Stereotypes of Librarians in the General Public, in Popular Culture and Scientific Literature of the Librarianship

Abstract

Since the very beginning of the profession, librarianship has been exposed to stereotypical perceptions of positive or negative character. The traditional labeling of a librarian as a spinster has been overcome by modern stereotypes, which are no longer exclusively tied to the female gender. The image of librarians as professionals is, primarily, conditioned by the images that exist in the media and in the public opinion, but also by their own view of the profession. In order to detect the existing attitudes and beliefs about librarians and determine the possible change of the roles of librarians, it would be interesting to examine the images that represent librarians in professional literature, mass media and popular culture.