WHAT'S IN A NAME? Shakespeare's Juliet wondered about this in Act II, Scene II of Romeo and Juliet. She says, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet." The library and information profession has struggled with job titles for years. Should we be called "librarians," "information professionals," or something else? In some settings, the word "librarian" is unquestionably appropriate. Take children's librarians, for example. Wouldn't "children's information professional" sound odd? What would the kids think? In other settings, the job title of librarian implies being in a particular place, the library. The profession has long been denned by a building, unlike other professions. The trend toward being embedded in the fabric of the employing organization undercuts the tethering of job to building. The expansion of job duties beyond those performed in a library likewise cuts the cord between job and place.
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