[ARSCLIST] Cataloguing still :-)--was: Cataloguing again--ARSC responsibility?

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Miller" <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006, steven c wrote:
>
> > In another decade or two, a digital catalog could include
> > a field containing the entire text of a book...a sound file containing
> > the sonic content of a phonorecord...or an image file containg one
> > or more views of a work of art such as a painting or phonograph!
>
> How about now...Google, iTunes, etc. but unfortunately, not libraries.
>
It will be interesting to see how Google fares with their idea of
"digitize every book we can get away with and set up a search engine
therefor!" iTunes (and its ilk) create their half-vast music files by
offering compressed versions, as well as (being "pay-to-play" operations)
charging for each one downloaded. This, of course, defeats the idea of
a "public" library/system...but may be forced on those by authors and
other creators, and/or copyright law changes. Remember. this is the
XXI Jahrhundert...and money isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing!

> > One hopes future librarians will be thoroughly conversant with
> > digital technology...!
>
> I don't see that happening. Libraries don't have salary structures which
> can provide competitive salaries to attract those with highly marketable
> technical skills.
See above...
> Also, as long as they continue to subject themselves to
> outdated, unnecessarily labor intensive operational modalities, they will
> never have the opportunity to substantively restructure their resources.
> When they do "innovate," they seem to act on the "being forced into it"
> mind set. To cope seems to be the motivation...innovation seems to be
> beyond their comprehension.
>
> The old model of information management required almost an obsessive
> compulsive mind set...which is not a personality type known for
> innovation.
>
Very true! Everything from the "Silence" signs (and the standard stereotype
of librarians "Shh-h-h"ing clients) to the idea of rows of books all neatly
in order according to their assigned call numbers suggests that. In fact,
I've often wondered if many librarians wouldn't be much happier if no one
ever actually USED their books...!

> I don't believe libraries will disappear, heaven help us if they did, but
> I do believe their relative role in society will continue to diminish in
> importance...and most of that being the result of their own doing...or
> lack of doing.
>
To me, that's a tough call! The ready avaiability of "net" information (and,
sadly, "information," with no easy way of distinguishing betweeen the
two!) has usurped much of the function of public libraries. It's also
very possible that the greed of the creators of works could be the
final "nail in the coffin" of such institutions. However, libraries
at educational institutions will continue to exist...and, in fact,
be necessary...as long as research and writing skills remain part
of the curriculum (which, it seems to me, they must!). Further, those
libaries that choose to specialize in one particular area of information
(i.e. Bowling Green State U. for US Popular Culture, as well as other
noted schools for historic studies and documents), and thus provide one
place where this area can be accessed, will probably continue to
function. However, "Joe Gabroni" (my mythical everyman) will more and
more think he can get all the information he needs via his TV set
and his web browser (fortunately, both require at least SOME literacy,
so that will continue to be a necessity!) so why should he pay taxes
to support a library he never sets foot in?

Of course, all this assumes that any of the current wars...or our
ecological depredations on the planet, or both...won't render good
ol' Earth uninhabitable (except for my standard "radioactive mutant
cockroaches" :-) )...

Steven C. Barr
(Who, in spite of being obsessive-compulsive, probably due to
Asperger's Syndrome, will still accept innovation if it makes
something viewed as important significantly easier...like replacing
3x5 cards with digital databases...)