When I was in high school, I came to the conclusion that the school librarian wouldn’t last 5 minutes working in a public library, where the patrons wouldn’t put up with her surly attitude and would complain to management.
You're probably right. A surly attitude wouldn't get you very far at most reference desks. When you're a reference librarian, you have to deal with all sorts of people, including women who believe they are royalty.