Losing Ground?

[Julie Sih]

Bob and others,

Last year I encountered resistance to mounting a webpage to help
patrons contact the right subject specialist for purchase
suggestions and consultation appointments.  Several
bibliographers were strongly opposed to posting their names,
phone numbers, and/or E-mail addresses on the World-Wide Web. 

Their concerns were mostly quite legitimate:

1.)  They valued the function of the reference desk as a
screening tool, and were certain that the webpage would encourage
inappropriate self-referrals to the subject specialists for
even the simplest questions...especially since many patrons
hate the reference desk phone tree and might be inclined to 
bypass it by dialing librarians' direct phone numbers.

2.)  Some feared that the non-primary clientele, such as local
businesspeople (or users around the world), might deluge the
bibliographers with complex reference questions via E-mail.

3.)  Others had comments like, "I already get too much E-mail
and voice mail, so I really don't want to encourage more," and,
"Sure, I know my name and phone number are on that handout listing
all the bibliographers, but users only see that handout if they
know it exists and they ask for it.  The webpage would have
much higher visibility and would impact me far more."


Since I am not a bibliographer/subject specialist myself, I
didn't think I had the right to mount the page without their
approval.  Fortunately, other bibliographers who liked the
webpage came to my rescue:


1.)  One bibliographer shared his experience of having his name,
E-mail address, and phone number on several prominent library webpages
for over a year.  He was able to assure the others that in that 
period, surrendering his anonymity had had very little effect on
his workload.  

2.)  Others reminded their colleagues that, as state employees, it is
ridiculous to expect the same level of privacy with our work numbers
that individuals are entitled to with their home numbers.  Which
is why our names, phone numbers, and E-mail addresses are available
in the campus directory, which is already mounted on the web.

3.)  Still others suggested reasonable compromises.  At their suggestion,
I included text emphasizing that subject specialists should be
contacted for APPOINTMENTS, not for immediate service, which is
available at the reference desk.  I gave the most vehement objectors
the option of using the webpage to direct users to ask for a referral
from the reference desk for that particular subject.


The page has now been up for a little over a year, with substantial
traffic and no complaints from the bibliographers.  

I don't think *I* won over any of the resisters--their fellow 
bibliographers did.  So, my advice to Bob would be to encourage
any sympathetic members of those resistant groups to come to
the defense of his webpages, or to at least suggest some 
compromises that would allow him to salvage some of their
value.  If the webpages have no visible supporters within the
group, they'll never be perceived as anything other than an
outsider's efforts to force something upon them that they
must band together to resist.  

Julie


Julie Sih, Corp. Programs Librarian  |  jsih at ucsd.edu  
University of California, San Diego  |  http://gort.ucsd.edu/js/
9500 Gilman Drive, Dept 0175V        |  Ph. (619) 534-8622
La Jolla, CA  92093-0175             |  FAX (619) 534-0746
     "A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and 50 thou."