[Web4lib] "Has Google 'used' librarians" in the Chronicle

[Dan Lester]

For many years I've been puzzled by the way most Americans (and maybe
others) think that "anything bad that happens (or that I think is
bad)" is "all about me".  Whatever Google does, or doesn't do, outside
of any possible contractual or legal violations with individual
entities, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with any of our libraries.

It is NOT Google "out to get us" or "out to take over the world" or
"out to screw all the poor librarians" or anything like that.  Google
is in business, operating legally (until or unless someone can prove
otherwise in a court of law), and doing what is in the best interests
of the corporation and the stockholders.

Remember, we live in a capitalist society.  Any organization, whether
a corporation or a library, will only survive as long as it is doing
what is necessary to survive.  Most of us learned those things in
Sociology 101 (or Business 101, or both).

Folks, if you want to keep your libraries surviving, whether in their
present guise or some future one (and I'm one of many who suggests
that the current one will NOT survive), then quitcherbitchin about
Google and do some things to get your libraries into the 21st century.
Yes, some of you are, and that's great.  But whining about nothing is
hardly the way to make progress.

dan


Thursday, July 10, 2008, 2:28:30 PM, you wrote:

> I'm not sure what that means=97have they also played publishers for
> chumps or are they just changing how they reach out to people? But I
> think it's a significant fact to put alongside the ALA fact.



--=20
The road goes on forever and the party never ends. REK, Jr.=20
Dan Lester, Boise, ID =20