The mean old librarian who shushes everyone all day long, is a stereotype we need to close the book on.

That’s the word from Amy Zanders who is a library assistant in the library at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Ms Zanders and other librarians from across the island will be taking part in a Library Expo this month at the Bermuda College to shed light on library science in Bermuda. The expo will look at the opportunities it presents as a career, and will highlight the ways it is helping the community.

The expo is being organised by Bermuda College Research and Instructional Librarian Lee-Ann Liles.

“The Bermuda College decided to do this expo to bring together all the information bodies on the island,” she said. “Most of the libraries on the island will be participating including librarians from the hospital, Youth Library, National Library, Bermuda Archives, Bermuda National Museum, the Bermuda Aquarium, and others.”

There will also be presenters such as John Aspinall, Sharon Wilson, Milton Hill, Allan Smith and Graham Foster talking about what libraries mean to them and how libraries have helped them.

“People think that all we do all day is sit and read books,” said Sherlyn Swan, Bermuda College Senior Library Assistant. “I have been dreaming of that day all my life, to get paid to sit and read.”

Libraries around the world have gotten a lot more technical in the last decade. The Bermuda College, for example, has an array of 50,000 e-books for its members to choose from, and the Bermuda National Library has also started offering e-books. And the majority of research in libraries such as a law library or a medical library is done with the assistance of computers and online databases. The Bermuda College currently has a plan to digitise the literary works of Bermudian author, the late Brian Burland.

“We want to highlight the fact that libraries are not the same place they used to be,” said Ms Zanders. “In many places, they are now used as alternative spaces. Many libraries have become more open and you can bring food and drink in and sit and chat. It is important to let people know why we are valid and why the career is something that other people should look into. We need to talk about how to improve libraries in Bermuda and make them more modern. The whole role of libraries is changing and it is an exciting time now to be involved.”

She said many people didn’t know that the hospital’s library is open to the public.

“Obviously, you don’t have free range on everything,” she said, “but if you are looking for information on a particular medical condition, for example, we can help you with that.”

The Library Expo will be on April 17 from 10am to 4pm in the Bermuda College Library. There will be presenters throughout the day.