Maintaining Our Professional Identity as Librarians in an Evolving Field

When I tell people that I have a master’s degree in library science or that I spent 10 years working in libraries and am currently a program coordinator for a library science program, I find that others often do not know quite how to respond. For the most part, people love libraries and librarians. Their response is enthusiastic, but they don’t really know what I studied, what I have done, or what I currently do on a day-to-day basis.

Librarianship is very important work. It can be fun explaining the job and advocating for the work we do. It can also be a bit disheartening at times. The term librarian tends to be very connected with the physical space of the library in people’s minds. Many people imagine a role and work that does not reflect what I, and I suspect many of you, actually do.

How the Role of Special Librarians Has Expanded

Over the years, the role of special librarians has shifted. The field is much broader now and includes knowledge managers, research analysts, information strategists, and competitive intelligence specialists. All these roles fit within the broad information field.

These titles may give a better sense of the roles that those with library and information science degrees hold, but I think it leads to a larger question: How do we maintain professional visibility and a professional identity? This question matters for two reasons.

First, we need to actively advocate for the work we do so that others fully understand its scope and value.

Second, we need to adapt to a changing professional environment, one in which language that once described a role no longer does so fully. To be clear, I do not believe the term librarian is outdated.

Personally, I am proud to call myself a librarian. The term carries a proud history and demonstrates expertise. At the same time, it also carries a certain connotation for many people that is often tied to a particular space rather than reflecting the breadth of what we actually do. Valuing the title does not mean we cannot also think critically about how we describe our role and work. We can think about when to adjust our language to remain visible and understood within an organization.

Does Your Job Title Reflect What You Do?

I encourage you to sit with this for a while on your own. Does your job title best represent what you do? If you could change it, what would you change it to? You may not be able to change it, nor may you want to. However, it can be a productive exercise to reflect and then have a conversation with colleagues. The profession should continue to evolve while at the same time maintaining our core values.

The core values of librarianship published by the American Library Association, and the values of collaboration, empowerment, impact, inclusivity, and stewardship from ASIS&T, which is now the professional organization for special librarians, should guide these discussions.