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Computers, information, librarians, and you

I would like to echo and emphasis a few facts made in the story about
librarians and computers entitled "Computer wizards supplanting book
lovers at library desk" on the front page of the Monday, December 28th
issue of the _News & Observer_.

First, as the story pointed out, it is true the methods of librarianship
are changing, but essentially librarians are doing the same things we have
always been doing. Librarianship is about the retrieval, organization,
storage, dissemination, and, sometimes, evaluation of information. In the
recent past, this information primarily manifested itself in books and
magazines (journals). Presently, more and more information is being
manifested in electronic form. Therefore a knowledge of computers is
necessary in librarianship.

Second, as the story alluded, information is not free. It never has been,
nor will it ever be. Access to information, on the other hand, is intended
to be free, but it costs money too. Libraries, especially school and
public libraries, have traditionally absorbed all of these costs.
Unfortunately, these costs have risen dramatically in the past few years.
For example, the subscription rates of scholarly (peer reviewed) journals
have been rising at more than 10% every year for at least the past six or
seven years, and it is not uncommon for these journals to cost hundredUs
of dollars. For a research institution like NCSU, who necessarily
subscribes to thousands of journals, subscriptions are a formable part of
the budget. Furthermore, publishers add insults to injury by having two
rates for their publications. One rate is for libraries, and another rate
is for individuals. Additionally, as information is published in
electronic form it is not owned by the library. Rather, the information is
leased. As soon as a library drops a subscription to an electronic
resource the library must give back the computer disk the information came
on. This leaves the library high and dry with nothing to show for its
thousands of spent dollars. 

These problems are caused by a few things: copyright laws, the scholarly
communications process, and the natural monopoly the publishing industry
has on libraries.

If the public supports concepts like the The National Research and
Education Network (NREN), then there is light at the end of the tunnel,
and libraries can continue to provide the sorts of services the public
expects. The NREN represents federal legislation intended to explore the
development of a national information infrastructure. Think of it like the
national highway system where you travel to remote locations with a
computer in search of needed information. Now ask yourself if you would
want that highway system owned by a few profit-minded companies and
imagine the natural monopoly these companies would have on you. With a
state-owned electronic infrastructure in place like the NREN, it will be
possible to reduce the natural monopoly the publishing industry has on
libraries, improve access  to information, and enhance democracy. If these
issues concern you, then consider joining the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF). EFF is dedicated to the pursuit of policies and
activities that will advance freedom and openness in computer-based
communications. Call them at (617) 864-0665 or (202) 544-9237.

I believe the story "Computer wizards supplanting book lovers at [the]
library desk" was an interesting article. It was factual and, in places,
amusing. In my opinion, it  was the sort of story people like to read in
newspapers about libraries. Unfortunately it did not address some of the
critical and unpleasant issues (outlined above) facing libraries because
of  computers and the publishing industry. If these issues are not
addressed, then there will be an  immediate negative impact on libraries
and librarians. The long term effect will result in monetary and
electronic impediments to information for scholars, students, and the
general public.

Consequently, support your school, public, and academic libraries with
human and capital resources. Support their need for additional staff,
computers, and information. Would you go to a surgeon who didn't have a
scalpel or  carpenter who didn't have a hammer? How can you expect a
librarian to do their job without the necessary tools of their
profession?

Eric Lease Morgan, Systems Librarian