Two steps forward, three steps back

[Elena OMalley]

> I'd also like to point out that in many cases, we simply have gotten 
> what we asked for. That is, vendors will usually try to give us what we 
> want in order to sell product. The fact that we've been asking for the 
> wrong things is now coming home to roost. So while we are busy pointing 
> fingers at awful vendor products, we should also point into the mirror 
> as well.
> Roy

It goes both ways, of course. Sometimes vendors make decisions based on 
sloppiness, ignorance, personal convenience, or the previously mentioned
lack of resources. Strangely enough, occasionally librarians do the same 
thing. :) And sometimes people with the best of intentions miscommunicate 
and misunderstand each other when they have conflicting needs and desires.
And sometimes the right choices then may be the wrong choices now, and what 
people wanted yesterday isn't what they need today. And sometimes compromises 
make everyone unhappy. 

Finger-pointing can be fun for a little while, but I'd rather keep my fingers 
on the keyboard, trying to figure out how to make things work as well as they 
can for as many people as they can for as long as they can before we need to 
change everything again.

Peace,
Elena
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Elena O'Malley, Head of Library Computer and Internet Services
Emerson College Library, Boston, MA 02116