Re: New trends in librarianship

[Shonda Brisco <cowboys@OK.AZALEA.NET>]

As a recent graduate of an MLIS program, I don't believe that we are being
encouraged to "throw out" everything because it might be online.  However, I
did have one class where we designed a library and the "old plans" called
for a periodical and newspaper storage area which our instructor allowed us
the option of adding or removing based upon our needs--would it be online or
would we hold back issues for archival purposes?

Obviously, for those of us who have searched online for professional
articles or for articles in relatively "obscure" journals, everything is not
online.  My opinion has been "old-fashioned" in the fact that I want to take
advantage of the use of online when necessary, but still instruct my
students to check print sources available in the library first.  The next
situation might include the cost of obtaining databases or subscriptions to
online services for school libraries--most libraries can't afford these
services--some are not even automated with a card catalog for students yet!

I think the solution is, of course, the library's ability to access these
materials, the budget, the needs of the patrons, and future growth and
usage.  I would hope that we are being instructed to evaluate the library's
needs rather than follow "trends"--some of which are being encouraged by
those who are not librarians and who do not see the archival aspects of
information retrieval.  (I, too, have "educated" staff who believe that
everything can be found online and actually believe what they read when they
locate the information!  I am trying to re-instruct these people that like
television, books, and newspapers, the Internet is a source of information
which should be evaluated for accuracy and authenticity.)

I would hope that we are learning how to cope with the new technology while
being smart enough to realize that once we lose information, it might
actually be lost forever.  ( I see this in my library with my braille
materials which may be produced once by special groups and are never done
again...once I lose them, they are forever lost in that format--unless I
transcribe them myself, which is highly unlikely with my schedule.)

One of my final courses in my MLIS was government documents--in which we
were required to locate the documents from online sources, databases, and
finally print!  The frustration with this was that not everything was
available and those items which were available were sometimes not exactly
the same as the print.  My concern during this class was the advancement of
technology and the speed at which we might be able to maintain the entire
government collection for access in the future--in other words, if we update
our software will we be able to access the materials at a later time from
older programs---or will we forever lose the history because of our haste to
make things more electronic?

I would also be interested in other people's comments.  (Because I did not
grow up with computers and technology--I began librarianship when we
actually typed catalog cards in class...sometimes up to 14 cards per
title!--I am more hesitant to tossing materials unless I double check the
ability to locate it online and KNOW that I have the ability to access the
archives to that information at a later time.)--by the way, this "historical
perspective" was not that long ago--I am 37 years old, but I began the LIS
program in 1984--within this time frame I have gone from typing cards and
filing them in a large wooded card catalog to using MARC records and writing
HTML for a webpage!  My, how time flies!

Please continue this discussion!  It has really shaken the cobwebs of
"summer play" from my head! :-)

Shonda Brisco
LMS
Oklahoma School for the Blind
bso@ok.azalea.net
cowboys@ok.azalea.net (home)

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