THE POWER OF STEREOTYPES ON LIBRARIANS’ PROFESSIONAL IMAGE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Stereotypes are usually associated to negative concepts that emerge when someone gives his or her opinion about a subject, about a person, about a group or even when related to acts in general. However many authors demonstrate that stereotypes may equally mean a way to deal with the uncertainties of the world making the communication easier and including a person in different social groups. It is known by people in general and by librarians themselves that their profession is commonly associated to many stereotypes as of gender,  behaviour  and physical appearance. This paper examines the power of stereotypes on librarians’ professional image construction and its consequences for professional labour market opportunities and social recognition.