As a former library administrator in charge of technical services, I used to
argue that many more patrons used the online catalog and depended upon its
quality and integrity than ever asked a question at the reference desk.
While this may still be true, I'm afraid that many fewer patrons use both
the online catalog and reference support than before the digital revolution.
Bob
Dr. Robert P. Holley
Professor, School of Library & Information Science
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
aa3805_at_wayne.edu
248-547-0306 (phone)
313-577-7563 (fax)
From: acqnet-l-bounces_at_lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:acqnet-l-bounces_at_lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 1:35 PM
To: acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [ACQNET-L] Is Technical Services a public service?
My next question is how would you argue that Technical Services is indeed a
public service?
FWIW, I would say that nothing we do in any area of the library has meaning
or value except to the degree that it helps our patrons. If you can't
justify the value of your department in terms of service to the public, you
probably can't justify the existence of the department. This is true
regardless of whether the people who staff the department interact directly
with members of the public - after all, the folks in Reference only interact
with a tiny fraction of the public they serve.
---
Rick Anderson
Assoc. Dean for Scholarly Resources & Collections
Marriott Library, University of Utah
Desk: (801) 587-9989
Cell: (801) 721-1687
rick.anderson_at_utah.edu
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Received on Tue Aug 27 2013 - 19:47:44 EDT