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.