Role of Librarians

[Harry_M_Kriz at vt.edu]

At 10:28 AM 10/18/95 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Before television came on the scene, there was this thing 
>called radio that gave only words but not pictures.  As soon as 
>television came along, everyone stopped listening to radio, radio 
>stations all went out of business, and everyone working in radio had to 
>get jobs in other fields.  In much the same way, the Internet means the 
>end of libraries and everyone working in them.

I appreciate the analogy, and I understand the sarcasm.

However, while a lot of people made a good living in radio before TV, very
few people can make a living in radio now. The money and talent went to TV.
That's where the action is. Radio stations that still have a staff are now
frequently operated with canned packages mounted by low paid technicians.

Will libraries end up being staffed by low paid clerks who provide change
for the coin-op Internet terminals?

Librarians need to remember what business they are in and see that they do
the right things for their customers.

--Harry

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