You’re a librarian…… Do people still use libraries?

This blog post is a bit different from regular blog posts, as I am being graded on it! And I will also being responding to a video about librarianship that is from the late 1940’s.

The Librarian 1947 Vocational Guidance Films

Let me start with a little background information. It was not until I started working in a library did I know that the term “librarian” did not apply to everyone who worked in a library. It is a term that in used interchangeably, but it was my first year working in a library did I learn that the position of librarian was held by those who had a Masters in Library Information Science.

This video very much reflects the time period in which it was made with themes today we consider as gender stereotypes (such as roles in management and children’s librarian)  and general stereotypes about working in a library, but for the most part did reflect the day to day workings of a librarians and the duties and responsibilities of a librarian, though it is a bit dated. I did giggle when the student had a problem with not remembering the author or title of a book, but knowing the colour of the book was blue was a issues that librarians had to solve in the 1940s. The video indicated that you need to have to interpersonal skills to be suitable for working in a library.

You need to have:

1. A love for books

2. A love for people

While these qualities would be beneficial to all those working in a library, it is justifiable to say that the library does draw certain types of people who want to work there. Those people are called introverts and I happen to be one. As much as I would appreciate having a love for people this is me on most days.

Let’s not mistake, I do interact very well with the patrons of the libraries I have worked in for the past 5 years, and most introverts can interact well with people, but it is exhausting sometime, and do I love it, no.

As someone who is well on my way to being a librarian and as someone who has worked in libraries for years I hear this question a lot: oh, you’re a librarian?….. do people still use libraries? This questions is usually followed up with a comment on how people can use Google to find information and how people can download music, movies, and books, insinuating that libraries are only a holding space for books, music and movies. When I hear this question I feel like doing this at the shear audacity.

The answer…. yes, people still use libraries. The video touched a bit on services that libraries of the 1940s, which are still offered in libraries today, but are reflective of today’s needs, such has offering technology, like computers for patrons to use, and offering different formats of books that reflect newer technology, like e-books. Also, there has been a shift in libraries to have maker spaces, so it is more than just a place to read, but a place to create. People still will need help finding books and other materials, and libraries have had to continue to adapt and change to improving technology. Library’s are still a cornerstone of communities and will continue to be if they are able to adapt and change to meet the needs of society.