counting Internet use

Fri Oct 17 12:08:55 EDT 1997

On Sun, 28 Sep 1997 Youngpdy at aol.com wrote:

> When a patron can stand at a terminal and request a hold or an ILL, etc. and
> never approach a staff person to gain assistance in obtaining all the
> information that exists in the library on their subject...

<stuff deleted>

> ... Then we are not doing our job.

This, to me, is a dated perception.  People don't want "all the
information that exists in the library."  Perenial student behavior + free
choice = I want 1 book, 2 journal articles, 1 magazine and I want to get
the hell out of here.  

I came here recently from 2 years at Cal. State U., Monterey Bay, where we
were charged by Chancellor to stand this old educational paradigm on its
head.  We were ordered to deliver information electronically whenever
possible, and only to supplement with paper.  The intention from the
get-go was for students to retrieve full text from anywhere, to search
full text databases, to search cite and abs. databases, copy and paste the
citation into an electronic doc. delivery form, and send via Web page to
library ILL.  Patron might have to come into lib. only to pick up
photocopies and books to check out.

While we have much larger print collections here, we're moving (albeit
more slowly) in similar directions.  It is not my job to make miniature
librarians out of students who come in. If they want to learn more about
conducting comprehensive research, I'm here, willing...yea even eager,
to help. That's a key part of my job.

But I do not believe for a minute that I'm not doing my job if I don't
show them everything that's in the library - bibliographies, NUC, Lib. of
Am. Civilization, etc.