Behind Closed Doors: An Exploratory Study of the Perceptions of Librarians and the Hidden Intellectual Work of Collection Development in Canadian Public Libraries

Abstract

Much of the intellectual work of librarians takes place behind closed doors, away from library users. In brief interviews conducted with 106 adults in two Canadian public libraries, only 34 percent of interviewees (n = 36) and 40 percent of responses (n = 52 of a total of 131 responses; some individuals provided more than one answer) identified library staff as being responsible for collection development. Other answers included "the public," committees of community leaders, government officials, publishers, preexisting lists, and library users themselves. Most respondents indicated that they were guessing. They frequently used mental models to generate answers. This article argues that part of the misunderstanding of the work of librarians might be attributed to its hidden nature. It then considers why the public does not know that librarians select materials and the implications of these findings with respect to the image of librarians, the recruitment of librarians, and the staffing and funding of libraries.