Librarian or lackey?

zaana — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:40:13 +0000

It is often hard to distinguish where the role of the librarian begins and ends. We are forever amenable to the needs of others, perhaps even to our professional detriment. How flexible is too flexible? When do you stop being a librarian and turn into someone’s lackey? How responsible should users be for themselves? How responsible should we be for our users? I think as librarians we are often trained as ‘yes’ people – it’s almost part of our marketing. We take it in our stride to be all things to all people – counsellor, trainer, teacher, friend, research master, IT troubleshooter, etc etc etc.

I don’t think there is actually an answer to this – I think it is something librarians often struggle with – and each has their own ‘breaking point’ so to speak – however I feel this will continue to become an increasing issue as the role of the librarian continues to diversify, and the definition of librarian loses substance. Are we trying to remain relevant by diversifying so much that our core professional value is diminished?

Posted in librarian profession Tagged: librarian profession, professional responsibility

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Librarian or lackey?