Early Cite: Bela-ong et al.

Objectives. This study aims to explore the representation of librarians in Philippine films and TV shows from the 1970s to 2024 and to identify the librarian stereotypes portrayed in these materials.

Methods. The study employed a quantitative content analysis of six (6) Philippine films and TV shows featuring seven (7) characters of librarians. All films and TV shows selected in the study were accessible to the researchers through the public domain or publicly available pages (e.g., YouTube) under fair use.

Results. The study revealed that librarian characters in these selected Filipino films and TV shows were all female, noting that the profession is dominated by females. Results show that the majority of characters were between 30 and 50 years old and had an indeterminate marital status. However, none were married, suggesting the negative stereotype of librarians as single, unmarried, or “old maids”. The study also revealed that saying ‘shush’ is still a common line for a librarian, with most librarians wearing dull clothes most of the time, depicting uninteresting or dry characteristics. The results also showed that there were still librarian characters portrayed negatively, such as being affectionless & irritable, but there are also certain characters that have been shown in a positive light, such as being approachable, friendly, and kind.

Conclusions. The overall portrayal of Philippine librarian characters revolves around the same stereotypes that exist within the media. No new librarian representations emerged in Philippine films and TV shows, thus continuing to portray the known librarian stereotype of an old maid.

Originality. The study intends to investigate the portrayal of librarians in Philippine films and TV shows.