Both views are quite interesting to me.
First, the idea of Todd Puccio that:
<snip>
Any agency, no matter how well intentioned, will attempt to protect its
funding by keeping its funder happy.
In this case, whatever federal government administration is in power at the
time. I certainly would not want to give any agency (How could it possibly
really be independent ?) this kind of power.
Even our old advocate friend Sandy Berman accused the LC of being biased.
How much more would an agency of this kind be?
</snip>
I agree that there is bias in anything created by human agency. Of
course LC is biased: it is an official part of the U.S. government and
absolutely must reflect its positions in many areas. Nevertheless,
funding must exist and therefore it must come from somewhere. Where
there is funding, there is power. This is just in the nature of things
and cannot be avoided, no matter how we try.
If there is going to be a government, it involves getting funding and
directing it toward initiatives. The question is: should there be
funding for something like what Bill Clinton suggested? Is there a need
for what he suggested? It all depends on if you think what he is
suggesting is a type of censorship or not. I would be completely against
censorship, but as far as creating a tool to help the citizenry, I would
be for it, since that is the ultimate task of librarianship.
Laval Hunsucker's view:
<snip>
It is certainly not my experience that not-for-profit organizations or
units therein ( including libraries ) are any less vulnerable to all
kinds of manipulation than are private, for-profit corporations. Perhaps
they are even more vulnerable.
</snip>
I had in mind public entities that are subject to open scrutiny by the
populace. Google's algorithms are completely secret and they punish
websites that overstep their "rules". (See
http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/dirty-little-secrets-of-search.html)
In any case, I think is statement that funding from taxpayers would be a
worthwhile investment is fine, and similar to public funding of
libraries themselves.
Also, Laval Hunsucker wrote:
<snip>
If what you are talking about is the selecting in general of what should
come to the attention of a creative researcher/scholar, then I doubt in
fact whether there's a competent and self-respecting scholar or
researcher anywhere who would really agree.
</snip>
We have discussed this before at length. The idea that a scholar has not
needed help in finding worthwhile materials, thereby rendering library
selection irrelevant has never been my own experience. I've worked in
all kinds of institutions. I am fortunate to have some really famous
researchers as my friends so I am not just spouting smoke. The fact is,
the moment someone searches a library catalog, they are utilizing the
selection of librarians, who in turn use publishers, book vendors, their
own scholars, and many others. There are all kinds of tools to help
librarians select. Someone has to be responsible to decide which
materials a library's budget purchases, therefore, selection is
unavoidable. My own experience (seconded by others) is that the creative
researcher/scholar all too often concentrates only on his or her own
preferences, and anything else can go hang or at least is of far less
importance. The idea of maintaining a coherent *library collection* very
often is difficult to understand.
Online materials have only made it more complicated. Anyone using Google
relies on the selection done automatically with its page rank mechanism
since nobody is ever going to look at item number 2500. (OK, maybe .001%
of people will, but that only proves the point that the vast majority of
researchers need and want help) Selection of free, online resources is a
completely different thing from the traditional library selection, but
it is still necessary at least for the moment. Otherwise, people are
left only with secret algorithms. Perhaps someday the Web2.0 tools will
obviate the need for librarians in selection, but that will be awhile yet.
The problem is, many people equate selection with censorship. Too bad.
--
James L. Weinheimer weinheimer.jim.l_at_gmail.com
First Thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/
Cooperative Cataloging Rules: http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/
Received on Sun May 22 2011 - 15:35:42 EDT