You might want to point out that he already had access to those items via inter-library loan and doc delivery? So why would be spend $ on a service he already had access to? Perhaps we need to promote library services better?
John
-----Original Message-----
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of B.G. Sloan
Sent: Thursday, 8 October 2009 4:51 AM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Hard questions and Google Book Search
Those are some good starting points.
I think there's a good opportunity here for someone to write up something along the lines of "Google Book Search and Libraries: What it is. What it isn't." :-)
Bernie Sloan
--- On Wed, 10/7/09, Jerri Swinehart <swinehar_at_OAKLAND.EDU> wrote:
From: Jerri Swinehart <swinehar_at_OAKLAND.EDU>
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Hard questions and Google Book Search
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 4:30 PM
> "How would you reply to a non-librarian administrator who asks 'We just paid $xx,xxx dollars to Google for access to millions of e-books. Why do we need to keep buying books for the library?'"
I would point out to any library administrator, with or without a
library background, the following:
1. Not every book is on the web. Copyright and royalties still have to
be resolved so some books are still in print.
2. What edition is the book that IS on the web? For some disciplines
the edition is important...Medicine for one.
3. Do all of the library's users want to use an electronic book?
Whatever happened to the discussion of generational differences? What
about users who come from a less fortunate background where they
haven't used a computer a whole lot.
4. Journals on the web are not all free. No library can ask a user to
pay for his/her articles or for expensive subscriptions. I can jus
hear students and their parents now if that was the case!
5. There's still probably a generation's worth of material to be
digitized. So going completely electronic is not realistic right now.
I'd put those five comments into full sentences, but I'm really tired
and the brain's not working too well.
Thank you.
Jerri Swinehart
MLIS
Library Technician III
Oakland University
Kresge Library
Technical Services
Rochester, MI 48309-4484
swinehar_at_oakland.edu
Received on Wed Oct 07 2009 - 21:44:20 EDT