As a Cataloger who dabbles in programming I couldn't resist finally
jumping with a couple of points:
We should all know at least enough about programming/data formats to be
able to reject or, at least, question, such highly dubious logic as
anything XML-based is automatically superior to MARC. I'm not saying we
shouldn't leave MARC behind, but we leave it for something BETTER, NOT
something ELSE.
> An IT guy in a library is being told that he needs to make systems
that are special for the library, and every other librarian also thinks
the library is such a special place that software must be custom made,
that there are no alternatives.
>But there are always alternatives, both on how you approach the
problem, and also on how you deal with your own specialness.
And here we hit upon the crux of the problem not only with software vs
libraries but software vendors and other industries as well. Everything
DOESN'T "just work"! Lots departments in lots of industries get
half-baked software foisted off on them, often at high prices. Remember
"Beta" testing? These days software is so rushed to market it often
doesn't seem to get an "Alpha" test. (What was that new search engine
that was going to replace Google a couple of weeks ago?) Many workers
are stuck with workflows that accommodate software not software that
"just works". The tail often wags the dog outside libraries as well as
in.
>For every problem in the ILS you will find an outside alternative.
Usually one that consists of a square peg being determinedly hammered
into a round hole!
As with MARC, I'm not saying that we don't need to change. I,
personally, am lucky enough to work with GOOD IT people, but they still
need librarians with enough knowledge to be able to articulate what they
need and to be able to examine, critically what we need vs. what we've
always done. Imagination is good but it has to be tempered with
real-world experience.
JJ
**Views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent those of
the Queens Library.**
Jane Jacobs
Asst. Coord., Catalog Division
Queens Borough Public Library
89-11 Merrick Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11432
tel.: (718) 990-0804
e-mail: Jane.W.Jacobs_at_queenslibrary.org
FAX. (718) 990-8566
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Received on Wed Sep 24 2008 - 13:31:57 EDT