Yes but

I hate to make a "yes but" point, but I think this other perspective
might be worth considering. I believe library systems have to be
user-centered (accessible), adjusted to the needs of users. But remember
that users have to adjust themselves to information, too. That is part
of learning.

I realize political analogies are always kind of risky. Maybe someone
can think of a related analogy that is not political.

About 10 years ago or so, I read a rather surprising thing. There was an
initiative in California to abolish or at least somewhat limit bilingual
education programs, and the writer mentioned that some of the strongest
supporters were Hispanics. Of course that got me wondering why. My guess
is that it's because they realized their children's future in America
depended on learning English well, and bilingual education threatened
that.

From one angle, bilingual education is "user-centered." It contains a
basic insight: you can learn to read more easily reading things in a
language you speak. Reading is an extension of speaking, subordinate to
it as a skill. When I was an undergraduate Spanish major in the 70's, I
remember my professors telling us we should be excited about bilingual
education, because it would mean there'd be lots of jobs for us. But
over the years, it seems the evidence hasn't borne out its value in a
lot of cases. The concept seems to miss a basic fact: small children can
learn a foreign language very easily. If they play with children who
speak that language, within a short time, they'll be speaking it. But
when we reach puberty, our ability to learn another language is reduced,
and bilingual education, by delaying children's exposure to English, can
threaten that. This is not to justify the brutal way children have
sometimes been punished for speaking their languages in school, but it
does raise questions about bilingual education as a learning strategy.


So what am I trying to say? I suppose one could say this is an example
of "user studies" showing bilingual education doesn't work. And I think
that's a fair interpretation. But it also shows that the acquisition of
a body of knowledge is important, and can't be subordinated entirely to
what comes easily to a user. College freshmen may find certain research
strategies easiest to follow, but to graduate, they may have to learn
more difficult ones.
        --Ted Gemberling, UAB Lister Hill Library, Birmingham, Ala.