After reading a few Library Journal letters ("Professional sans LIS", Feedback, LJ, 5/1/09, p.10 and "Defining 'professional', Feedback, 7/09, p. 11) and two articles ("The LIS Placement Gap", LJ, BlatantBerry, 7/09, p. 10 and "MLS: Hire Ground", LJ, 6/1/09, p. 44-46) about "professional" librarians vs. paraprofessionals doing "some" librarian work (and thinking about my own experience with this controversial hierarchy), I realized that this HAS to be one of the reasons that library marketing has such a difficult time streamlining itself as a field. (Obviously these aren't new issues...by any means!)
If we can't even decide on who does what and if that's okay, how can we ever present the public with a singular vision and idea about our profession? That uncertainty (and probably even annoyance/anger/toes-stepped-on-feeling) will undoubtedly come out through our marketing...even if we have top-notch marketing for our libraries, staff that are confused about their roles won't be able to genuinely follow through with our projected image/services.
I really do agree that there is a lot of confusion amongst employees and the public about the role of a librarian and that can do nothing good for marketing...at all. I really, really wish there was something I/we could do to change that, since so many other "professional" fields have clearly defined boundaries.
I think librarians are in a unique position since so many are understaffed and everyone has to do "everything". Besides wondering how to draw lines (if need be), how can we prevent this "professional confusion" from seeping into our marketing and hindering our efforts?
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