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Morrissey's Mum was a librarian too! -----Original Message----- From: Kimber, CE (Catherine) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 28 August 2003 12:31 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Financial Services Topuc - chat Once, when I told someone (totally unconnected with the library world) what I did for a living he said, "Oh librarians are really cool! And they always have such interesting piercings," which isn't something I've heard before or since, I must admit. Regarding the various comments about librarians being tweed-wearing, stack-inhabiting or Philip Larkin clones, this makes me more uneasy. Owen Thomas is right, librarians seem to dwell on this image more than anyone else, and I don't know why. We seem to act as though the wearing of tweed is somehow morally reprehensible. I have met librarians at the cutting edge of fashion and cool, but I have also met those who most definitely are not and we shouldn't pretend they don't exist. One of the reasons I chose to go into the information profession is that it isn't a "style over substance" type job. I'm 27 and don't wear glasses on a chain round my neck, or my hair in a bun, but I wouldn't expect anyone to take me less seriously if I did. We do ourselves a great disservice by worrying so much about what we all look like. And Philip Larkin, while I disapprove heartily of his politics, was a poet and writer of great sensitivity and talent. He was a librarian of no mean accomplishment either. -----Original Message----- From: Owen C Thomas [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 28 August 2003 11:57 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Financial Services Topuc - chat With public libraries everything depends on the local authorities commitment (or not) to libraries. The best service I've come across is in Essex where they realised several years ago that library usage was changing from leisure to education and business. They were early in introducing OPACs and centralised collections with efficient interloan services. Hertfordshire was a bit slower but they too have gone a long way towards this. Smaller county councils and metropolitan authorities seem to have the most problems with providing efficient modern library services. They are also the ones that most problems with finance generally, so the root of the problem may the structure of our local government rather than a lack of interest in providing good library services. As to the old chestnut of the public regarding us as somehow all tweed wearing spinsters or Phillip Larkin clones, its not my experience that this attitude really exits to any great degree. It really is a librarians' urban myth. Most people react positively when I tell them I'm a librarian and I certainly never use one of those meaningless euphemisms like "information professional". -----Original Message----- From: Leslie, Alison [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 28 August 2003 10:46 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Financial Services Topuc - chat I don't think it's just finance departments in industry who have a short sighted attitude to libraries, it's the whole population. Libraries need to be "sexed up". That's not very pc in light of current events, but libraries are the very poor relations to education and sport when it comes to funding. In my personal experience as a public library user libraries are put with education for funding and then put with sport. The first thing to get cut when there are budgetary cuts - libraries of course!! Does no-one realise libraries are part of life-long learning and also part of leisure and recreation? As for saying you work in a library when asked, the next comment is usually "the weather's good / bad today". I've given up and say I work in the information dissemination field. As for saying I'm a cataloguer when I'm among other librarians, that's just as bad! It's time librarians had a revolution and enlightened the masses to how important libraries are and that not all librarians are bores dressed in tweed wearing glasses at the ends of our noses!! Alison Leslie