[Web4lib] RE: [lita-l] Innovation: NYTarticleon Dewey-lessAri zona public library

[Reeder, Norm]

My memory of this concept (which goes back as far as my classmate Sue Kamm!)
goes back even farther to Charlie Robinson at Baltimore County who pioneered
the concept of give them what they want--and got a lot of flak at the time
for it!  He became director way back in 1963, and we are still debating the
issue...

Thanks
Norm

-----Original Message-----
From: John Creech [mailto:John.Creech at cwu.EDU] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 1:04 PM
To: Lin Light
Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] RE: [lita-l] Innovation: NYTarticleon
Dewey-lessArizona public library

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007, Lin Light wrote:

>  For years there has been the debate over "Give them what they want 'vs.'
> Give what we think they need". I believe this debate had a strong start in
> New Jersey in the early 1980's, don't recall the library or the direct.

As Robbie Robertson said in a song, "this is sure stirring up some ghosts 
for me."  In my first semester of library science grad studies in 1985 we 
read the article:

Rawlinson, N. (1981). Give 'em what they want. Library Journal, 106, 2188
-2190.

This may be what you're referring to.  I believe Nora Rawlinson was at a 
public library in Maryland at the time she published the article.  We new 
librarians-in-training debated the logic of her arguments.  If the public 
wants 150 copies of Danielle Steele etc., give it to them.

John Creech, Systems Librarian
Brooks Library, Central Washington University