Packard Bell Ad (fwd)

[Della Matthis <dellam@MUSKOX.ALASKA.EDU>]

This message came from the director of the public library in Fairbanks,
and I remembered a few comments we had on the same subject. Thought you
might be interested (even if it does require snail-mail; can you imagine
the president of Packard Bell with no e-mail address given?).

Della Matthis, School Library Coordinator
Alaska State Library, Anchorage, Alaska


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 17:11:56 -0900 (AST)
From: Greg Hill <gregh1@muskox.alaska.edu>
To: Public Library Directors' Group <DirLead-L@galileo.uafadm.alaska.edu>
Subject: Packard Bell Ad

Hey, Y'all:
        Did anyone catch the Packard Bell computer ad last weekend that
showed an incredibly Gothic cityscape, all browns, grays, and blacks,
zoomed into a claustraphobic, poorlit room with huddled, fearful people
turning heavy (almost leaden) pages with a noisy rasp as a limitless line
of librarians marched by in crimson (the only bright color shown at this
point) red floor-length gowns.  These had shaved, pale heads with "quiet"
tattooed on their faces and they shushed all and sundry as they marched
through.  The announcer said something to the effect that "you can have
this" meaning the library from Hell, "or this" and the scene shsifts to a
cozy, sun-drenched cottage surrounded by blue skies and flowers in
abundance, zooms into the cottage where a happy camper is pulling up
stuff from the internet on their home computer.
        Perhaps I'm paranoid, or hyper sensitive, but I can't help
feeling this does the image of public libraries no good, especially when
you take into consideration the relative ignorance of those holding the
purse strings in differentiating the myth of the virtual library from the
reality we all know.
        I urge each of you to write a brief letter of rage to
                Mr. Beny (one "n" is correct) Alagem, Pres. & CEO
                Packard Bell
                1 Packard Bell Way
                Sacramento, CA 95828

        When I called PB I was told that they had just started this new
campaign (God only knows what else they plan to spring on us) and that
"it's not a good idea to bother the president of the company with this."
Saying the lattter sprang loose the same instincts in me that I presume
the hungrier sharks experience in the presence of blood.  Whatever it
takes, we can't let this go uncontested!

Greg (aka Mr. Indignant) Hill