Jan, I am so glad you posted this. I was just this morning looking again at Chris Dodge’s Utne UTNE article. He says this:

“Too frequently, the trend toward standardization leads to similarly bland collections across the continent. Investors and travelers may find what they need, but where are the street newspapers, pamplhets about squatting and tenants’ rights, and the titles like Dwelling Portably about how to live out of a car? The stacks burgeon with books on how to manage businesses, but there’s far less about how to organize a union or cope with being a rank-and-file employee. Ask young people about libraries. Do they expect to find recordings by indie bands or periodicals like Maximumrocknroll, Punk Planet, Venus, or Razorcake ? … ”

When I read this, I think Chris Dodge is talking about libraries as the box store. I wonder about those teens he mentions, though, have they ever expected to find those things at the library? Do people think of the library for that unique information? It was never my expection… until I learned about libraries. Then I figured out that libraries are exactly the place to get those things.

I agree with the need for balance. The specialized items don’t have to be the primary collection. We have resource sharing. With that libraries CAN get that unique information. Through resource sharing, those young people CAN get indie recordings and periodicals and all those other “long tail” items they might want.

And without taking a side on this issue I will comment about this statement:
“We have resource sharing. With that libraries CAN get that unique information. Through resource sharing, those young people CAN get indie recordings and periodicals and all those other “long tail” items they might want.”

I LOVE resource sharing but in a world of immediate gratification (yeah, I’m also one of THOSE also) resource sharing only works occasionally. Doing serious research? Not on a tight timeline? Hunting down some genealogical fact? No worries….resource sharing is great.

But for the browser and casuel user if it’s not in view then, in essense, it doesn’t exist. Or even if they were told by their friend the library HAS it if they have to wait to get it they often walk away. So that leaves us meeting the needs of a particular type of user…you know the “serious” user. And what if the future is comprised of browsers, grazers and people with a need for NOW? How does that effect how we purchase and deploy our resources?

Okay - so I’m posting while I’m on the desk - a slow Friday afternoon - AND there isn’t spell check!! How can I possibly sound intelligent without spellcheck…sorry but it’s true I can’t spell without assistance. Read past it all and know it will probably happen again. Glenna

I also heard at meetings in branch communities that the users want the resources and materials THERE, not just available. Not to pick on that particulare location, I’ve heard that all over. And this is in libraries where there is a reliable (and timely) courier system in place, and the item could be there within a day or 2.

So what does that do to the notion of resource sharing? Echoing Glenna, I didn’t put my name on the list for the newest Harry Potter. As a matter of fact, we have 2 copies (for the 3 people in my family - guess who doesn’t get a copy? Me!!!) And I rented a copy of “Rabbit Proof Fence” because I didn’t want to wait for it to come back in. I had the time and inclination to watch it then, and wasn’t sure I would when it was available through the library.

I don’t have any solutions. Maybe time will work it out. Maybe there will be some technology that allows some sort of “print/view on demand’ that will work for libraries and their patrons. Maybe as we Boomers slow down and retire, we’ll actually be content to wait for our gratification?