----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Dear Keenan the Cartographer, Sounds like a movie title, huh. You did not answer the original query, you flamed a whole category of professionals--map librarians. So, as one who flamed all of us as a class, don't be surprised to get flamed back as a result. I must say, the two answers to your flame which I saw on the net were courteous, gentlemanly, well-considered and professional. Perhaps the private responses were less so... I challenge you to name ONE member of "your [our] profession" who has gone into the consulting businesses geared toward cartography. And what is the harm in that? People change jobs all the time. People all over the U.S. have second and third jobs trying to survive in this economy. Librarians aren't allowed to? As a class of people? And librarians aren't allowed to abuse student help by paying them low wages? Why not? Every one else does? Why do we have to pay more? Geez. Lighten up, do good work, e.g., good cartography, and the customers will come to you. If you don't, they won't. Don't blame your friendly local professional map librarian. Alice Hudson Map Division, NYPL ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: Re: GIS & levels of service Author: Larry Keenan <[log in to unmask]> at Internet Date: 2/7/96 12:31 PM ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- . I should have never responded to your request for information, in that I realize that I have just walked into a hornets nest consisting of flamers. However, I can tell you that there are many people of your profession that have gone into consulting businesses that are geared toward the cartographic world. They use university students, hardware, software and facilities to house their businesses. Additionally, if they pay their students it is at minimum. Most of the times their students are contract. You might want to ask yourself, the next time you are asked to provide an inordinate amount of information about a subject, how the information is going to be used. My first message attempted to convey the thought that the end users of "maps" are getting conflicting information from people who have not done their homework.