Be Assertive!

Published April 18, 2013 | By Mary Kelly

The Assertive Librarian
Caputo
1984

Yes, another librarian title for National Library Week. I hope you are being appreciated and swamped with gifts and cash. (Yeah, me neither.)

My general feeling is that most public service librarians don’t usually have a problem being “assertive”. (When I saw the part on the last picture about “hand gestures”, immediately I thought of certain hand gestures I would like to share with a few particular people. Yeah, I am looking at you Porn Guy.)

Personality aside, most successful librarians have a definite strategy in dealing with the public. If they don’t, they are probably not going to last long. Regardless, this one could use an update!

Mary

7 Responses to Be Assertive!

Julie on April 18, 2013 at 10:27 am

I am a bit disturbed by the men’s version of the hand gesture for “Frustration” …
Chris Hunt on April 18, 2013 at 11:06 am

@julie, especially if it’s combined with purposeless gesture #5
Lurker on April 18, 2013 at 11:28 am

The cover illustration looks like a smashed window. Maybe you’re supposed to assertively throw them out the window?
Masha on April 18, 2013 at 11:45 am

I’m trying to picture myself chain-smoking at a trustee meeting…
Daniel on April 18, 2013 at 11:53 am

I think we need to see how Mary and Holly score on the Assertive Librarian checklist.
Kathy P. on April 18, 2013 at 2:01 pm

@Julie – or purposeless gesture #15…
Angel on April 18, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Librarian [two hands folded at the fingertips]: “You say you returned you library books? When, exactly?”