As I was going about my day, I began reflecting on the stereotypes that society has about librarians. A common perception is that we are fuddy duddies, that we have buns (if you are a female), wear glasses, have perpetual stern expressions, and like to tell everyone to hush. I cannot say that this image is true of any librarian that I have met recently or of any of the future librarians that I am going to school with. In fact, I would say that librarians as a group are a diverse group of individuals with varying personalities and styles. So how do we break societies perceptions of us? Throw a party of course!
I think a great way to break mis-conceptions of us as professionals and to allow the public to get to know us is to invite them to a Meet the Librarian Party! Give the public an opportunity to meet their local librarians in a safe and fun atmosphere. Not only will this help break stereotypes about us as professionals but it also allows the public to become familiar and comfortable with us. As a result, they are more likely to come to us for help. Think about it…would you feel comfortable asking someone that you do not know and see as a strict person for help finding information or for a book recommendation? I do not think so.
So what would this Meet the Librarian Party look like? Well it would include the entire library staff, and fun little facts about the staff scattered throughout the room (maybe have a poster of each librarian with their background and some fun facts), and food, and games. It should provide the public and the library staff an opportunity to mingle and talk and laugh. And most of all it should be family friendly! Remember when throwing a Meet the Librarian Party that we want to let the public get to know us, but we still need to maintain our professionalism.
So go throw your community a party and invite them to meet you!
I love this idea Kayce!! That would be very positive, good for the community, and good for the librarians. I never thought about this, and I am so glad you did. Amazing idea!!
I think that’s a great idea!
I’d love to see librarians hanging out in front of the local grocery store introducing themselves to the neighborhood, and maybe even selling cookies.
Parties would be great, too. And picnics!