The Nightwatchman in the movie Jim Weinheimer refers too below also
probably had to go to B & N because he worked nights and slept during
the day and had other things going on in his day to day. For those
who follow the real AMNH American Museum of Natural History where this
was filmed and based on, http://www.amnh.org/ they have been one of
the first museums in NYC for many many years that have been open to
both public & scientific staff. It was my personal first library
position also where I worked for 8 yrs where school groups,
scientists, and just people wanted to learn more about the dinosaurs
were free to come in and learn.
Also many people can simply learn about the exhibits and collections
from reading the information in the exhibit halls themselves.
What's the public gate count daily at AMNH ? who cares about B & N,
our bookstores are also filing for bankruptcy out there - Borders
anyone? apples & oranges don't help a discussion or collective good
but only self interests usually
just saying
happy weekend all
Karen Weaver, MLS
Electronic Resources Statistician
Collection Management
Duquesne University Gumberg Library
Pittsburgh PA weaverk_at_duq.edu / melvil4u_at_gmail.com
On 7/30/11, James Weinheimer <weinheimer.jim.l_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> On 30/07/2011 14:46, Joe Hourcle wrote:
> <snip>
>> On Jul 29, 2011, at 7:48 PM, john g marr wrote:
>>> This image also chracterized around half of the electorate (pretty
>>> important people who run all of our lives and budgets), who simply do not
>>> understand the issues or the complexities of political rhetoricbeyoind
>>> sound-bites.
>> Um ... electorate == people who can vote.
>> Most of 'em don't vote, and most of them don't consider library funding to
>> be the main issue when electing delegates.
> </snip>
>
> While I certainly have my own political viewpoints, in these kinds of
> discussions I feel that political statements are more divisive than
> anything else. In the case of libraries and their future, it goes beyond
> politics: be they free market capitalists or state-planning communists,
> anarchists or monarchists, it would seem that all have an equal need and
> desire for reliable information that they can access easily and quickly.
> As Joe points out, it is a part of public education and community
> development, which is in all people's interest along the entire range of
> political beliefs.
>
> Attached to this however, is the need to build tools that people want
> and need. This means finding out what those users want and need so that
> you can build those tools. People have never liked to be confronted
> with: this is the product/service/whatever that we make and you have to
> use it or do without. The only time this "works" is when people are
> dealing with a monopoly, since their only choice is to literally do
> without. Libraries had a "monopoly" for a long time but that monopoly
> went away.
>
> It wasn't all because of the growth of the world wide web. Maybe I'm a
> little slow, but a movie came out only a few years ago that had a big
> impact on me. I remembering seeing that movie "Night at the museum"
> where the museum exhibits come to life in the Natural History Museum at
> night and our hero, the nightwatchman, wants to learn more about those
> dinosaurs, statues, and other things. So where does he go? To Barnes and
> Noble! I almost fell out of my seat since in my naivety I thought he
> would go to the library! I realized I was dating myself. Then I
> remembered how the Barnes and Nobles had always been so full, and that
> libraries have been trying to become more like Barnes & Noble type
> bookstores for a long time now. Times were changing a lot back in the
> 1990's and now, the situation is changing again as the big chains have
> problems. When the World Wide Web showed up it was a one-two punch that
> has staggered the entire field of librarianship.
>
> So, I don't think it's as much a matter of convincing people that they
> need libraries so much as that we build tools that they will provide
> information that *they clearly need* and that they can use easily. Maybe
> people don't know about the services libraries offer and need additional
> information, but you can't--and shouldn't try--to convince people that
> they need libraries when they believe that they don't--it's insulting.
> Far more productive would be to show people that we are changing,
> building tools that will help them find at least some things more easily
> and that, if we had the resources, we could do so much more, then that
> is an argument that people may find convincing, not only in municipal
> and state governments, but in foundations, companies and other
> organizations.
>
> By far, the main tool that a library has is its library catalog, which
> is currently based on old thinking and just not very relevant to many
> people's needs today. It was built and designed in another time, for
> another world. Realize I am talking about the *catalog itself*--how it
> works and what it assumes--NOT the individual catalog records, which are
> incredibly under-utilized. As a result, it is unfortunately very
> difficult to demonstrate how the library is changing.
>
> It's a tough time.
>
> --
> James Weinheimer weinheimer.jim.l_at_gmail.com
> First Thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/
> Cooperative Cataloging Rules:
> http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/
>
Received on Sat Jul 30 2011 - 11:43:21 EDT