Fighting the Stereotypes!

I guess this is library news week. I'm a bit behind on my news browsing because I've been writing some library literature. And you know what the Annoyed Librarian has to say about library literature: Yuck!. The things I do to keep my job!

Some librarians in Santa Fe, NM have been protesting! They've been picketing! They've probably also been shouting stupid slogans and singing "Solidarity Forever." And why? Because some film crew shooting a television program used an actress that the librarians claimed was too old to be a real librarian. They're fighting the sterotypes, baby!

"'She's probably 80 years old, gray-haired and frail -- that's not us,' said [the] city library director."

Oh, that's good to know. That's not us! We'll show 'em! We'll picket like a bunch of morons! We're not old! We can march around like idiots just like the young folks!

They were marching wearing matching tee shirts that read "Santa Fe Public Library ... Not Your Stereotypical Librarians."

I hate to break it to you, baby, but being old ain't the stereotype of libraians. Middle-aged, obese women who say shush a lot is the stereotype. This is the stereotype! There was no picture, but I sure hope the picketing librarians were slender violets like the Annoyed Librarian and not loud, fat women bulging through their cute matching tee shirts.

"The newspaper said [the offending actress] looked 'trim, athletic (and) active,' but did in fact look older than the Santa Fe librarians."

Trim, athletic, and active? We don't know too many librarians like that, now do we? We wouldn't want that image associated with librarians.

These librarians are definitely challenging the wrong stereotype. So how do you fight the real stereotype of librarians? The answer is right here, baby.