I must admit this has been a hard week for me in several ways. I've been reading a book titled Leadership Basics for Librarians and Information Professionals in which the authors talk about the challenges of change for the library leader. I like to think of myself as open to, and even a proponent of change, but there are times when that does not seem to be true, and this week has been one of them.
Take the availability of our electronic databases, for example. I LOVE being able to tell patrons that we have 95 databases of various kinds available for our students and faculty to use. I LOVE being able to tell them that because of those databases we have access to over 34,000 journals, many of which are full-text. When I think about how little we pay for those in comparison to how much it would have cost us to purchase a print subscription for each one of those journals... well, it would be impossible.
But I LIKE print journals! I like picking up the paper and reading an article without a computer. I like seeing the covers... even the plain ones that have no pictures! I like thumbing through a journal or a magazine to find something that looks interesting to read, and you just can't get that same experience with an electronic database!
I think there is a place for both. We need the electronic databases because they make research so much easier. When you have a specific topic you want to find information on, the electronic databses are a blessing of our generation. But I don't want to do away with giving patrons the opportunity to see the whole journal rather than just the one article that shows on the screen.
When austere times strike, we have to make painful decisions about where to cut budgets, and unfortunately, print periodicals is a prime target, so when our subscription vendor's invoice arrived last week, I knew I had a bad week ahead.
The bad news is that we will have to cut some subscriptions out of our renewals...
The good news is that many of our print journals are also available in electronic format, so the information is still available, even though the print version has not been used in years (literally... for some of the titles). And I must also recognize that many students are using electronic formats much more than I do, or would if I were a student. It's a sign of the times, I guess.
And I also know that as much as I have agonized over this during this week, most students could care less... as long as they have the information easily and readily available, they don't care. If the information is there, everything is fine. Noone is going to come to my office and thank me for making sure all that information is available at the strike of a key. But I suspect I will have complaints when a print journal someone wants is no longer on the shelf.
And so goes library leadership...
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2 comments:
This generation is entirely different than any one before it - thanks to the advent of the computer. They have never known life without it. We have. We know what it's like to hold a book or journal in our hand, to even curl up in bed with it or a big soft chair. But today's youth is 'wired' in more ways than one - or 'wireless' as the case may be but still much more connected!!
You're right - no one will thank you for the online but others may complain if the print is gone - especially an older patron.
Well Jo Ann, I'm a 27 year old student in the seminary, and I want to say thank you for making sure all that information that previously was only available hard-cover is available at the strike of a key. I also DO enjoy hardcovers, the book/periodical in my hands, to see it and feel it with my own eyes, but having it electronically saves my family and the school $ in many ways..from gas to drive to the library, and the school for investing the resources it has elsewhere. My younger generation appreciates what you do to keep up with the times. Thank you again.
Ben Bacheller.
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