College and Research Libraries


Guest editorial 
Image Counts 

Over the past year I have spoken to 
academic librarians around the country 
about the need to recruit talented people 
to our profession, especially those from 
diverse backgrounds and those who 
have strong training in the sciences. 
Helping funnel bright individuals into 
library school programs is only part of 
the task, however. Recruiting also re-
quires a more universal effort, persuad-
ing others of the variety in our field and 
of the unique services we provide. I am 
concerned that we are often so busy just 
doing our jobs that we don't make a clear 
impression on those around us. 

Ask yourself these questions: Do people 
with whom you interact as a professional 
ever encounter you in other contexts and 
roles? And conversely, do people whom 
you meet in civic, religious, or social set-
tings realize what you know and what 
you really do as a professional? 

I am afraid that most of us would an-
swer no to both questions, and that wor-
ries me. Librarianship has a chronically 
low profile among the information and 
education professions because people do 
not understand the depth and breadth of 
our expertise or the extent of our re-
sponsibilities. Fortunately, each of us is 
in a position to help correct this problem 
with a little planning and a bit of moxie. 
For instance, we can schedule a lunch 
date every few weeks with someone we 
know on campus or in the community 
who is not in our normal library circles. 
We can volunteer to speak to local 
groups about the role of information in 
society (which will really focus on the 
capabilities of academic librarians and, 
hence, of academic libraries). We can take 
part in high school and college career fairs 
as panelists and advisers. We can build 

relationships with reporters who cover 
campus events and offer to help with 
feature stories about what goes on be-
hind the scenes in an academic or research 
library. We can even join electronic bulletin 
boards on topics that interest us but are 
not library-related. Then, when we con-
tribute to online discussions, we can 
mention that our professional training 
helped us locate such and such informa-
tion in a particular place. 

I have found that pointing out the 
common interest in information is often 
the best way to communicate with any 
audience, whether the group includes 
other highly trained professionals or cit-
izens from diverse backgrounds. Be-
cause everyone today needs information 
to function well in society, I have dis-
covered that highlighting our specialty 
as information connectors captures 
people's attention. It does not always 
seem obvious to others that librarians 
are often the best source for information 
of all kinds. 

I know that many librarians hesitate to 
call attention to themselves, but that is 
not what I am suggesting. I am urging 
that we consciously and frequently call 
attention to our profession-especially 
when dealing with people who think 
that every library employee is a librarian 
and that no graduate work is required to 
enter the field. Keep in mind that we 
must be able to describe what we do in 
plain language without using jargon and 
acronyms. 

Ultimately the best way to market our-
selves is to be ourselves. We do offer a 
variety of unique services that are useful 
to the rest of society. 

ANNE K. BEAUBIEN 
ACRL President 

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ALA Publishing proudly announces 
the highly anticipated publication of 

GUIDE TO REFERENCE BOOKS 
Reference Sources from 1985 to 1991 
Supplement to the lOth Edition 
Edited by Robert Balay 

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ISBN 0-8389-0588-9 Approx. 600p. April1992 
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Critical acclaim for the 
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50 East Huron Street 
Chicago, IL 60611 

1-800-545-2433