• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About WHW
    • Press Kit
    • Resident Writing Coaches
    • Contact Us
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Master Storytelling Newsletter
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Charities & Support
  • Bookstore
    • Bookstore
    • Foreign Editions
    • Book Reviews
    • Free Thesaurus Sampler
  • Blog
  • Software
  • Workshops
  • Resources
    • List of Resources
    • Recommended Writing Books
    • WHW Descriptive Thesaurus Collection
    • Free Tools & Worksheets
    • Grab A Free Show-Dont-Tell Pro Pack
  • WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Librarian

December 9, 2017 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your story, they might be trying to get that job or are already working in the field. Whatever the situation, as with any defining aspect for your character, you’ll need to do the proper research to be able to write that career knowledgeably.

occupation thesaurus, character jonbs, librarianEnter the Occupation Thesaurus. Here, you’ll find important background information on a variety of career options for your character. In addition to the basics, we’ll also be covering related info that relates to character arc and story planning, such as sources of conflict (internal and external) and how the job might impact basic human needs, thereby affecting the character’s goals. (See this post for more information on this connection.) It’s our hope that this thesaurus will share some of your research burden while also giving you ideas about your character’s occupation that you might not have considered before.

Below is a sample version of this entry to help you see how an occupation can reveal your character’s beliefs, history, goals, and more.

To view the full entry, visit One Stop for Writers where it resides within the largest fiction-based descriptive database ever created. (Free Trial available.)

Occupation: Librarian

Overview: Today’s modern librarian is highly-educated, passionate about technology, and an expert at connecting people with relevant information.  They are unafraid of technological advances, are adaptable…

Necessary Training: Most librarians must obtain a degree in library science, often a master’s. If they work in a facility which is specialized, they often will have a special focus or additional accreditation in that area (such as a law librarian). However, a librarian in a small town or school may…

Useful Skills, Talents, or Abilities: A knack for languages, charm, empathy, enhanced hearing, exceptional memory, good listening skills…

Helpful Character Traits: Adaptable, alert, ambitious, analytical, centered, charming, confident, cooperative, courteous, creative, curious, decisive….

Sources of Friction: Patrons who are disruptive, people who are careless with books, tight budgets, having to let someone go because of a conflict or budget need, working with uppity authors or experts who are holding events in the library, book theft, people writing in books, damage to…

People They Might Interact With: other librarians, interns, volunteers, teachers, students, parents, patrons, book groups, authors, handymen…

How This Occupation Might Impact One’s Basic Needs:

  • Self-Actualization:  Characters who greatly prize knowledge would be drawn to this position, so any threat to the librarian’s ability  to access information could cause them stress and grief. Living during a time when propaganda caused poisoned viewpoints …
  • Esteem and Recognition: A character who loves books may view her library as an extension of herself (or himself). If this was the case and budgets cut running costs to the bone…
  • Love and Belonging: A character who views their library as home will be devastated if cutback cause their job to be eliminated or force the library to close. The character would be desperate to do whatever it took to turn things around…

Common Work-Related Settings: the stacks, storage rooms, a lamination or printing room, a staff break room, bathrooms, reading corners, special sections and restricted-access rooms for special editions

Twisting the Stereotype: The “dowdy and strict” matronly librarian is played out, so make your librarian young and enthusiastic. And don’t forget, he or she is in a job where they deal with the public and love being…

Visit the other Occupations in our collection HERE.

Much of your character’s life will revolve around their work, and whether they love it or hate it, their job is a great way to show, not tell, their personality traits, skills, work ethic, worldview and beliefs, and more, so we should choose it with care.

Want access to this resource?

The Occupation Thesaurus is at One Stop for Writers, a game-changing creative portal to one-of-a-kind storytelling tools. Give our FREE TRIAL a spin and then level up your writing career by choosing one of our affordable plans. 

Or, buy the book! 

You can find this bestselling thesaurus writing guide in Print, eBook, and PDF. 

Find out why this descriptive series is a fan favorite with writers all over the world. 

“It’s like I fed my imagination Red Bull…” ~ Tracy Perkins

“The Occupation Thesaurus is yet another priceless author resource released in this series…” ~ Brandi MacCurdy

Read more reviews

ANGELA ACKERMAN
ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. :Donna says

    December 22, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    I hope your birthday turned out terrific, Becca, and Angela, you just had a birthday, too 😀 😀 😀

    And LIBRARIAN! Now we’re tugging at heartstrings 😀

  2. Eva Calderon says

    December 12, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    I have all of the Thesaurus’ you’ve done so far. I absolutely love them! The new occupations thesaurus is a wonderful idea and I look forward to each entry. I was hoping you would consider creating not just modern occupation, but also creating some entries for historical occupations as well. Many historical writers would love to have such a resource.

    Thank you,
    Eva

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      December 12, 2017 at 3:17 pm

      We do have a giant list of speculative fiction occupations (including historical ones) that we will either tackle here or at One Stop for Writers. 🙂

  3. JOHN T. SHEA says

    December 9, 2017 at 4:17 pm

    Happy birthday to Becca Puglisi! And thanks to librarians everywhere.

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      December 11, 2017 at 9:05 am

      Thank you, John!

  4. Angelica says

    December 9, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    Happy birthday Becca!!!

    Finding Writers helping writers has helped me BIG TIME!

    Much love and lots of sunlight <3

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      December 11, 2017 at 9:05 am

      Thanks, Angelica!

  5. Jarm Del Boccio says

    December 9, 2017 at 10:58 am

    Happy Birthday to Becca! You have enhanced my writer’s journey, and for that I am grateful.😊

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      December 11, 2017 at 9:05 am

      So sweet, Jarm. Thanks for the birthday wishes :).

  6. Carol Baldwin says

    December 9, 2017 at 10:50 am

    And don’t we all LOVE librarians??

  7. Carrie Nichols says

    December 9, 2017 at 9:43 am

    Happy birthday, Becca!!!

    And thanks for this occupation entry!! I will soon be plotting a story with a librarian heroine.

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      December 9, 2017 at 10:48 am

      Thank you! So glad this one is timely for you 🙂

  8. Amber Polo says

    December 9, 2017 at 9:34 am

    Great job!!
    The degree is often Master of Library Science (singular). But some schools use different names. Information Science, etc.

  9. Jennifer Lane says

    December 9, 2017 at 9:13 am

    Happy birthday, Becca! Thank you to you and Angela for the occupation thesaurus.

    • BECCA PUGLISI says

      December 9, 2017 at 10:48 am

      Thank you, Jennifer!

Primary Sidebar


Welcome!

Writing is hard. Angela & Becca make it easier. Get ready to level up your fiction with game-changing tools, resources, and advice.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to the Blog

Check your inbox to confirm! If gremlins tried to eat it, you might have to check your spam folder.

Read by Category

Grab Our Button

Writers Helping Writers

Software that Will Change the Writing Game

One Stop for Writers

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2023 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

Cookies are delicious and ours help make your experience here better. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with our cookie use. Cookie settingsGOT IT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. More on our Privacy Policy here.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...