> ... our profession *should* have a sense of direction that informs its
> members. It is exactly this kind of leadership that ALA has failed to
> provide. Continuing education ... could have a role of providing
> inspiration and inspiring enthusiasm. Most importantly, it needs to overcome
> the (probably many) instances where an institution's management does not
> encourage exploration and learning, thus stifling the possibilities for its
> employees....
OK, I follow now. Shame on me for forgetting about this aspect since
it is endemic and it is a major barrier to progress. At my previous
job, going anywhere out of state was very difficult (even on my own
dime) so I really felt out of the flow for awhile. The role you
suggest makes more sense in this light.
> ... I really see a lot of mis-guided individualism here, as I see
> generally in the techie world. There's nothing wrong with providing learning
> opportunities, and not everyone learns best alone. This is a kind of
> "sink-or-swim"-ism that I think is overall detrimental to the goal of having
> a more up-to-date profession.
I think that the environment most librarians and systems people work
in is a major contributing factor to the strong individualism you see.
Getting resources is dang near impossible, serious proposals are
killed by analysis paralysis, and once the legal or procurement people
get involved (which is in just about everything), we are condemned to
the bureaucratic equivalent of the La Brea Tar Pits.
Sometimes, the only realistic option is to strike off on your own. I
think this holds us back, because it keeps things uncoordinated and at
a small scale, but it gets us through the day.
kyle
--
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Kyle Banerjee
Digital Services Program Manager
Orbis Cascade Alliance
banerjek_at_uoregon.edu / 541.359.9599
Received on Fri Sep 12 2008 - 13:44:29 EDT