Steve Casburn says the following of libraries:
"We do not, however, pool our money much."
Well, actually, quite a few libraries already DO pool quite a bit of money (to support library consortia). And library consortia deal with technology issues quite a bit.
Maybe some existing consortia could band together and take this on as a project?
Bernie Sloan
CASBURN Steven M <stevencm_at_MULTCOLIB.ORG> wrote:
Tim Spalding wrote:
>
> I want to make a point that doesn't get made very often. The
> mes of the world may need to be nurtured, but I for one could
> not *take* a library tech job. I'm well out of my 20s, have a
> family and live in the Northeast. Library jobs pay badly.
>
> There are, of course, unique positives to working in a
> library (as well as some negatives). But so long as qualified
> tech people can make two or three times as much on the
> outside, it's going to be hard to hire and keep the best.
That's a great point, Tim. I once heard it put this way: "Why would I go
back to school and get an MLS so that I get a job making *less* money?"
Observers sometimes note that libraries, in the aggregate, have a lot of
money. According to the latest Bowker Annual, there are about 30,000
libraries of all kinds in the United States, with an aggregate annual
expenditure of more than $16 billion. We do not, however, pool our money
much. That being the case, how do we fund the systems development we
would need to create a next-generation catalog? How do we pay for the
time and training of skilled people? And *who* pays? And how much? And
for how long?
I ask these questions not to discourage anyone or to make the matter
seem hopeless. I ask them because we have to answer them if we want to
move forward, and I do think we can answer them.
Steve
--
Steve Casburn, ILS Librarian, Multnomah County Library
Address: 205 NE Russell / Portland, OR 97212
Telephone: (503) 988-4549
FAX: (503) 988-5441
E-mail:
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Received on Fri Aug 31 2007 - 13:00:04 EDT