Who is Marion?

Marion is the archetypical librarian: meek, subservient, willing to take what is offered in terms of respect and remuneration, modest in her tastes. You get the gist. If one is, however, actually a librarian in a decade other than the 1950s, this stereotype wears a little thin after a while.

How pervasive is the societal view? Watch the Jimmie Stewart movie "It's a Wonderful Life" and note what profession the writers impose on the stunning Donna Reed in the dystopic Potterville: librarian! They evidently couldn't conceive of a worse fate than getting pegged as a spinster librarian. It hasn't gotten much better with time. Sure, we now have Parker Posey as a hipster librarian having sex in the stacks, but while that may show a certain degree of liberation, it's hardly a positive image of a profession. The latest entry into the subgenre of librarian flicks was Noah Wiley's unspeakably bad made-for-TV flick last year; it left me begging for the return of Ms. Posey.

In my not-so-humble opinion, librarians largely have themselves to blame for their fate. They're crappy negotiators, so they get paid dreck. They behave like crack-addicted puppies at their national conference (hey, if you want to deny this, just go to the exhibits on Friday night during the raffle/giveaway period and tell me I'm wrong). Sartorially speaking, they're collectively stuck somewhere between 1952 and 1968. Frumpiness appears to be something taught in certain library schools, and is cherished as a virtue by far too many. They let politicians both local and national peg them as porn-peddlers, rather than fighting those charges on the same level as they are delivered.

So, what's a boy/girl to do? Advocate for better pay, encourage a little bit of attention to our appearance, agitate for a little respect.