James, you have completely misconstrued Todd's statement. What he is talking about is not like someone asking a grocery clerk where the canned peanuts are. Todd is saying that if someone asks a grocery clerk "Where are the nails", he will say, "I'm sorry, we don't sell that here. Ask down the street at the hardware store." Or if person asks a clerk in a private warehouse "Where are the canned peanuts", he will say, "I'm sorry, if you don't work for this company you are not authorized to get canned peanuts from us." Not every library is in the business of giving out any and all information to anyone and everyone. Yes, if it is appropriate for a particular library to be supporting access to free information of a particular type for its particular patrons, then they should do so. But it would be ridiculous to say that, for instance, a corporate law librarian is ignoring his patron's needs if he does not provide access to online Dilbert comics.
Steve McDonald
Steve.mcdonald_at_tufts.edu
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
> [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of James Weinheimer
> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 4:05 PM
> To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] A Day Made of Glass
>
> On 15/08/2011 21:42, Todd Puccio wrote:
> <snip>
> I would say that the : Fundamental purpose of librarianship is to help
> _their patrons_ (or users if you wish) find the information that they
> need _in accordance with the patron's relationship to the institution_.
>
> By which I mean that each librarian works for various institutions with
> specifically defined collections and patrons (perhaps with varying
> rights within the institution).
>
> I librarian archivist for a private "rare humanities book library" is
> not responsible for helping any and all people find fried-chicken
> recipes. They are not even responsible for helping their own patrons
> find fried-chicken recipes.
>
> Librarians are responsible for fulfilling the mission and policies of
> the library they work for.
> </snip>
>
> Thanks for bringing up this point Todd: it is really important. You lay
> out the traditional task of librarianship, linking it inextricably with
> the local collection, and this is something that I think needs to
> change: a redefinition of the meaning of "the local collection". I
> wrote
> about this in one of my "open letters" at
> http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/13897/1/OpenMannDistinctive.pd
> f
> where I discussed the idea of the non-existent "internet librarian"
> (page 1 and it continues). To me, it is like someone who is stocking
> shelves in a grocery store, and you ask them: "Where are the canned
> peanuts?" (or fingernail polish, or coca-cola, or whatever it is) and
> the person replies, "I'm sorry, that's not my department", then
> continues with their work. They ignore you and your needs, and you are
> left completely on your own. I worked in grocery stores for many years,
> and that was definitely *not* considered a satisfactory answer to give
> a
> customer! (Although it may be today, I don't know)
>
> Is the traditional attitude sustainable in the new environment? If
> something is available at a click on the web for free (e.g. a scan, a
> database, a "something") does it mean that librarians have no
> responsibility to bring their patrons' attention to it? Although in the
> past, if we referred someone to another collection, our own
> responsibility ended (as I discussed in my open letter), I believe it
> does not end once we consider the materials on the web. Yet, to include
> these materials is a huge undertaking, stretching all the way from
> selection to cataloging to catalog maintenance to reference and perhaps
> even conservation and outreach.
>
> But this is part of the new responsibilities of the librarian, if we
> want to make a difference in this "new world". Otherwise, we just keep
> doing the same old things, the same old ways....
>
> --
> 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 Mon Aug 15 2011 - 16:28:03 EDT