Re: Bread & Butter

Amy Terlaga (aterlaga@www.biblio.org)
Tue, 21 Oct 1997 16:45:18 -0400 

Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 16:45:18 -0400
Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19971021205431.00878c38@www.biblio.org>
From: Amy Terlaga <aterlaga@www.biblio.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <conntech>
Subject: Re: Bread & Butter

Joe--

What exactly are you trying to say here?

That the library shouldn't offer only the Internet to its patrons?
I don't think there's a librarian out there who would say that the Internet
is the best resource for everything, not even the overly zealous ones (and
you can count me in with this bunch).

Or is your point that we should use the Internet sparingly because, hell,
it's the wave of the future, and we should at least look like we're part of it?
Not good enough, IMHO.

Or are you merely saying that librarians should treat the resources on the
Net as if they were any other reference source, i.e, learn as much as you
can as to what's out there and how to access that info so that you can
effectively do your job in an efficient manner, without wasting the time of
your patrons by flummoxing around when they come to you and say, "I've heard
that X was on the Web and I'd really like for you to help me find it."
Especially if X doesn't exist in print fomat.

Everything in moderation, right?  Trouble is, sometimes you can't reach that
level of moderation without a little surge, a little excess, a certain
zealousness right out of the starting gate, you know what I mean?

Amy

At 09:45 AM 10/21/97 -0400, cadieux@librarybook.com wrote:
>Conntechers:
>
>I spend a fair amount of time online, and the more time spent the more I
>believe that future of the library does NOT rest with the Internet or
>electronic media, particularly as online connections become more prevalent
>in schools and homes.  I also find that the Internet is a surprisingly
>personal medium--my Web bookmarks have become my own little library--and
>often best suited to private spaces.
>
>The future of the library (such that it is) will remain strongly tied to
>books, reading, and literacy.  This is not for an instant to say that the
>Internet isn't marvelous--any library without Internet access at the
>reference desk should be prosecuted--but as important as it is, the
>Internet is not our bread and butter and will never be so long as we are
>called libraries.
>
>Joe Cadieux
>Director
>Kent Memorial Library
>Suffield, CT
>
>Note:  I'm not pretending to offer earth-shattering revelations here.
>These are just a few thoughts I scratched out as I was unable to sleep last
>night.  Anyone out there with counter ideas?
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy Terlaga                           Libraries Sharing Computerized Services
Bibliomation, Inc.
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