A job worth doing?

This paper seeks to pose some questions by looking at the problems (seemingly) experienced by librarians the world over ‐ that of recognition of status. Why is it that librarians are frequently referred to as “people who stamp books” rather than as well‐qualified professionals? What can be done to improve the perception of the career of librarianship, not only by the general public, but by other academics, education authorities, councils and local authorities? Should librarians be working towards developing higher personal profiles within the working marketplace?