The NYT article on hip librarians is the most e-mailed article of the New York Times and it is 5th most blogged. Despite its fluffiness, I liked the article.
Stereotypes are a fact of life. Every time I am at a bar, night club, or concert past 10 at night and tell a stranger that I am a librarian, they express surprise. Why? Because I am a young, male, librarian who appears to be having fun.
I am willing to bet that any young librarian or library student who could be considered moderately “hip” has had this experience.
There will always be stereotypes. I for one would rather be stereotyped as a hipster than a spinster any day.
By the way, the Business section of the Sunday Times had an article explaining what usabilty professionals do:
Technology’s Untanglers: They Make It Really Work