My literature surveillance includes the Annoyed Librarian, written for Library Journal by a pseudonymous blogger. This blog is a careless diatribe and the comments that accompany each post are often worse. I don’t like it.1 Nonetheless, I scan every article and most of the comments—and gather lots of other people do too.
In late 2007, the blogosphere was peppered with posts from librarians claiming to be “AL” and in early 2008 the Journal of Access Services devoted an entire issue to the Annoyed Librarian’s articles. Francine Fialkoff, editor-in-chief of Library Journal, speculated in October 2008 that Annoyed Librarian probably has more readers than American Libraries.
This popularity (and notoriety) perplexed me until I realized that I’ve learned more about library issues and have seen more passionate defense of libraries in this digital flotsam than in most of my other reading combined. Why is this so?
A bit of searching uncovered librarians writing about keeping it secret and keeping it safe, not speaking openly about their work experiences for fear of reprisals, and putting a hefty muzzle on things while on the tenure track. Recently, an ALA Emerging Leader expressed hesitation about publishing a well-balanced analysis of the program. This search also led me to a small, steady stream of juvenalian satire like the Shovers and Makers Award website, 10 ways to lose your techie librarians tips and a killing our libraries poster.
Politics and frustration are found in every industry and it’s plausible expressions emanating from librarians may seem more prevalent because they’re online. (A blog post has more permanence and reach, after all, than a surreptitious comment at the water cooler or a sardonic graphic posted in an employee cubicle.) I think there’s more going on here though.
I sense that many new librarians are feeling stifled in an industry beset with challenges and opportunities, and seemingly impervious to change. The appeal of the Annoyed Librarian is understandable as a foil for myopic organizations and a culture that may value free thought and free speech more when it’s externally focused.
Must all venerable institutions get this way? With so much at stake, can we afford to disenfranchise scores of smart, energetic people that have chosen librarianship as their profession?
1Like the editor of the JAS issue on Annoyed Librarian, I think the blog was better before it moved to Library Journal.
