DIY Librarian

Libraries have been debating what to call the people who use them for some time now — patrons? customers? users? See, for example, my post on retail reference from 2006.

Now, it appears the customer model is being advocated in higher education. In a letter to the editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Bill Sams of Ohio University argues that students should behave more like customers, demanding value for their tuition dollars.

Students give little thought to paying $2,000 each to sleep through courses for which they are forced to sit for hours at a time in hard seats in auditoriums jammed with other students. Customers would instead download free podcasts from iTunes U and—curled up in their own warm beds with their iPods and earbuds—listen comfortably as the same material was presented by top faculty members from MIT, Harvard, or Stanford.

Really? The classroom experience is worthless and we’d get better value from a recorded lecture?

A second letter by Michael Armstrong offers a rebuttal:

A good student is not someone to whom something is done (teaching), but rather someone who does something for themselves (learning).

I’m beginning to think there is a reason we developed these specific terms (library, patron, teacher, student). Sure, “customer” implies a certain level of power and input. A customer can take his money elsewhere if he is not happy. However, a business is only invested in a customer as long as that customer is paying. Don’t we expect a more multidimensional relationship between a teacher and student, librarian and patron, or doctor and patient?

I recently wrote a blog post for the SLA Social Science Division about “loyalty strategist” James Kane. His ideas about the relationships between organizations and the people they serve are relevant to this discussion — especially the idea that customer satisfaction is only a base from which to build loyalty.

A couple years ago, I wrote about infiltrating a tech conference. I did it again today, this time attending my college’s IT conference. I was a bit nervous about it, since everyone else in the room was classed as an IT professional while my job is in the library group (but not in the library – go figure).

Partway through his opening remarks, our university CIO was addressing a problem and said, “We need a librarian in the room. You wouldn’t believe how badly we need librarians right now.” (Little did he know there was a librarian sitting right in the middle of the room!)

This is just one anecdote, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard an IT professional say they need a librarian to work with them. It reinforced my belief that “the L-word” has a lot of value and meaning and was very timely considering the proposed SLA name change (which I wrote about yesterday).

Later, I mentioned the SLA name debate to one of our system administrators who also happens to have a library degree. He said he didn’t like the idea of dropping the L-word from the name, and that he specifically wanted library training to complement his IT training.

SLA may be changing its name, depending on the outcome of a vote currently underway. The proposed new name is Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals.

Since the proposed announcement, Twitter and other outlets have been buzzing with reactions and discussion.

In the midst of all this, I was catching up on some back reading and read an article about the One Book, One Community in Library Journal. I happened to notice that the author works for “a firm specializing in strategic communications for knowledge organizations” – and thought, I have no idea what that means. It just sounds like a bunch of buzzwords mixed together to me. Now why would I want to belong to an association whose name sounds like a bunch of buzzwords to me?

Anne Barker has posted her “lengthy thoughts” at her blog. Like me, she was in favor of the proposed name change in 2003 but doesn’t like the current proposed name. While I don’t agree with her on everything, I think she makes a lot of good points. (As of her last post, Anne had not yet decided which way she would vote. Kendra Levine, Dan Cherubin, and David Shumaker, three librarians with very different experiences, wrote thoughtful posts explaining their “no” votes.)

I don’t have a traditional library job. My working job title, which I did not choose, is “Information Core Director.” When people ask what that means, I explain that I am a librarian. It means something to people, and explains the kind of work I do.

I’m not against a name change, but I’m holding out for one that feels right to me.

Pennsylvania, my home state for the last 9 years, has been without a budget for 75 days. The crisis has affected pay for state employees and threatened or shut down many recipients of state funding. The latest potential victim is the Free Library of Philadelphia, which will close on Oct. 2 if a budget is not passed.

Blogging at Inside Higher Ed, librarian Mary George observes that the library can be difficult for new college students to find.

No, not the big hulking building on campus. The library web site, where students can find all those great online resources that eliminate the need to go to the physical library.

I recently scrutinized the home pages of fifty colleges and universities, all rated highly by U.S. News for their undergraduate programs. A dozen of the Web sites I examined do not have the L word in evidence, and some that do effectively hide it because you need to scroll or squint to find it.

I looked at the web site for the university where I work. There is a link right in the main menu for libraries. Then I looked at the home page for the research center where I manage the library. Yup, a link to the library right on the main page. Phew!

This morning Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania’s Republican-turned-Democrat Senator, hosted a town hall meeting on healthcare at the campus where I work. I read about it in the local newspaper over my morning coffee. Later in the morning, I wondered how many people showed up for the meeting and whether the discourse was civil. The meeting was barely over and yet the newspaper already had a story about it – and I can expect a more thorough story in the morning. This kind of coverage was not readily available anywhere else.

The U.S. Newspaper Industry in Transition, a Congressional Research Service report, outlines the rise and fall of the newspaper industry and its future prospects, and investigates the effects of government assistance to the industry. [via Docuticker]

It is clear that the news industry is in a state of change, and that the current model is not the future model. I don’t know whether the government should intervene to help – having government help its own watchdog is problematic – but I do hope that citizens take notice. If the newspapers disappear, where will you get your local news from?

Six months ago, I tentatively signed up for a Twitter account and started posting a few things. I figured I’d use it occasionally during conferences but that would be it.

Well. This blog has been silent for nearly two months, and I think Twitter is at least partly to blame. I keeping posting to Twitter about things I’d like to write blog posts about later … and then I just never seem to get to the blog posts. I’m also not reading as many other blogs – but I am reading a lot of librarians’ posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Rather than get all apologetic, I decided to add a Twitter widget to my blog sidebar. I do intend to continue writing somewhat longer commentary on this blog, but the reality is that most of my current chatter is on Twitter – so please do follow me there.

My grandmother sent me an article from her local newspaper (the Plattsburgh Press-Republican) about the New York Public Library.

The article, in the travel section, begins:

New York City certainly isn’t the place to prove that the best things in life are free.

But one important resource there never levies any charges.

And it turns out to be a great tourist stop, too.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the article doesn’t just tout the library as a thrifty tourist stop, but goes into detail about why the library is an interesting place to visit – and puts in a plug for visiting your local library, too:

The library in New York City merits a stop next time you’re in the Big Apple. But remember, the one in your own home community is worth a stop anytime.

I don’t know if my grandmother knows this, but the first place my husband and I went on our honeymoon was the Enoch Pratt Free Library! And last year my mom and I had a great time exploring the Boston Public Library, with a nice lunch in their cafe.

This is so over-the-top I almost wonder if Kanye is putting us on.

The rapper, who recently co-wrote a 52-page book of “thoughts and theories,” said he is a “proud non-reader” and “would never want a book’s autograph.” (Read more in the Reuters article.)

I’m not normally one to get all worked up about the fact that kids today aren’t reading as much as previous generations (and I’m not entirely convinced about that) but Kanye’s statements got me a little worked up. They remind me of all the kids in middle school who took pride in being stupid and made me ashamed of being “smart.”

Fortunately, Cake Wrecks has come to my rescue with a fabulous collection of book-related cakes.

Mmm, cake. Cake wins, no question. It always does, unless it goes up against pie, and then pie wins.

I really hope the printed newspaper sticks around. But if it doesn’t, here’s a new use for the empty newspaper boxes that may soon line our city streets.