[Publib] Librarian Talents - Profits vs. Statistics

[Bookbitch]

I used to be a bookseller at a Borders store half a mile down the road from
my library.  I sold a lot of books to professionals, but don't see too many
at the library.  In my experience, most doctors, lawyers and business people
are buying their books at the bookstore or online.  They aren't aware of nor
do they care about any other services the library may offer.
 
When it comes to working a public service desk, both intelligence and
fitting into cultural norms are imperative.
 
Stacy Alesi
Library Name *Censored*
Boca Raton, Florida
(& MLIS student at USF)
 
I am the BookBitch 
 <http://www.bookbitch.com/> www.bookbitch.com 
Giving away almost 50 books this month, including POWER PLAY by Joseph
Finder, THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and 8
signed thrillers!
 

  _____  

From: Corner, Dean [mailto:Dean.Corner at maine.gov] 
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 10:39 AM
To: rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com; bookbitch at yahoo.com;
Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Librarian Talents - Profits vs. Statistics


Actually, it is because most doctors, lawyers and businesspeople rarely use
libraries because they either don't have the time or don't know how a
library might be useful to them and their clientele.  You may wish to state
that the cause of the latter is "organizational impotency" but, for those
libraries that spend a great deal of time reaching out to these professions,
it is more likely professional arrogance.  It runs across many professions,
it seems.
 
 
 
Dean Corner
 
Director of Reader and Information Services
Maine State Library
64 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0064
207-287-5604
207-287-5615 fax
 

  _____  

From: Robert L. Balliot [mailto:rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com] 
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 10:25 AM
To: Corner, Dean; bookbitch at yahoo.com; Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Librarian Talents - Profits vs. Statistics



Greetings Dean and Stacy,

 

Thank you both for inadvertently validating my argument.  

 

The thread started with the notion that fitting into cultural norms
outweighed intelligence

when deciding who would be hired to work in a library.  My argument was that
intelligence

is much more important and represents organizational potential.  Libraries
are knowledge

enabled organizations. 

 

Anyone who has successfully raised money, increased library budgets, 

and orchestrated building projects knows how valuable doctors, lawyers, and
business 

people are to those processes.  If they are not stepping forward, that is a
consequence of

organizational impotency.

 

 

*************************************************

Robert L. Balliot

1-401-441-5763

Skype: RBalliot

Bristol, Rhode Island

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm

*************************************************

  _____  

From: Corner, Dean [mailto:Dean.Corner at maine.gov] 
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 9:18 AM
To: bookbitch at yahoo.com; rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com;
Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Librarian Talents - Profits vs. Statistics

 

And, since when is intelligence mutually exclusive of the ability to be
personable and to exhibit genuine interest in providing something of value
to the public?

 

Being valuable and intelligent to doctors, lawyers, businesspeople should
not be geared merely to them as a library's beneficial influences. Yes, they
can be potentially helpful to a library in attesting to its assistance but
they rarely step forward to do so.  The good old masses are more valuable to
a library at budget, referenda and building/renovation times.

 

 

 

Dean Corner

 

Director of Reader and Information Services

Maine State Library

64 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333-0064

207-287-5604

207-287-5615 fax

 

 

  _____  

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Bookbitch
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 10:37 PM
To: rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com; Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Librarian Talents - Profits vs. Statistics

How did giving good customer service translate to smarmy???  I don't
understand why this is such a difficult concept.  

 

I'm not advocating staffing libraries with bubbleheads with vacant smiles.
I'm just saying some librarians & some library support staff act like they
are doing library patrons a big favor by doing their jobs.  

 

They seriously need to get over that attitude.

 

Sheesh.

 

Stacy Alesi

Library Name *Censored*

Boca Raton, Florida

(& MLIS student at USF)

 

I am the BookBitch 
www.bookbitch.com <http://www.bookbitch.com/>  
Giving away almost 50 books this month, including POWER PLAY by Joseph
Finder, THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and 8
signed thrillers!

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.webjunction.org/wjlists/publib/attachments/20070810/5874cf2b/attachment.htm