[Web4lib] Attending/Presenting at conferences in difficult times / Dissolution of Reference

[Ross Singer]

Would the word "minion" suit you better?  I am talking about the
difference between being a "professional" -- able to influence and
improve the environment and profession as a whole -- and an
"automaton": subject to the beck and call of users and the whims of
the decision makers above them to better their efficiency.

I don't think there's any caste system at play at all.  I have a lot
of colleagues who are "busy working" who manage to swing a
non-ALA-based conference every year.  You make it sound as if every
conference delegate is part of some shiftless, idle elite - wasting
library dollars on spa trips and Michelin three-star meals
occasionally popping in to hear about trends in circulation data from
10 years ago.

Certainly it's a shame that so many library-types have to blow their
entire travel budget on ALA - I agree this is a tremendous waste.
Still, if you cannot see the value in librarians interacting with
colleagues /outside of their own library walls/ to garner new ideas
and outlooks, I am not sure how expect the library profession to
evolve.

-Ross.

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 11:15 AM, Robert Balliot <rballiot at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ross,
>
> I am not sure how you are getting to the definition of 'servant', so I can't
> answer your question. Are you saying that people who go to meetings are
> defined as professional, while everyone else is a servant?
>
> That may be one of the fundamental problems with the lock-step group-think
> notions about meeting attendance I challenged here. The people who attend
> the meetings have been sold the idea that they are of a higher class / caste
> than non-attendees - even if they are not active participants. And, of
> course, an abundance of snacks validate self-worth.
>
> But, it is often the people who would benefit the most from meetings and
> conferences that are unable to attend. They are busy working. That is one of
> the reasons why I think facilitating telepresence can be extremely helpful
> to any meeting or conference.  The capacity to reach people who can and
> will use the information is exponentially increased.
>
>
> R. Balliot
> http://oceanstatelibrarian.com
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 10:02 PM, Ross Singer <rossfsinger at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Robert Balliot <rballiot at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Dave,
>> >
>> > Could you provide a few examples of the problems you face in libraries
>> > that
>> > are not investigated and discussed in a book or an article?
>> >
>> > Of course, once you do that, they will be and the point will be moot.
>>
>> This is a bit of an asinine and condescending statement, honestly.  If
>> you are doing anything new, unorthodox or revolutionary, what book or
>> article are you going to read to "solve your problem"?
>>
>> If you are trying to bring in collaborators on a particular project,
>> how is a book or an article going to help that?  Even an email will
>> only go so far.
>>
>> If, as you imply, everything's already been done and we have solutions
>> to everything already if we just bother to do the research, why do we
>> even bother trying to improve our services?
>>
>> Are we servants or professionals, Robert?
>>
>> -Ross.
>
>