The Image of the Librarian: What's in a Name?

It's been discussed endlessly on listservs, in the library literature, at library schools, and professional conferences. What should we call ourselves? The debate centres on the fact that the name "Librarian" defines us by our buildings - our libraries. No other profession does this. Lawyers aren't called "Courtroomists", doctors aren't "Hospitalarians", and teachers don't go around calling themselves "Classroomologists".

As librarianship and the tasks we perform become more virtual in nature and take us out of the traditional library setting, it's argued that the old moniker will only serve to limit us. We should pick a name like "Information Professional", "Information Expert", "Cybrarian", or "Reference Specialist" - something which conveys what we do, rather than the buildings in which we (in some cases used to) work.

If we keep the name we also keep the stereotypes that are tied to it, "Marion the Librarian" of The Music Man fame being probably the most well-known. Just do a quick search for librarian jobs at a site like Monster.com to see how many non-traditional, dot.com-type companies are looking for librarians to fill their information needs. A search using the term "librarian" will retrieve programming jobs, filing or clerk-level jobs, and very few "real" librarian jobs (i.e. jobs dealing with the organization, retrieval, and management of information, or requiring an MLS). Then try a search using "information specialist" or "information architect". While some of these jobs may also require programming skills, the job descriptions you'll retrieve are in many ways more reflective of what a librarian actually does, than those with the job title "Librarian". Maybe if we get away from the connotations associated with the library, and the title "Librarian", we'll be better off as a profession.

Clearly there is some confusion out there as to what a librarian is. And the confusion comes not only from the non-traditional, corporate world but also amongst ourselves to some extent, as the debate over what to call ourselves is testament. Our roles are changing. Technology is changing. Library Schools are changing their names and the names of our degrees to reflect an emphasis on "information" and de-emphasis on "library". Should we, as a profession, do it too?

Or maybe it makes more sense to change people's perceptions about what we do? Librarians have been retrieving, organizing, and managing information - withstanding many changes in our roles and even more changes in technology - from the beginning. The next time we go to Monster.com and see a company looking for an "Information Architect" to develop taxonomies or an "Ontologist" to create subject hierarchies, I wonder how many of us will apply for that job, telling them yeah, a librarian does that. We've been indexing and cataloguing for years.

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