Image, Public Perception, and Lego Librarians

I love seeing how the public and the media portray librarians. Whether it’s the shushing/conservative stereotype, “naughty librarian” stereotype, under-appreciated & over-worked public servant (this one is NSFW-but one of my faves!), dealing with inept patrons, or even ones that combine the brainy stereotype with sexiness – I eat it up. I wonder if accountants or architects feel the same way when they see their field portrayed?

Entering Pop Culture

So, how do we know when librarians have hit the big time? Lego has introduced a Lego Librarian – part of its minifigures series line. This line of minifigures is an eclectic group. Series #10, which the librarian belongs to, also includes a warrior woman, sad clown, and a paintball player among others. In fact, the librarian is the only viable career option in the set! How cool is that?

There are 150+ minifigures, only about 10 require a college degree, so the librarian is in rare company!

Here’s the Lego Librarian [screen capture from the Lego website]:

The official Lego Librarian, part of Minifigures Series 10.

OK, so it plays into several librarian stereotypes…but I would expect nothing less. The Lego character must be easily identifiable to the public: “Oh yeah, THAT is a librarian!” So, what do we have?…

• Female? Check.
• Glasses? Check.
• Cardigan? Check.
• Sensible hair? Check.
• Book? Check.
• Coffee cup that reads “Shhh!” Check.

Oranges and Peaches

The creators went to some lengths to add a bit of fun. There’s even an inside joke in regards to the “Oranges and Peaches” book. It’s a reference to the 1995 movie Party Girl starring Parker Posey as a library clerk. In the scene below, a patron asks for Darwin’s Origin of Species. The Parker character mistakes it for “Oranges and Peaches”:

A Biographical Story

The Lego Librarian comes with a brief bio. Again, it plays into some trite stereotypes, but it’s fun:

Books are just about the Librarian’s most favorite thing in the entire world. Reading them can take you on exciting adventures in far-off lands, introduce you to new friends and cultures, and let you discover poetry, classic literature, science fiction and much more. If only everybody loved to read as much as she does, the world would be a better place…and quieter, too! The Librarian feels that it’s extremely important to treat a book with the proper respect. You should always use a bookmark instead of folding down the corner of the page. Take good care of the dust jacket, and don’t scribble in the margins. And above all else, never – ever – return it to the library late!

It’s no surprise that the Lego Librarian is female. It should be. We’re a female-dominated profession. It makes sense. But I wanted to have some fun, so I decided to to see if I could make the librarian version of me – Mr. Library Dude. It was not hard.

I grabbed the Lego computer programmer minifigure. He’s wearing a sweater vest and glasses. Doesn’t that scream male librarian? I actually think I have that EXACT sweater vest! I added an iPhone (those who know me never see me without mine) and I invented the Mr. Library Dude Lego Librarian:

This is Mr. Library Dude.

Lego Librarians on Parade

So besides the official Lego Librarian version and my knock-off, how might we portray other librarians in Lego form? Or what other ways are we perceived by peers or the public? I decided to take a stab at it and had a bit of fun. Maybe you even know a few of these. So here’s my satirical take. What would you add?

Note: Naturally, the LEGO images below are popular with children. Please be forewarned: there is a bit of cursing below.

Update: By popular request, I have added a children’s librarian. Look for the chicken suit!

The official Lego librarian – comes with a “Shhh!” cup and a book: “Oranges and Peaches.”

“Why do all the homeless guys hit on me?”

“Adequately caffeinated and ready for the Reference Desk!”

“I’m what some people call a ‘fucking bunhead’ – but I wear it as a badge of honor.”

“I singlehandedly manage the library’s blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all our other damn marketing projects.”

“The library profession still needs catalogers.”

“Ugh. This is how society wants to see me – the naughty librarian with a whip. So passe.”

“After a long day’s work, all I really want is some quality time with my cat.”

“I find this focus on female librarians’ appearance to be rather sexist. Let me point you to an article I saw on Jezebel.com.”

“Even though I’m smiling, I actually hate you. I really, really hate you.”

“Work, kids, family…yep, I can do it all!”

“The older librarians don’t enjoy my enthusiasm!”

“I quote ‘Buffy’ and none of the students get it! Can you believe it?”

“People are surprised to find out that I’m a librarian. They think I should be wearing a cat sweater or something!”

Alternalibrarian – “I love my pink hair. Wanna see my lit-themed tattoos?”

“This is how I see me: a warrior librarian! Protecting the 1st amendment, fighting against library budget cuts. THAT’s what I do!”

“Only a children’s librarian would don a chicken suit for story time! That’s why the kiddies love me. But once summer reading is done, I’m pawning the chicken suit for beer & wine money.”

“There really aren’t that many fashion options for a male librarian: a button-up shirt & khaki pants is pretty much it.”

“I desperately want to be a hipster librarian with my pencil mustache and bowtie!”

“Do you want to talk about bibliometrics? Anyone? Anyone?”

“I served with Melvil Dewey. I knew Melvil Dewey. Melvil Dewey was a friend of mine. You’re no Melvil Dewey.”

“I know our EBSCO subscription prices went up 400% this year, but I really just want to go home and brew some beer!”

“I’m an academic librarian with faculty status. My job is to write pointless peer-reviewed articles til I die. Which is hopefully soon.”

“I’m an approachable guy librarian. Look at me! I’m on the fast track to Administration!”

“Am I a rockstar librarian or just a rockstar? Doesn’t matter. L J just named me a Mover & Shaker even though I haven’t done shit. How awesome is that?!”

“I got a killer smile. All the old lady librarians love me!”

“I went to library school to meet girls.”

“What do you mean there’s no coffee?!?!”

“All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.”  🙂