What Exactly Does a Librarian Do?

LibraryWhen people learn that I’m a librarian, they often ask, “What exactly does a librarian do?”  I usually begin my explanation with a disclaimer such as, “Well, I’m not a typical librarian in that I don’t work behind a Reference Desk and help people find information” which is what they already knew librarians do from personal observation.  Of course, they want to know what we do when we’re sitting in our offices. Some people do think we read books all day.  I go on to explain that I’m an Electronic Services Librarian—which hardly helps clarify my explanation—who handles most of the IT functions of the library. I tell them I administer the library’s website, staff intranet, online library catalog, third-party library services, and access to all of our research databases.  If they still seem interested, I’ll explain the functions of some other types of (non-reference) librarians such as acquisition, cataloging, scholarly communications, and special librarians.  Even though I work next door to these types of librarians, I still can’t tell you everything they do on a daily basis. Continue reading What Exactly Does a Librarian Do?