In the midst of a review-and-reorganize mode that happens to me every January, I wanted to highlight a few sites and resources that I’ve added recently to my Resources page. Enjoy!

Pop! Goes the Librarian

This new blog by new librarian Maria Atilano began as a Social Media Management class project this past summer, and has since continued past library school. Fun, bright, cheeky, thought-provoking. I like it all. 😀

Libraries/Librarians in the Movies

Go Pinterest! The “library ninjas” at Saint Mary’s College Library started this Pinterest board to showcase reel libraries and librarians — and have even used some pics from this here blog. 🙂 I also periodically check back in for any new titles I need to add to my Master List. Also, their other Pinterest boards are fun, too, including Mad About Austen and Books You Pretend to Read.

From Spinsters to Cyberpunks: The Changing Face of Female Librarians

This is an essay available online through the open-access Library Student Journal, from the December 2011 edition. It’s always illuminating to be able to view a library science student’s perspective (see Pop! Goes the Librarian above), and this article’s author, Rosemary Kiladitis, was a media student before turning to library science. This article is an interesting read, with such observations as:

This discomfort, even shame, over a stereotypical image threatens to overwhelm the profession as it continues the vicious cycle of passing this discomfort onto newcomers. Dupré (2001) argues in “The Perception of Image and Status in the Library Profession” that the obsession with the stereotype, not the stereotype itself, is the problem.

When considering the image of the librarian and how the bun-headed spinster is played for laughs throughout the years, I go to the familiar: the movies. The cinema creates a snapshot of society in a given time period, and the image of the librarian is there for all to see.

What happens to the bun-headed spinster? Despite the professional angst, I believe she is a beloved touchstone.

Any new resources you’ve come across lately, or new movies you’ve seen featuring librarians? Please leave a comment and let me know!