Amen.
Scott
Andrews, Mark J. wrote:
> Reviewing the last several days of discussion here, I wonder what the
> real issue is? That big companies have lousy tools (compared to the
> literature). Yet they appear to have a lot of success (million of
> users and a viable businesses, at least in Google's case). Conversely,
> is the issue that libraries have:
>
> * been in existence for hundreds of years
> * 50 years of solid, scientific applicable research in information
> storage & retrieval theory
> * educated & helpful staff
>
> and nobody gives a rats ass about us? Is this more of the librarian's
> inferiority complex. The usual rejoinder to this is "Speak for
> yourself." No, thanks, I'll speak for and the to the profession. The
> FUD seem to grow yearly. What do we do about it?
>
> What are some of the other reasons Amazon and Google are successful?
> Their systems are famously reliable; they work reasonably well all the
> time. What's more Amazon and Google's respective brands, products,
> sales, marketing and services are unified in each company's web
> presence. Geez Louise, how may libraries can say anything even
> remotely similar? How many of us in library land (directors,
> managers, line staff, paraprofessionals, board members, friends, etc)
> even think about these questions. HELLO? BUSINESS PLAN?
> MARKETING? SALES? CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY (and something other
> than LibQual, thank you)? What can we do that Amazon and Google
> can't? Is that difference relevant to our users?
>
> These are not technological issues and problems, they are human ones.
> Without attention, time, people and money devoted to these issues we
> don't know what our customers want. We don't know what we need to
> start (and more importantly STOP doing) to give our customers what
> they want. We don't know (and perhaps are not willing to change) to
> give our customers what they want. We don't even ask "What do we do
> well and how do we do more of it?" Its almost as if the motto of
> library land is "At least we don't suck." Gee, that's elevating.
>
> It seems to me the run-of-the-mill library catalog does an
> unsatisfactory job, at best, of doing what the library staff want it
> to do. When, for heaven's sake, was the last time any of us asked our
> customers what they want a catalog to do for them - and then find a
> way to give that to them?
>
> Mark
> -----------------
> Mark Andrews, MLS
> Systems Librarian
> DoIT Academic and eLearning Technologies
> L 32 Reinert Memorial Alumni Library
> 402.280.3065
> mja30807_at_creighton.edu
> AIM: mja30807
> -----------------
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott Warren, M.A. LIS
Assistant Head
Textiles Library and Engineering Services
North Carolina State University Libraries
Box 8301
Raleigh, NC 27695-8301
919-515-6602 (phone)
919-515-3926 (fax)
scott_warren_at_ncsu.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Received on Tue Jun 13 2006 - 14:23:08 EDT