Good points, all.. I wonder if the cream of the digital world will somehow
be coded as the cream? Or, someone will find a way to find and get the "good
stuff." A gold "tag" we use, certified by x body?
Anyway, the too much too big note from Alex made me think of this new global
project announced from Library of Congress and UNESCO, in Paris.. see more
at
http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org/project/english/index.html
One giant digital library, coming over the horizon soon, in official
languages too..
Best,
DrWeb
--
DrWeb aka Michael
drweb2_at_gmail.com
On 10/18/07, Alexander Johannesen <alexander.johannesen_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 10/19/07, Stephens, Owen <o.stephens_at_imperial.ac.uk> wrote:
> > However, I also think it is worth examining the idea of 'selection'
> > in the context of large amounts of digital material being available.
>
> Indeed, it needs scrutiny. Do we think for a second as the world
> information grows exponentially - and the number of librarians do not
> - that we're capable of selecting even the thinnest cream of the crop?
>
> > There is clearly a challenge here - as more material is either born
> > digital, or digitised, does the pre-selection model still apply, or
> > is post-selection going to become the norm? If the latter, what does
> > it mean for libraries?
>
> I'll be brutally honest here ; there is no way that libraries can hope
> to a) collect everything (too much), b) collect everything of note
> (too hard; needs more reference librarians), or c) collect only the
> cream of the crop (too crazy!). Further, there is no way that
> libraries can a) give all people what they want (we can't please all),
> b) give some people what they want (we may not have all they want), or
> c) anyone what they want (we don't have it all, and all knowledge does
> not come in printed form).
>
> As we can only make whopping big assumptions about what people might
> want or need, I think it's fair to say that the only thing we can do
> which we could do really well, is to do what we *want* to do. I no
> longer believe that libraries should worry too much about their
> customers needs, and I say this *because* knowledge has broken out of
> the print format we're still stuck in. (If we kicked ass in the
> electronic information arena [and no, that does not include having an
> electronic database of print material], then sure, let's talk about
> handling the user experience ...)
>
> I've said it before and I'll say it again ; the printed material are
> no longer the main source of knowledge transfer between humans. Yes,
> printed stuff is still here and will be for some time (especially in
> literature and discourse), but in the sense of you and me getting
> educated or more knowledgeable the transfer is no longer held in
> print; it's in electronic form.
>
>
> Alex
> --
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
> ------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/--------
>
Received on Thu Oct 18 2007 - 20:10:31 EDT