You know what really hurts? When one of the greats won't even consider getting the MLS. That is the real problem, I think. I used to encourage one of my colleagues to go for it but he just won't, and so he can't progress, and he is awesome. Make the argument for a license or certification program that lies somewhere in between.

I have an undergraduate degree and a community college certificate. As the sole full time employee of my rural branch (where I also staff the bookmobile), I am considered a "Library Assistant." My tasks include:
* Circulation duties
* Program planning and execution
* Marketing and communications
* Outreach development
* School liason
* Weeding and collection shaping (not purchasing, but assisting the purchasing librarian in deciding what we need)
* Creating displays
* Overseeing the computer area
* Scheduling and managing part-timers
* Creating connections with other community groups and sitting on allied committees

Librarians (those with an MLS) in my system tell me that I'm doing the work of a librarian, yet I'm paid as a Library Assistant. If I pursued an MLS, I could no longer work here in the job I adore... because my system can only afford to pay an Assistant for this position!

Ironically, if I became a "Librarian" I'd be stuck at Headquarters doing lots of paperwork. I'm happy not to be a "real" librarian (the children call me librarian anyway... although I was trying to promote "Library Chick" :)

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Jun 26, 2009, 4:55pm.

Interesting question. I think it depends a lot on the context.(Doesn't everything?) If I'm talking to someone else in the library business who asks how we staff our Reference desk, I say we have four librarians and two techs. They understand the distinction and its financial implications. If I'm out on the floor and a patron asks me for help I can't give at the moment, I point at the Ref desk and tell them to ask that librarian there. I'm not going to try and train the public to distinguish among the many levels of workers within libraries. They just want a librarian to help them!

>41

Police officers and firefighters don't have this problem. Maybe librarians need to wear the same hats.

I work at a small community library. My supervisor is the only person assigned to our branch who has a MLS degree and she spends most of her time on administrative tasks. I do most all of the day to day tasks to keep the library running. I check out books, answer the reference questions I can (For the tough questions I can refer people to one of our larger branches that do have a reference librarian available) and so on. I am the librarian to most anyone who walks in the door. My answer when someone as my about my job is that I "work at the library" I know they automatically assume I am a librarian but for those who do understand the difference I have found it is the best answer.

>#14 Katya0133 - They're not jackets, but Unshelved sells a navy blue Library Raid t-shirt that you might like. See: http://www.unshelved.com/store.aspx?cat=... and scroll down a ways.

I always wanted to be a "snail", "Sensitive New Age Interloans Librarian."

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Jul 25, 2009, 3:12am.

>44

Those guys are awesome.

This is a very interesting discussion. In our system there is a distinction between the administrative librarians and the field librarians. An MLS would be an administrative librarian and would not be dealing with the public. As far as the field librarians go, their degrees and post-graduate work are in diverse areas. Many are teachers, one is a Ph.D specializing in children's brain injuries, another is a chiropractor, another had a career in book publishing ... and so on. The field librarians handle the system's fourteen branches and thanks to a brilliant and ongoing training system, are able to deal with reference questions, conduct adult and children's programming, and fight all the fires that come up on a daily basis. I think that if you told the patrons that the "real" librarians were all in the administration building, they'd have a good laugh. And so would we!

Well having trawled through all 47 messages I am no nearer to understanding was the word Librarian means. I have long considered it to be a dying profession and I think there are two reasons for that.
Firstly, we are living in the Information age and many people are turning to e-books although I have a real aversion to them. Secondly, people are more afluent and today even working class people can afford to build their own libraries I have. And the only reason I could envisage visiting my local public library would be to get out of the rain.

Reading Maketh The Man.
Francis Bacon

Well, many libraries carry ebooks, so that isn't an either/or.

Regardless of the economy at a given time, book buyers tend to be the most loyal and most frequent of library users, as counter-intuitive as that may sound. Libraries provide more than inventory.

It is true, however, that they are not all things to all people. (And boy does it get controversial when they try.) But like schools, it is not necessary to use them yourself in order to see how they can benefit your community.

>48

Neither of your reasons apply to academic libraries, whose collections tend to be too expensive and/or esoteric to be readily available to the masses. I guess I've got a couple more years of job security, then. ;)

Hi I was talking about public libraries I never bother using mine they have nothing for me. I have all I need at home and I don't think I am anomaly, I think most people are like me in that respect.

51: There are many people who do not have that type of budget.

@#51, I'd say that, while you're not an anomaly per se, your situation is certainly NOT the only one out there. At my public library, we have hundreds of patrons who do not own a computer or internet access, either because they cannot afford it or simply do not know how to use it. We have people who do not want to have to buy a copy of every book they find interesting. We have people who prefer to have experts assist them in their research rather than fumbling along blindly online. We have patrons who understand that, contrary to popular belief, NOT all information is available freely on the open web, but some of it is available through the databases for which we pay.

You're making the mistake of assuming that everyone is just like you and that therefore, because you do not happen to see a need for libraries, no one else does, either. Well, as someone who deals with dozens of people a day just at my desk alone (let alone all of the other people who come to the other desks in the library), people of all ages and backgrounds and information needs, I can tell you that you are 100% categorically wrong.

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Jul 28, 2009, 4:46pm.

