What's wrong with virtual reference?

[Walt_Crawford at notes.rlg.org]

I'd sent Tom Dowling an off-list note, but since other people seem to be
saying "No reasonable person is really advocating that we close reference
desks" and otherwise suggesting the nonexistence of straw men, I see no
choice...

While I'll agree that it may be true that no reasonable person is today (in
2002) advocating that closing local reference desks would be a good thing,
that does not mean that no person is advocating precisely that, and in
large-circulation library print at that.

Go here (sigh):
http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr01/coffman.htm

and scroll down to "New Models for Libraries." Yes, that's right, it's
another variation in Coffman's long string of "Who needs
professionally-staffed public libraries, anyway?" refrains.

[If you don't think those final paragraphs constitute advocacy, read them
again.]

Not to mention his clever article in the current American Libraries, where
he puts down cooperative reference services--not directly mentioning that
the preferred solution is, of course, paying LSSI to handle the questions.

Does anybody buy this? Well, I really hate to include this reference, but:

http://www.ala.org/alonline/netlib/il1100.html

Karen may since have thought better of the notion that getting better-paid
library positions by shutting down in-person reference is a wonderful idea.

Still and all, those straw men do seem to be breathing and walking out
there...

Walt Crawford, RLG but of course speaking only for myself.