So, in a couple of weeks, I'll be coming up to my third blogiversary for Librarian Idol. Yes, I've been writing this blog for three years, and it's interesting to look back over those years...
Back in the beginning, I made the statement:
I want to elevate the status of the librarian in society so that it takes its proper place as a recognised profession in information science, both within the wider information industry as well as within popular culture.
This was made in the context of realising that librarians weren't seen as important or relevant within the various information industries, in spite of the inspiring and progressive work that many librarians were doing.
One year later, I was attending the CBCA Conference in Melbourne, and made the observation that
"...we need to do more than just fight for teacher librarians. We need to *produce* teacher librarians to actually put into schools. I often thought about upgrading my qualification to teacher librarianship, but there just isn't any incentive..."
That week, I also debuted my cabaret show Librarian Idol at the Butterfly Club, to sold-out audiences (Okay, it was a 50-seat venue, but that's still GOOD). The premise of the show reflected my initial aim of this blog - put simply, "To return librarians to their respected place in society." It was very tongue-in-cheek, but also strangely earnest - the more that librarians try to take themselves too seriously, the more absurd they come across to people outside the industry. The sentiments expressed in the show were very honest, but in writing the show, I came to realise how flawed they actually were. You can't fight stereotypes, mostly because they're based on truth, and if you do want to change them, then perhaps you need to inspire and motivate those who perpetrate the stereotype in the first place by doing your job well. That's what I'd figured by then, anyway.
In the year that followed, I worked, for the most part, at the Northern Territory Library. It was here that I learnt exactly how awesome a good collection could be. I learnt how to use microfilm newspaper collections, perform local history and genealogy, and witnessed some innovative usage of the NTL space, for live performances, exhibitions, and lectures. It still remains to be the most stunningly beautiful places that I've worked in, purely because of the views of the tropical greenery and Darwin Harbour from the reference desk.
I blogged about awesome things I found in the library. I also started to realise that I didn't want to be in Darwin anymore. This opening quote from Love like water really said it all. Melbourne didn't feel like home anymore, but Darwin didn't feel like home yet. I felt the same way about jobs - I knew I was a librarian, but I didn't know where I belonged. I had a pretty good idea about the direction, though, especially when I was asked later that month to be a judge for the Inky Awards. I started to realise that, whilst librarianship was about having a set of particular skills and knowledge, it was also about attracting people to the collections, and inspiring them without them realising that they're being inspired. It's about developing them as readers and as an audience to our cultural heritage. And to do that, you need to eradicate all possible barriers, such as negativity, rules, complicated processes, or culturally elitist attitudes. The library should meet the needs of the user, rather than patronise the user by telling them what their needs really are. Inspire. Entertain. Discuss. Share. Enjoy.
And then, a year ago, I was back in Melbourne. It was obvious, one day, that the time had come to leave Darwin, and when I did, it felt right.
But more importantly, on my 2-year blogiversary, I made this statement about being a librarian. I was very proud of my profession, and felt that my career and my identity were one and the same thing.
Ironically, at that time I was actually working in a non-librarian role at the State Library of Victoria. It was refreshing to be working in a related area of work, but doing things that I would not have been able to do as a librarian. Similarly, my work at the City of Boroondara later that year, gave me further insight into the administrative side of public libraries. All of this certainly fleshed out my perspective on the library industry.
I also went on a trip to Vanuatu, visiting my friend Romany, and experiencing some good old traditional Melanesian culture.
Interestingly, after returning to Melbourne, I blogged far less frequently. I don't know if it's because I wasn't working as a librarian, or because I was too busy enjoying Melbourne - I suspect both played a part to these ends.
Finally, in December, I got my new School Manager job. And so, everything is different again, but strangely familiar. The library professional is still undervalued in the wider industry. It's still supposedly moving away from being "about books", and yet most libraries aren't resourced with impressive tech, and are generally full of books.
So, three years later, how do I feel about where I've come with this blog, and my own personal journey to finding my own professional identity as a librarian? Has the professional profile of librarians changed at all in the past three years? Will they ever change?
I'll answer these questions in my next post.
In the meantime, I will share this video that I made back in 2007 - my "vision" of libraries in 2010 (for a LINT competition in Library and Information Week). Did I get it vaguely right? Where did you think libraries would be in 2010?
