[Publib] Pull Plug on Libraries?

[Su Epstein]

Nauseating.  Though not surprising.  I find Librarians 'give away the ship'
all the time.  They downplay their roles; they opt for "polite" rather than
"assertive" and in effect say nothing.  They explain and justify themselves
when they should 'just say no!' and they give their power away every day.
How?  They let the noisy patron disturb others, they kill themselves to do
the impossible, they cover costs from their own pocket, they let publishers
and vendors dictate their abilities.  

 

I've been told by my ILS vendor that if I want to use certain functions of
the program I pay them for, I must use certain supplies (labels for example)
and certain parameters (fonts, styles, formats etc) and that THAT is simply
the way it is.  When I protested, one other librarian vocalized agreement.
Apparently the others simply buy what the vendor tells them to, or accept
the massive amount of additional work while continuing to pay for an
un-functional program.   

 

And then we are surprised when articles like this appear. 

 

I hope many people including those reading this here - will register with
this site, and login their disapproval.

Su

 

Su Epstein, Ph.D.

Library Director

Saxton B. Little Free Library

Columbia, CT 06237

  _____  

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Bonnie Tollefson
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 8:01 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Pull Plug on Libraries?

 

I got indigestion when I read this opinion piece in the Gainesville

Sun at breakfast yesterday.  I only live in Gainesville -- not work 

there.  But this kind of thinking could spread.

 

http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080303/OPINION03/803030303

 

Bonnie Tollefson

Levy County Public Library System
 

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