Um, yeah.  I gotta side with Brooke's point here about our tendency to
forget about the smaller, especially rural, libraries. And I would extend
it to include special libraries, which are usually also smaller with less
resources.

Carol

Carol Bean
[log in to unmask]

On Tue, Mar 22, 2016 at 6:22 AM, BWS Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Salvete!
>
> *lights match, positions gin based cocktail, and preps for incoming hate
> mail*
>
>
>
>      With all due respect Mr. Morgan, I wholeheartedly disagree.
>
>      Most Public Libraries are Rural Public Libraries. [IMLS 2013] Most
> Academics are also small by FTE enrolment [ies of NCES 2012] So "we are the
> little folk we". We might not actually have different fancy pants
> departments. I will cede the gentleman his perception amongst those
> Academic Ivory Behemoths that possess battleship turning or are eligible
> for ASERL membership.
>
>      I would also further venture that anecdotally, folks in settings
> similar to the ones I've chosen are less likely to have a Master's degree
> period, much less a Master's degree from a prestigious Institution.
> (Please, not in the face! I hate the paper standard, but it is there.) This
> lack of paper could well lead to someone being made to feel inferior. How
> many times have we heard in passing that so and so is not a "real"
> Librarian since they do not possess their $50k+ piece of paper?
>
> Your most humble and obedient servant,
> Brooke
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Eric Lease Morgan <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 6:54 AM
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] reearch project about feeling stupid in
> professional communication
> >
> > In my humble opinion, what we have here is a failure to communicate. [1]
> >
> > Libraries, especially larger libraries, are increasingly made up of many
> > different departments, including but not limited to departments such as:
> > cataloging, public services, collections, preservation, archives, and
> now-a-days
> > departments of computer staff. From my point of view, these various
> departments
> > fail to see the similarities between themselves, and instead focus on
> their
> > differences. This focus on the differences is amplified by the use of
> dissimilar
> > vocabularies and subdiscipline-specific jargon. This use of dissimilar
> > vocabularies causes a communications gap and left unresolved ultimately
> creates
> > animosity between groups. I believe this is especially true between the
> more
> > traditional library departments and the computer staff. This
> communications gap
> > is an impediment to when it comes to achieving the goals of
> librarianship, and
> > any library — whether it be big or small — needs to address these issues
> lest it
> > wastes both its time and money.
> >
> > For example, the definitions of things like MARC, databases & indexes,
> > collections, and services are not shared across (especially larger)
> library
> > departments.
> >
> > What is the solution to these problems? In my opinion, there are many
> > possibilities, but the solution ultimately rests with individuals
> willing to
> > take the time to learn from their co-workers. It rests in the ability to
> respect
> > — not merely tolerate — another point of view. It requires time,
> listening,
> > discussion, reflection, and repetition. It requires getting to know
> other people
> > on a personal level. It requires learning what others like and dislike.
> It
> > requires comparing & contrasting points of view. It demands “walking a
> mile
> > in the other person’s shoes”, and can be accomplished by things such as
> the
> > physical intermingling of departments, cross-training, and simply by
> going to
> > coffee on a regular basis.
> >
> > Again, all of us working in libraries have more similarities than
> differences.
> > Learn to appreciate the similarities, and the differences will become
> > insignificant. The consequence will be a more holistic set of library
> > collections and services.
> >
> > [1] I have elaborated on these ideas in a blog posting -
> http://bit.ly/1LDpXkc
> >
> > —
> > Eric Lease Morgan
> >
>