[Publib] (no subject)

[Robert Balliot]

For many years, countless librarians worked and developed the Dewey Decimal
Classification
System.  It is now 'owned' by a vendor that, as far as I can tell is not
Melville Dewey's heir.

For many years, countless librarians created original cataloging records.
Those records are
now 'owned' by a vendor.  When I created original cataloging records, it was
with the expectation
that it was for the collective good, not for the benefit of a vendor. When
my father created
original cataloging records before me, it was with the same expectation.

The original posts were not about Karen or Sarah, they were about the
functionality of a
listserve that is now 'owned' by a vendor and how to make it work
properly.  The counterpoint presented
was that the service is 'free' and therefore beyond reproach.

The reality is the service, as a marketing tool, has value to the
'owner'. It is not 'free'.  Simple economics.
Vetted marketing lists are sold for tens of thousands of dollars and more.
Will everything
said on the list become the property of a vendor?   Who knows?  However, the
contrived
manipulation to make this about the 'sainthood' of the list monitors is
certainly a great distraction.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com



On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Thomas J. Hennen Jr. <
thennen at haplr-index.com> wrote:

>  Full disclosure: in my day job I am a librarian.  I am also a library
> vendor.
>
>
>
> I will soon (in fact tomorrow) use this list to publicize my latest vendor
> activity: haplr-index.com.
>
>
>
> Back in 1997, I started to post things on PUBLIB.  For a long while I wrote
> as datcalmguy, an affectation I both embrace and reject.
>
>
>
> Further full disclosure: I stopped posting to PUBLIB because I could no
> longer tolerate the endless repetitions that flow from its subscriber’s
> unwillingness to edit their posts in such a way as to keep me from reading
> endless repetitions of the posts of others.
>
>
>
> Somewhere along the way, Karen asked me (and Michael Golrick among others)
> to help move PUBLIB from the Sunsite to the WebJunction site.  I agreed.
>
>
>
> We had a number of e-mail discussions and then met at an ALA conference to
> seal the deal.  It happened and we did it.  We transferred PUBLIB to
> different server.  No harm, no foul.  Though we went over to what some might
> have thought the dark side – a vendor, the PUBLIB conversation continued,
> thankfully.
>
>
>
> Karen went from public librarian to Internet Librarian (twice over with CA
> and American Libraries) to Public Library Floridian to Open Sourcier.  Sarah
> stayed in place and provided context and reference to the list.  A bit of
> the Narcissus and Goldmund doncha know?
>
>
>
> Throughout my time as a regular contributor (as Datcalmguy) and as my time
> as a regular reader, I have watched both Sarah and Karen go about their
> duties as list administrators with growing admiration.
>
>
>
> They have tried to get people to keep their responses to the task at hand
> without repeating what has already been said - again and again.  With each
> foray they have succeeded, only to see a new set (or generation) of
> backsliders go there yet again and again...  They do so with such grace,
> patience, and good will that they should be declared library saints (vendor
> or the rest of us).  I, for one, will, and do, nominate them so.
>
>
>
> The Vendors and librarians should be friends…
>
>
>
> Tom, still and of another time, datcalmguy
>
>
>
> Haplr-index.com
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Hennen Jr.
>
> 6014 Spring Street
>
> Racine, WI   53406
>
> Voice: 262-886-1625
>
> e-mail: thennen at haplr-index.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Publib mailing list
> Publib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib
>
>
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