[WEB4LIB] Questia: who is behind it?

[steven.cramer at duke.edu]

Bill, don't you think librarians should know what services like Questia are up
to? Having reps on one of their advisory councils could be a great way to
collect intelligence about Questia so that we can counter-market *our* services.
Maybe we could even learn something from them.

--Steve Cramer

p.s. actually, John Lubans hasn't been at Duke for several years. I don't know
why he is still using his Duke title.

Reference/Digital Services Librarian
Perkins Library, Duke University
Durham, NC USA
steven.cramer at duke.edu
919-660-5929



One of our librarians has been searching the Questia website looking to see
who is behind it and advising it.  Surprise, surprise but some famous people
from academic library land are involved.  Here are the names of the
Librarian Advisory Council:

Rhoda Channing -- Director of Wake Forest's Z. Smith Reynolds Library in
Winston-Salem, N.C.

Barbara Doyle-Wilch -- college librarian, Lucy Scribner Library at Skidmore
College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Mari Miller -- librarian for undergraduate collection , University of
California at Berkley

Ann Okerson -- Associate University Librarian at Yale University

John Lubans -- Deputy University Librarian at Duke University

Sue Phillips -- associate director for technical/networked services for the
University of Texas' Austin General Libraries

Julie Todaro -- dean of library services at Austin Community College


Here are the members of its general Advisory Council:

"Former First Lady Barbara Bush, Harvard University Library Director Dr.
Sidney Verba, Xerox Corporation Chief Scientist Dr. John Seely Brown and
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Director Dr. Clifford Lynch."


Are people from our own profession stabbing us in the back?  Do these people
hope to outsource their library services?  What do they hope to accomplish
by being involved with Questia?

___________________
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
SUNY Morrisville College Library
drewwe at morrisville.edu
Home: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/
Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/
Library: http://www.morrisville.edu/library/
Have Laptop -- Will Travel.
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