How do you replace the librarian stereotype? Well, some have tried complaining, but I think the best way to counter the stereotype is to go outside the library, get involved with the community and present the "other side" that very few ever get to see. The students and faculty of the University of the Philippines' School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) did this so well at the recently-concluded annual Lantern Parade that Rina Jimenez-David, a widely-read newspaper columnist, wrote that of all the presentations during the parade,
the most memorable was the dance number from the College of Library Science and Information Services, with the teachers posing as the “briefcase girls” of a popular game show, though they held books in place of briefcases.She didn't get everything right (e.g., the school name is sooo wrong), but it's a good start. It's a good thing bloggers were there to record the event for those, like me, who were not able to go. Igor took the photo above, and provides more details on the librarian version of "Deal or No Deal":
To further promote the lantern and rather than just walk beside it during the whole parade, the 26K Dancing Librarians was formed. Borrowing from Deal or No deal, they carried books instead of briefcases as they danced to the TV show's theme (nakakapagod daw, pero sulit naman [they said it was tiring, but worth it], I admire their energy). The books, when opened, spelled out "University of the Philippines".Headmasterjonel put together a video, but the performance isn't as clear on the video as the photo taken by Igor. Noel Feria has videos of the whole parade, but I haven't had time to see which one has the SLIS performance. By the way, one more detail worth noting for those concerned about stereotypes: all these bloggers are male librarians or LIS students =)
