On Aug 31, 2007, at 8:50 AM, CASBURN Steven M wrote:
> 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?
Why not pool resources indirectly by encouraging library-employed
programmers to participate in the development of open source catalogs
(of which there are a number of excellent ones being developed)? Do
away with all the paperwork of the ever-proliferating committees and
"task-forces" and just allow your programmer to spend 50% of his/her
time contributing to open source catalog systems. Perhaps libraries
could better afford qualified programmers if they didn't have to
spend insane amounts of money on antiquated online catalog systems
and support contracts.
-Tyson
--
Tyson Tate
Web Developer
Robert E. Kennedy Library
Cal Poly University
Received on Fri Aug 31 2007 - 12:43:01 EDT