An Unrespected Profession

As I went to visit some family this Thanksgiving I realized how unrespected (if that is a word) the library profession is. My wife is a social worker, and people know what she does. However, when people ask me what I do and I tell them I work at a library the reaction is not very flattering. The questions that usually follow are so you check out and shelve books? I find it somewhat difficult to fully explain what the field of library science encompasses. I had person tell me that when she thinks of librarians she thinks of dorky people. Not wanting to cause a seen I did not say much, but I was (and still am) deeply offended. That really made me realize that we are not widely respected as librarians or librarians to be. Even among the rank and file in academia we are not really respected. My supervisor at KSU told me that the administration thought that tenure was too easy for librarians to get because they are not teaching faculty. I disagree. We are expected to teach on the spot, especially at the reference desk. Just because we do not have a defined class schedule does not mean that we are not teaching faculty. I have been at the reference desk when professors have come over with questions on how to use certain features of the library. So we teach both students and faculty. In addition, we are expected to keep up with the latest technological advances that will enhance the experience of the people we serve. Those may be Web 2.0 applications, website development, the ins and outs of the various databases, and these are just a few things that we deal with in a technological sense. Some librarians deal with digital initiatives and digital preservation. So aside from the other services we provide, we are expected to be a highly technical bunch (which is good). However, people are unaware of how highly technical our field is. I know that it is difficult to change the perception that people have, but I know that we provide a wide array of valuable services (be it at a public, academic, or other library). I also take solace in the fact that I love what I do, and that makes it worth while.

My Dewey

Someone sent me this link, and I thought I would post my results. It is a pretty cool tool to use, and see how accurate it can be.


296 Judaism
402 Miscellany
014 Of anonymous & pseudonymous works

Benjamin Rawlins's Dewey Decimal Section:
296 Judaism
Benjamin Rawlins = 254013948132949 = 254+013+948+132+949 = 2296

Class:
200 Religion

Contains:
The Bible and other religious texts, books about the general philosophy and theory of religion.

What it says about you:
You don't mind thinking about the unknown or other very big ideas. You will never feel like your work is finished. The 200-series is dominated by Christian topics, so you may feel like you're constantly surrounded by Christians.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Benjamin Rawlins's Dewey Decimal Section:
402 Miscellany
Benjamin Rawlins's birthday: 4/20/1982 = 420+1982 = 2402

Class:
400 Language

Contains:
Linguistics and language books.

What it says about you:
You value communication, even with people who are different from you. You like trying new things don't mind being exposed to unfamiliar territory. You get bored with routines that never change.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Benjamin Rawlins's Dewey Decimal Section:
014 Of anonymous & pseudonymous works

Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works

Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.

What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com