Watching an old career guide film, The Librarian 1947 Vocational Guidance Films, I was struck by the contrast between how librarianship was presented in 1947 and the state of the profession today. I found it particularly interesting how the field has both changed and possessed some enduring constants between then and now. The places I found this manifest most strongly was in terms of the values and practices being displayed in the film compared to the current state of the field.
Enduring Values
In terms of values that have remained constant the film highlights the librarian’s responsibilities to the community and to patron service. What this value means may have evolved but the fact that it is a value seems to have been the case for a very long time. The film notes special librarian functions such as community outreach and adult learning programs which mirror ideas that have been presented to me as being distinctly modern.
Changing Values
In contrast, the film also has notable examples of changes in values. The film’s description and depiction of the leadership of a libraries implies a great many assumptions. The library manager is presented as a man in a suit and tie that has been train as a manager, not necessarily as a librarian. This manager’s central role in decision making and as the commanding force in the library suggestive of a classical school of management theory. By comparison, modern libraries often have a focus on collaborations and partnerships with all staff being viewed as being able to offer useful input. Furthermore, I believe that it is no longer the default assumption that a library manager will be male. These changes are reflected in the ALA’s Code of Ethics. In the 1939 revision there was an entire section on proper governance of a library and the current version does not attempt to impose such a top-down, one size fits all structure.
Enduring Practices
The film list a variety of roles for librarians including cataloguers, reference, circulation, school librarians, children’s librarians and special librarians, such as in hospitals. All these positions continue to exist in some form into the present day. The persistence of these roles is evidence that the services they provide is still of value to patrons.
Changing Practices
The changes in practices are perhaps the most obvious. Gone are the card catalogues of yore, replaced with digital search tools and home access of electronic documents. The attempted rebranding of librarians as ‘information professionals’ reflects these developments. Some of the services now being offered in many libraries have no antecedent. Where now we have manker spaces and 3d printers, libraries of the past did not have lathes and other machine tools. However, even these changes are in line with the library’s history of being privileged knowledge into the public space.
Conclusion
In conclusion it seems that librarianship has not experienced a revolutionary break from the past. For all the professions previous shortcomings it also possesses a rich tradition of service that we can be proud of as we find our place in the future.