[Web4lib] Facebook (& Second Life)

[Tim Spalding]

> Time is money in libraries when staff numbers are already streamlined.

Obviously this is true. But in another way, it may turn out to be
wrong. That is, libraries aren't sausage factories—put in a certain
input and get a certain output—but more like investments. Libraries
have been "underinvesting" in the future for quite a while now—in
money, certainly, but also in commitment, willingness to change and so
forth. These "savings" will end up costing libraries long term.

The most obvious example is scanning. Google has created something
like a monopoly. It was and is surely expensive to do. But you can
guestimate that, if libraries across the US had set aside maybe 2% of
their budgets, they could have done it themselves, and be in control
of the future, not a potential victim of it.

So, pay your programmers. Tomorrow they'll be justifying your existence! ;)

Best,
Tim