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.