tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137713.post1671754259751202163..comments2024-03-19T16:26:45.863-04:00Comments on Digitization 101: The words "library" and "librarian"Jill Hurst-Wahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16355882159165026398noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137713.post-6641354841673491892012-07-07T00:15:01.378-04:002012-07-07T00:15:01.378-04:00A long time ago I ran into a young man in my neigh...A long time ago I ran into a young man in my neighborhood--that ever-expanding and increasingly vibrant area of West Philadelphia known as University City--who had recently graduated from Penn's prestigious law school. After we'd been chatting for a while, he asked me what I did for a living, and when I told him I was a librarian, he reacted with surprise. "But you're so smart!" By that time he knew I'd been to Smith, Yale and, for my MLS, the University of Maryland. "Why are you only a librarian...and why did you go to Maryland?!" My answer: "Exactly how do you think you'd have gotten through high school, college and law school without your libraries and librarians?" He thought about that for a minute, and then nodded and had to agree that he'd have been up a creek. I described Maryland's rigorous, diverse, forward-looking program, perfect for someone who had a range of interests and wasn't wedded to a particular type of job or library. That poor kid, I actually silenced a lawyer! In terms of our image, we could certainly do a better job advocating for ourselves, but the range of communication tools available to us today will make that task a lot easier, if we use those tools assertively.barbarapilvin@gmail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137713.post-9139243806920011062011-12-26T17:30:46.772-05:002011-12-26T17:30:46.772-05:00What a wonderful and true post, Jill. As a consult...What a wonderful and true post, Jill. As a consultant, I seldom let my clients know I am a librarian as they immediately limit their expectations of my skillset and ability to consult for them. They know I am an independent info pro. <br /><br />And to be honest, I seldom tell people I meet that I'm a librarian as they immediately react by saying something like "you don't wear a bun". <br /><br />I've found that if I tell them I'm an "independent information professional", they say "wow, what's that?" and I'm able to explain what I do. Then, I tell them I have an MLS.Deb Hunthttp://www.information-edge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137713.post-48647073107365133262011-12-26T15:11:58.656-05:002011-12-26T15:11:58.656-05:00Right on Jill. It behooves us to encourage our co...Right on Jill. It behooves us to encourage our colleagues and students to consider using synonyms (curator, content manager, etc) when communicating with potential employers and clients. The L-words can be there too, but we must connect for our clients the specific skills we have with the specific challenges they have.Ulla de Strickerhttp://www.destricker.comnoreply@blogger.com