James Weinheimer wrote :
> I am not finding fault with Google, which is, after all, a
> private company, but I think this may be a clear example
> of the differences between the interests of a private
> corporation versus those of a library.
A matter very well addressed, incidentally, as I recall, already
by the late Ross Atkinson. Didn't he do that quite explicitly
and nicely in _LR&TS_ some five to ten years ago ? Or am I
dreaming that ? I can't seem now to find the article I had in
mind. ( Or was it by someone else, in _LR&TS_ ? ) Maybe
somebody here remembers exactly the article I mean.
Anyway, there's always his more ( I think ) recent piece in
_The library quarterly_, 75.2 (April 2005), p.169-189, DOI:
10.1086/431332, called "Transversality and the role of the
library as fair witness", in connection with which it's in my
opinion well worth pondering on his treatment not only of
the concepts of "fair witness" and "transversality", but also,
while we're at it, of that of "professional schizophrenia".
Anyway, to get back to the point here, we may observe that
after in that article remarking e.g. on p.185 that :
"What society and the academy need is an information
agency capable of providing services that commercial
intermediaries cannot or will not. Such alternative
services derive in large part from a willingness and
ability to give services precedence over revenues; it is
precisely such a capacity and service philosophy on the
part of libraries that makes them such obvious candidates
for the role of trusted third party."
he concludes the piece ( p.187 ) with :
"The library’s ethical foundation, however, and the
library’s acceptance, indeed its insistence, that it be
openly judged by its ability to uphold and fulfill
those ethical values in practice must be safeguarded
and nurtured because it is in that obscure and
essential domain of objectivity and trust that the
library has the potential to make its most significant
contributions to the future of information services."
Of course such differences in interests, of trustworthiness,
certainly of "objectivity", are in reality far less clear-cut
or pronounced -- or valid -- than often represented, but I
think anyway that Atkinson's writings on the matter are
among the most judicious and well considered -- at any
rate among those coming from the bibliothecarian side of
things. [ As most do, since few others seem able to get
much worked up over this sort of question. ] He appears
to have suffered far less from the standard 'déformation
professionnelle' than many a colleague.
- Laval Hunsucker
Breukelen, Nederland
----- Original Message ----
From: Weinheimer Jim <j.weinheimer_at_AUR.EDU>
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Sent: Mon, February 7, 2011 12:33:31 PM
Subject: [NGC4LIB] A couple of articles
A couple of very interesting articles that seem to me to be related in some sort
of "higher sense":
From the BBC: Are libraries finished? Five arguments for and against
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12340505
From TechSpot: Google starts censoring torrent-related searches
http://www.techspot.com/news/42163-google-starts-censoring-torrent-related-searches.html
It seems that the TechSpot article could provide a sixth argument for the
further need of libraries and librarians. Censorship can work in extremely
subtle ways today, by adding words to a stopword list, or as Google did here by
altering its autocomplete function, although the actual string search still
works (i.e. if you type in "bittorrent" completely, the search will be done, but
the autocomplete will not be performed although it works for other sites).
Library-type catalogs do not work this way, as the furor over Popline a few
years back showed http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/04/a-government-fu/
I am not finding fault with Google, which is, after all, a private company, but
I think this may be a clear example of the differences between the interests of
a private corporation versus those of a library.
James Weinheimer j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu<mailto:j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu>
Director of Library and Information Services
The American University of Rome
via Pietro Roselli, 4
00153 Rome, Italy
voice- 011 39 06 58330919 ext. 258
fax-011 39 06 58330992
First Thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/
Cooperative Cataloging Rules: http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/
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Received on Wed Feb 09 2011 - 11:43:44 EST