I am a Library Technician (graduate of a 2 year college program). I work in an academic library. Most students at the University have no idea what the difference is between a Tech and a Librarian. I must admit however, that in many cases some of the technicians not only work as hard (if not harder) than the librarians who make more money then them, but are just as knowledgeable in their field as those with an MLS degree (especially some of the techs that have been there for 15, 20, 30 years +). I am new to the profession, having just recently graduated, but I see this at my place of employment quite plainly. It is also my understanding that (in Public Libraries mainly) Library Techs are getting the jobs formerly reserved for Librarians because their comprehensive knowledge, and (of course) lower salaries. I bear no ill will to those who hold an MLS, but then perhaps the MLS degree is slowly going the way of the dinosaurs and card catalogues,...

Mensagem editada pelo seu autor, Jul 28, 2009, 8:27pm.

kmaziarz

Hi whilst I certainly can appreciate the points you made where I am in London in the UK Libraries are being closed down left, right and centre. The reason given for these closesures is invariably lack of use. So the councils cannot justify spending large sums of money on maintaining them.
This seems to be a growing trend, the question as to why people are no longer using their public libraries is varied I would suggest that the internet and the fact we are more affluent are key reasons why they have declined.
Being a bibliophile it saddens me because reading is important to the growth of the individual and to the wider community. Ontogeney repeats philogeny!

>48-53

I have over 2000 books at home including piles of TBRs an internet cxn etc. and I still have a use for our public library (although, not, admittedly as much as before I had a living space large enough to accommodate 2000+ books :-)

I use the library to investigate authors/subjects before I start amassing the works in my library. Say I think I might have an interest in, I don't know, learning to knit (true story) - I pick up a ball of yarn at a garage sale, get an odd pair of knitting needles from mom, go to the library and check out 4-6 "learning to knit" books. I spend the 2 weeks I have the library books (plus any needed extensions) playing around with the yarn/needles and dipping into the books to see which ones are the most helpful. If I decide that this new hobby is for me - great. I take the books back to the library, buy my "real" knitting book (armed with the knowledge of what I am looking for based on my library-book reading) and take a coupon to Michael's for supplies. If I am not interested I take the library books back, give mom her needles and the cat has a new yarn toy - net expenditure $0.25 for the garage sale yarn.

On the original question:
Despite the fact that my HS best friend's mother was the local librarian and I volunteered at the community library and spent a good part of my childhood at the library (we went once a week during the school year and twice a week during the summer) I still don't know exactly who qualifies as "Librarian"...In my mind - if I see someone working at the library they are either volunteers / "library ladies" (if they are reshelving/checking out books only/pasting in pockets etc.) or Librarians (if they are doing anything other than stuff I used to do as a volunteer). To me the Librarians were the ones that had the "to buy or not to buy" power over the books I had access to - so you want to be on the Librarian's good side so she gets GOOD books for you to read!

(All the folks who worked at my library in any capacity growing up were women...so my mental "library" is full of girls.)

#53, #56 - thanks for your postings! As a librarian (MLIS and all), I also see plenty of people who come to the library for a myriad of reasons. One thing that I'd like to mention is the social aspect of the library -- an individual can be wealthy and have an enormous private stash of books, but what do they do when they want to discuss a book? We have 5 discussion groups, and we also frequently have interesting programs (authors visits, travel programs, music, etc), and I know there are people who love coming to the library for these social things, in addition to looking for some new material (whether it's a CD, book, or anything else). For some people, it might be the highlight of their week.
I also think it's interesting that there are people who think that the Internet has everything (thus, why need a library?). Our business databases, for example, have content in them that is difficult to find anywhere else. I don't think an individual would really want to pay for their own, personal subscription (but, of course, I could be wrong about that).
I love what I do, and I like to think that libraries, whether public, academic, or private, provide all kinds of people with resources to fit their needs. If an individual doesn't find that they want to go to their library, that's their own decision -- but don't assume that everyone else feels that way, or assume that libraries should just go away, simply because one individual doesn't see the value of their library. This is just my personal opinion -- I changed careers to pursue my MLIS and work in a public library so that I could feel that I was helping people and making a difference, so I supposed I'm pretty biased when it comes to the value of a library.

#57 -- To add to that, not all public libraries are equal. I think people have a tendency to judge all libraries by the one they know best, and if that one is underfunded or lacking in some way, they assume that libraries as a whole are not that exciting.

I do see the profession as a whole as fairly vibrant and active, willing to adapt to changing times . . . my library (and I'm not with a big city system, but in a fairly small town) offers ebooks and online audiobooks, a wealth of databases, an online reference service, and more -- and we still circulate more physical materials than electronic ones. But even if we move to circulating the majority of our materials electronically, I'm not too worried about going the way of the dinosaur.

Until recently I was very insistent upon the fact that I am not a librarian (yet) because I do not yet have a MLIS degree. In title, I am a Library Assistant. However, in my current position at a small branch of a larger Library system, I am daily called upon to perform tasks of a much more advanced nature than I have been used to in the past. These pertain especially to reference queries. So, I have come to accept being called a librarian by the world at large.

It makes sense if you think about it. Until fairly recently (40 years ago or so), I suspect that many, if not most librarians didn't have advanced degrees in library science, but merely (and I use "merely" with a sense of irony here) an exceptional wealth of knowledge and love of the trade.

It's tricky and depends on who you work with. All that said, I will never stop being annoyed when pages refer to themselves as librarians.