[WEB4LIB] Ranganathan Thread - what computers do for the libr ary

[Masters, Gary E]

This is interesting since I see the value added by computers (and the
Internet) to be that to shift us from "just in case" to "just in time."
I can envision a library that has a use for every item that is purchased.
The packers used to say that they used every bit but the squeal. (sorry.)And
never buys anything that will not be used.  Access over acquisition.  In
addition, with electronic journals, we will know who is read and used and
who is not.  That could even drive a new model for publication of article
size writing.  

In the past, so many of our bound journals were not used in six months or
even a year.  (This was when I was at North Texas.)  

Everything has to be some place.  But why every place?

And the library (of the future?) might spend more time entering local
information into the web and providing it to those who need it when they
need it.  

Regards,

Gary

Gary E. Masters
Librarian (Systems)
CDRH - FDA
(301) 827-6893 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Jerry_Stephens at ca10.uscourts.gov
[SMTP:Jerry_Stephens at ca10.uscourts.gov]
	Sent:	Thursday, August 10, 2000 11:31 AM
	To:	Multiple recipients of list
	Subject:	[WEB4LIB] Ranganathan Thread

	     The Ranganathan laws discussion seemed to be promising at
first. Then 
	     Pareto and Sturgeon popped in. That brought Weiner' Law of
Libraries 
	     to my own mind: "There are no answers, only cross references."
	     
	     But Jo Anne Ellis raised an important issue in her recent
posting. In 
	     that letter, she noted that she has a copy of Ranganathan's
laws in 
	     her office. She discusses these laws with her students. But,
she goes 
	     on to ask "who doesn't like using libraries ...."
	     
	     There's an article in today's "New York Times" that addresses
student 
	     use of libraries. The article tells us that many students
prefer the 
	     Web to the library and its seemingly overly-traditional ways.
The 
	     subheading puts it succinctly: "Many students prefer the chaos
of the 
	     Web to the drudgery of the library, but educators warn that
study 
	     habits are suffering."
	     
	     Perhaps our discussion can get back to Ranganathan, and we can
then 
	     ask whether his laws -- even when stated in the print context
-- are 
	     truly that relevant to today's information seekers. 
	     
	     Are there implications for the ways we acquire and organize our

	     information resources. If Pareto's right, then 20% of what we
get is 
	     actually used, and 80% sits gathering dust. That dust may even
be only 
	     metaphoric if we identify electronic resources that aren't
used. 
	     Perhaps Sturgeon's right that 90% of what we have is crud.
	     
	     Ranganathan says that "books are for use." What happens if a
book 
	     isn't used? Is the information in that book lost? Or, is the
lack of 
	     use conceptually similar to the internet site that is never
found 
	     because the search engines fail to index or identify the site? 
	     
	     It seems that we define our libraries in terms of "just in
case." We 
	     acquire materials "just in case" it might be needed, or even
used, by 
	     someone. Perhaps we ought to define our libraries in terms of
"just in 
	     time." Can we adopt the manufacturing concept that we acquire
our 
	     basic resources -- here information resources rather than 
	     manufacturing raw materials -- that can be used when they are
needed.
	     
	     
	     But, maybe Weiner is right on point. The value of libraries may
be 
	     less in having the "correct" answer than in having useful ways
to 
	     cross reference the many answers that appear. 
	     
	     Maybe this is where Ranganath can be rewritten to be a little
more 
	     modern. Perhaps his fifth law -- "a library is a growing
organism" -- 
	     ought to be the first law. Then the library becomes to the
information 
	     world conceptually somewhat like the First Amendment is to the
U.S. 
	     Constitution: one of the bedrock principles that defines our 
	     relationship with everything else.
	     
	     Jerry Stephens
	     U.S. Court of Appeals
	     Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
	     
	     email:     jerry_stephens at ca10.uscourts.gov
	     voice:     405-231-4967
	     fax:       405-231-5921