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Subject: MAPS-L: Academic libraries empty stacks for online centers
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005
From: Carlucci, April <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>

Hi

I'm afraid I'm a little closer to Brian's level of concern than Joel's.
There are high level discussions taking place in the library world along
the lines of "do we have to keep cataloguing to present standards as we
are now dealing with the 'Google generation' who just expect to enter a
keyword and have all the world's knowledge appear on their screen?"
There are so many things wrong with this question that it is worrying to
think that people are actually asking it! But financial pressures,
management consultants (as opposed to professional librarians), and
libraries like UT getting big press coverage make people start thinking
we can throw out the baby with the bath water. While Joel is right that
there have been major shifts in the past, the advent of the Internet is
exponentially beyond all of these. Once in a blue moon I wonder if we
wouldn't be better off pulling the plug...

April Carlucci

-----Original Message-----
From: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angie Cope, AGSL
Sent: 23 August 2005 21:43
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: MAPS-L: Academic libraries empty stacks for online centers

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Subject: MAPS-L: Academic libraries empty stacks for online centers
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005
From: Joel Kovarsky <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Joel Kovarsky <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]


One wonders if your judgement, though understandable, isn't a bit
premature and harsh. After all, paper, books, printing press, radio,
television, etc. were all major reformers in their time. And even when
reading the controversial article, there is still reference to the
physical collection moved elsewhere, hence maintenance of the concept of
book as object, not necessarily just an intellectual reference source.
There was no indication of UT dismantling special collections, etc. As
to the flood of information, well...

               Joel Kovarsky

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian P. Bach
Sent: Aug 23, 2005 3:06 PM


All,

In my opinion, this sort of pathway (indicated in the story link below)
is a perfect example of the rash decisions now being made in many
resource institutions. In witnessing such choices, one has to wonder if
a complete callousness for the future happens to result from supposedly
'practical' decisions in the present.

Question: are we going to preserve this thing we call 'civilization'
(as we know it today), or not? For some bizarre and pathetic reason, I
still cling to the concept that libraries just might possibly be
involved in establishing and sustaining a semblance of stability and
sanity, particularly in a world which, as evidence every day
demonstrates, happens to be at a crossroads.

Non-cynically (honest!) yours,

Brian

Brian P. Bach
Documents/Maps
Brooks Library
Central Washington University
400 E. University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7548
USA
[log in to unmask]


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