Visionary bingo

Our institution is a little angsty over a perceived lack of respect about its reputation as a research university. Today the librarians got to listen to a university administrator explain how we just need to “get on board” with his ideas about synergy and strategic thinking. Unfortunately for my faculty his ideas don’t really seem to include them unless they too “get on board” with his admittedly fresh take on research initiatives. Earlier this week I sat in the same room with my faculty where they heard from this same individual. I am not sure after his presentation if they are planning on “getting on board.”

Whenever I am in a meeting with administrators I almost want to keep track of the number of times phrases like “thinking outside the box” and “faculty driven” are used and create a bingo card. This particular individual comes from a science background and I am not sure if he can truly understand what drives the humanities and social sciences to innovate. There were plenty of times that I saw eyes rolling when he referred to increasing investment from industry and federal agencies like the Department of Defense.

It will be interesting to see how much buy-in from faculty results from these introductory sessions. I hope for his sake he finds someone who can translate his worthy ideas for those groups who traditionally rake in fewer research dollars. I am not positive but I am pretty sure that these weren’t the type of synergies he is looking for. However, he may need one or both before the process is over.

Fetishizing Technology

Way back in the dark realm of time (grad school) I wrote a paper about technology and globalization and in the paper I discussed how in some ways technology can increase the information gap. Today, instead of the “Digital Divide” we have an environment where libraries are trying to plan services around tools like MP3 players and developing online tutorials. When did technology become the reasoning rather than the tool?

Are we assuming that our users want/need these things or are we assuming that they do? Have we made traditional or in person reference and instruction services irrelevant? I have had graduate students brag that they don’t have to set foot in the library to do their research. This argument is problematic when you realize that many of this field’s journals (like many social sciences) are not available electronically and that almost all of the books in this area are print only.

When I was in grad school circa 2000 we kept hearing about how print books were going to be replaced by ebooks that would be viewed on tablets. That technology has already become obsolete in many cases with digital audio books being made available to patrons in many public libraries.

Whenever I pull out my old school film camera at events people gawk at it incredulously and ask “don’t you have a digital camera?” The answer is no and here is why. I borrowed a digital camera for my recent trip to Cambodia but I also used my film camera. Interestingly I found that many of the pictures taken with my borrowed digital camera did have the same quality of composition that my print camera pictures did. I didn’t take as much time composing the picture or thinking about framing the central image. It was easy to delete pictures that I didn’t want and the only limit was the amount of space on the memory disk.

I believe that our library users treat information the same way as I treated my digital images. Just collect as much as possible and sort out what to keep later and our increasingly electronic library collections facilitate this mindset. I still remember the astonishment passing over a student’s face when after finding several possible articles in a database, I explained that they now had to read the articles to determine their usefulness. The electronic environment makes it harder for students to see the whole picture.

“Over-housed?”

There was an article in the Calgary Herald today about a fund that was created to help renters with some rather drastic rent increases in the city of Calgary, Canada. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Calgary it is to Canada what Houston is to the United States, the oil capital. Most major oil companies have their Canadian head offices in Calgary. The price of oil has caused the economy to boom as it did once before in the early 1980’s. This has resulted in increased demand for fewer resources including housing.

The provincial government has refused to impose rent controls while some landlords are doubling rents in some locations. The story focussed on the the fact that the fund was going to be used up months earlier than expected and the minister responsible was going to ask for the fund to be topped up. The fund appears to not be particularly helpful to those most in need.

An elderly couple had applied and were granted a $80/month rent subsidy. When asked why the amount was so low a government official suggested that the couple received less due to being “over-housed” in his words. Meaning that as a couple they should be living in a one bedroom apartment rather than their luxurious two bedroom duplex. When the government refuses to sufficiently help seniors who have paid into the system their entire lives, it leaves a noxious taste in my mouth.

Judging by the fact that the fund was created to “keep people in their homes” and it isn’t doing so in any meaningful way shows how hypocrisy riddles the current provincial government.

Why I am proud of my profession

Even though I get frustrated with my professional association I never doubt that this a worthwhile profession.

“Resolution on the Use and Abuse of National Security Letters”

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/nationalsecurityletters.htm
RESOLVED, That the American Library Association condemns the use of National Security Letters to obtain library records; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the American Library Association urges Congress to pursue legislative reforms in order to provide adequate protection for each library user’s Constitutional right to be free from unwarranted and unjustified government surveillance, including:
* Judicial oversight of National Security Letters (NSLs) requiring a showing of individualized suspicion and demonstrating a factual connection between the individual whose records are sought by the FBI and an actual investigation;

Elimination of the automatic and permanent imposition of a nondisclosure or “gag” order whenever an NSL is served on an individual or institution;
* Allowing recipients of NSLs to receive meaningful judicial review of a challenge to their NSL without deferring to the government’s claims;
* Increased oversight by Congress and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice over NSLs and FBI activities that implicate the First Amendment; and
* Providing for the management, handling, dissemination and destruction of personally identifiable information obtained through NSLs; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the ALA communicates this resolution to the Offices of the President and Vice President, Congress, ALA members, and state chapters; and that ALA urges its members, state chapters, and all library advocates to ask Congress to restore civil liberties and correct the abuse and misuse of National Security Letters.

Adopted unanimously by the Council of the American Library Association

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Washington, D.C.

Chchchchanges

In the space of a few days I have lost the woman I supervise and a good friend to teaching positions.  Both of them will be amazing teachers and I have no doubt that their students will benefit from their experience and their enthusiasm.  I on the other hand face a dwindling number of colleagues that started with me or before me. 

It just speaks to the dynamic nature of academic libraries that staff overturn is a consistent presence.  When I started here in Houston my first instinct was to look for kindred spirits and I did find them.  However, it is becoming harder to invest as much energy in professional relationships as I had when I started.  I just returned from a professional conference where I not only ran into former colleagues but also former students.  I guess it is a measure of my class that students still act as ambassadors for the necessity of such a course for those comtemplating academic librarianship. 

I also ran into a former professor of mine, Hope Olson, at this same conference.  I could tell from her expression that she was running through a mental rolodex of places, names, and classes when I greeted her.  I recognize that I share the same need to retrieve the context of the relationship when people approach me.  She was very gracious and during our two block conversation she shared family news and asked about my current job.  I hope in thirty years that I will be as kind when approached by a former student.

I have made a decision about my next professional goal.  I am planning on focussing my efforts on obtaining my doctorate but still haven’t decided on the where, when, and how of the process.  I made this announcement to a colleague who understood but I also understood her wistful expression as finding people that you can speak to frankly and openly is becoming a rarity.