Du ser inte ut som en bibliotekarie! – Kläder och identitet i bibliotekarieyrket

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The aim of this study is to examine whether the image of the stereotype librarian has created conflict in young librarians´ personal identity and/or professional identity and if this has shown in their choice of clothes? Our purpose was to find out, with the help of their choice of clothes, the young librarians view of themselves as individuals and professional librarians. We have searched for the answers to the following questions: - Do young librarians experience that clothing at their workplace has any significance and if so, what do they want to signal with their clothing? - Do they experience that clothing and appearance has any impact on their personal and professional identity? - How do they relate, by their choice of clothes, to the stereotype images of the librarian? We have performed qualitative interviews with eleven young female librarians. As a theoretical framework we have used ideas and concepts from different areas of research; semiotics, social psychology, business administration and ethnology. The questions concerning clothing at the library have visualized the invisible conflicts that are inherent in the librarians´ professional role. The clothing can symbolize different conflicts; between the private and the public role, between being unique and blending with the crowd and between a “harmless look” or a professional look. Also, clothing can symbolize the conflict between the old introve...