Tight Buns

Another aspect of the librarian stereotype relates to her social behaviour. If we were to believe what the media shows us, it would appear that all librarians do is read books and occasionally "shush" people.

Playboy Librarian

Typically the librarian stereotype assumes a highly feminized image. She is often quiet, polite and timid. Significantly, she is generally depicted as introverted and sexually repressed (8). Librarians may be portrayed as intelligent, however they are often shown as reluctant to share information with patrons. Of course, this image contradicts the behaviour of actual librarians who generally place a large amount of value on the relationship that they form with the patrons who they help.

According to the stereotype, a librarian exists primarily to "check items in and out, [to] assess overdue fines, and [to] 'shush' library patrons" (9). The stereotype rarely alludes to the actual skills and tasks required to be a librarian. The popular image of the librarian almost always portrays "library work [as] a soft option" and does not address the fact that librarians often have to "juggle technology, management, customer service, scholarship and public relations" (10).