Powerlessness may be a reaction to the awesome size of a problem, or may be created by fear of the consequences of action. Some organisations have a culture in which fear of action inhibits provision of a quality level of professional service. Powerlessness is reflected in low self image of the kind that has induced many librarians to drop any reference to libraries or librarianship from their titles, and in appeasement of the kind that has led to the introduction of the user-pays pri nciple for some aspects of library service. The impression that power comes from force or violence, and that alliance with a hero figure or a centre of power in an organisation will allow us to achieve our ends, is all too common. By contrast, organisati o ns should encourage individuals to take the initiative.
Children provide an object l es son as powerful negotiators.
The Maori concept of mana recognises that power is not positional, must be earned by service to others, and is inextricably linked to self-esteem. This is a far healthier view than the Western concept of power. Challenges In Public Librarianship, Ed. A. Hazell. A review of factors affecting the image of librarians which concludes that librarians feed and support negative images of themselves. Basic to the promotion of libraries is the need to ensure that every library worker believe in his or her own worth .