[Publib] Questions not asked or Casey Controversy

[James Casey]

It is not the first time that my name has been linked with "controversy"
and I'm sure that it will produce more than a few "hits" along the way
via a Google search -- not just Robert's posting and my own reply.  One
of the Google results will probably link my name with such words as
PLAYBOY and censorship and pornography --- as my Board accepted my
recommendation not to remove that title from our collection at the
behest of a local challenge.  Not only was my name mentioned in
newspapers across the country, but has been featured in some of the web
sites and blogs of the "Religious Right" seeking to ban various titles
from Library collections.  --- Whether the statements made by these
sources are "true" or "valid" is a matter that a prospective employer
may wish to investigate and apply to a list of questions in the
interview process.  If they don't want anyone who has ever taken a stand
or held an opinion about an issue, then I suspect that they wouldn't
want to consider my application seriously and I wouldn't want them to
discover the fact after I had arrived to take over the job.  At any
rate, someone who aspires to highest levels of responsibility shouldn't
expect to be anonymous and lead an unremarkable career.

I will say that screening done by one of our local Universities seeking
high level appointments --- Deans, Provosts, etc. --- employed expensive
search firms, legally correct search methods at every step and a search
committee made up of faculty (including academic librarians).  Google
searches were used routinely as part of the screening process both
before and after interviews. If it is done for publicly funded
Universities, why not public libraries?  If Google searches are not
perfect, what facet of interpersonal interaction in the selection and
hiring process is completely devoid of the subjective element and
totally inoculated from misinformation?

James B. Casey  --- My own views.
Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
ALA Council Member





-----Original Message-----
From: Robert L. Balliot [mailto:rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 1:45 PM
To: James Casey; 'Sam'; 'Pub Lib'
Subject: RE: [Publib] Questions not asked or Casey Controversy

Greetings,

James B. Casey , your proposed human resource review method seems highly
controversial .

Although you can find information on Google , it is based on a search
algorithm and affected by paid key words. One is determined by machine,
the
other by money Mr. Jim Casey .

Librarians are supposed to consider authority, accuracy, currency,
content,
bias, and coverage. It is very easy to do a "Google" search and rely on
a
plethora of results, but it certainly does not determine the truth or
validate the nature of controversy . You can be sure, however, that the
results are affected by money and key words, such as controversy . 

James B. Casey , as a result of this controversial method and as a
result of
this posting, your name will, ironically, will appear at the center of
what
appears to be a controversy in a "Google" search .  Will you apply for
a job and a review of your name yield controversy in the future?  Should
the unqualified results of a Google search be consider? 

A Google image search could also be used to discriminate based on race
and body image, Mr. Casey . 

When I taught Internet searching in the 90's, it was always prefaced
with the understanding that the results can be extremely biased. I
hope that most librarians continue to use their skills when conducting
research.

*************************************************
Robert L. Balliot
1-401-441-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
*************************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of James Casey
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 11:19 AM
To: Sam; Pub Lib
Subject: RE: [Publib] Questions not asked

For higher level executive positions (Director, Department Head, etc.),
particularly when the candidate may be from another state, it is often
essential to do a "Google" search to learn about what issues may have
arisen in past or current jobs that may not come up during the interview
process.  If a director candidate may have been at the center of some
controversy, been dismissed or faced charges for misconduct, this kind
of information sometimes comes up in the electronic media or in out of
state papers.  Again, bad press doesn't automatically mean that the
candidate should be disqualified from consideration, but you don't want
to be "surprised" after the new person is hired or on board.  

James B. Casey --- My own views
Director -- Oak Lawn Public Library
ALA Council Member