I am a librarian!

Being a librarian, I have some experience with stereotypes. We librarians seem to be fixated on our image; mostly the one expressed as 'librarians are dowdy middle-aged women with glasses and sensible shoes'. Lawyers live with the image of bloodsucking ambulance-chasers, but hey, at least that's kind of hip. Librarians hate to be seen as uncool -- worse than death. I think it's because so many people who are librarians are essentially nerdy. In high school, if you read a lot and were seen as a know-it-all, it equalled nerdy. In our profession it's a plus to read extensively and know everything, but sadly, being traumatized in high school is hard to get over. Being a nerdy librarian myself, I've had to deal with the horrible realization that I'll never be a glamorous career girl. For two years after library school I never wore my hair up. But then I realized I became a librarian because I am the sort of person to wear a dress and a braid and talk enthusiastically about books. So I reverted. And though I've been mistaken for a Mennonite once or twice, I am usually okay with the fact that I'll never be the Audrey Hepburn of the library world. (That honour probably goes to the Lipstick Librarian)