Cat lady librarian? Better check your stereotype.

For those of you who have checked out the "Meet the Librarian" section of this blog, or have perused my Facebook to see a picture of me with my cat, Lucy, it's no wonder I've been called a crazy cat lady librarian. I practically beg to be picked on with that photo.

That aside, I don't think liking cats and being a librarian should be a new stereotype. We have enough already: mysterious librarian, trendy librarian, sexy librarian, uptight broad....the list goes on. Most of these aren't bad (the uptight broad is a misunderstanding), yet somehow it seems insulting to add in another stereotype where instantaneously and coincidentally a librarian with a cat is deemed an intelligent loner with nothing else to do but surround him or herself with animals all day. It's absurd.

Mingling with librarians, however, you'd find we're quite different from our stereotypical selves. At the 2010 PLA Conference in Portland, Oregon I was absolutely blown away by the reality of it all. I came to understand that we are a quirky, intellectual, and eclectic bunch, who, as you many know, like to dance, socialize, talk about library culture, and all the other things that go with it. Coincidentally, we usually all get along. Referring back to the cat conversation, however, I'm not sure we'd all agree about liking these furry creatures. So, for those "crazy cat lady librarian" types, here you have it-something multifunctional and modern: a cat bookshelf. It's perfect-no. pun. intended.