More Things- Nbr 34 Competition

What is the primary function of a reference librarian, or a reference library? Public or private library? Fee-based services? All kinds of questions to consider when you define your specific role as a library professional. You answer reference questions. You point to resources, including those on line. You might have a forklift deliver boxes of historic artifacts, and assign someone to stand at hand to make sure nothing gets damaged.

Two of the links in the Nbr 34 reading list are keepers. The others are worth reading once.

1. An incredible list is provided by the first link in Thing Nbr 34, "online reference sites".
2. The feature article "Evolution to Revolution to Chaos" provides a complete agenda to support funding and human resource development, whether it be a state library advisory board, or setting direction for a small library.

From the list of online resources, Information Please caught my eye. I bought my first Information Please Almanac from the St. Paul Pioneer Press when I was in grade school in the 1950's. I never questioned its completeness or accuracy. Now it's on line. Wikipedia has been criticized on the points of accuracy and user contributed information. For some people wiki is the first reference choice. I prefer Google search.

If you are the sole library professional managing a small town public library, like Silver Bay, your main competition for funding may be the municipal liquor store and tavern. The liquor store is a profit center for the city. The library is a cost center.

My wife volunteers frequently at the Silver Bay Library on Mondays. The librarian is alone that day. She sets direction for the hours my wife spends. Often it's processing inter-library loans, and shelving items left in the book drop over the weekend. My wife chairs the library board, knows the political process from local to global, and couldn't be more supportive. She does not answer the phone, check out books, or provide help at the public computer terminals without direction from the librarian in charge.

The public computer terminals at the Silver Bay Library are busy. Many of the users can't afford a computer, or can't get high speed internet service at home.

The Lexington Branch of the St. Paul Public was the first successful neighborhood computer center I saw, years ago. University Avenue at Lexington was not a safe place for children and youth, but they occupied every available terminal. It was a community center.

The Duluth Central Library also is a busy public computer center. What is the likelihood that St. Paul or Duluth can afford to upgrade those terminals every three to five years as they should? Budget cuts don't even allow for hours of operation when most users might be there, evenings and Saturdays.

I think special libraries, whether academic or dedicated to a narrow field, demand reference librarians. The qualified human resources might come from diverse professional backgrounds. Even a high school dropout who developed a niche website might qualify. Whether a librarian or a geek, the avatar that looks like a hero from Legends of the Seeker might suggest as much as a profile photo about the personality behind the mask.

My wife was a librarian at James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul for 17 years. She was Head of Reference for 9 years at the Minnesota Historical Society. All of those years she was an active member of the Special Libraries Association, and the Minnesota Library Association. I attended several workshops at SLA national conventions, and was not surprised to find presenters I recognized from professional conferences I attended at 3M's expense.

Generalist is not a good attribute according to a 3M Personnel assessment I had. Intuitive is not a popular attribute with some. My wife's Myers-Briggs doesn't fit the profile of a librarian. She's an extrovert. I'm an introvert, but I talk to strangers in elevators, and on Twitter.

Qualified volunteers are not substitute librarians. It can be a trap suggestive of slave labor when a city council suggests unpaid staff to offset budget cuts.