tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post7909807806183689238..comments2024-03-27T05:00:00.090-04:00Comments on Letters to a Young Librarian: Not So Different After All, Or, Academics and Publics vs. Predatory PricingJessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-62437104246717273242012-03-07T19:38:32.710-05:002012-03-07T19:38:32.710-05:00Collection development is my weakest link - my onl...Collection development is my weakest link - my only saving grace in that area (even after taking a class on the topic in my LibSci program) was my four plus years running the fiction department (which encompassed regular ficiton/romance/mystery/poetry/prose/manga/graphic novels/westerns) at $corporate_bookstore taught me a thing or two about developing a collection, which I'm thrilled to have. I struggle a lot with this because there are no nice/pretty guidelines, no rules of thumb - public or academic. Hell, when looking for other examples of collection development tools from other libraries on the 'net, a lot of them are so jargony/vague I want to stab a bish. HOWEVER, withall of that being said, I do not believe $$$ equals better/reliable content (and I work in an academic). I also do not and will not buy eBooks in any form unless you hold me under water. And it's not because OH BOO HOO, eBooks are bad etc, it's because I feel like the vendors purposely make it hard to get the content to my faculty/students. Once I start tap dancing through how to download and use eBooks to students/facutly, they immediately ask "Um, too much work, can't I just get print." I also am bitter about the huge inflation of academic pricing (as a recent exstudent AND now a buyer). The packaging of a lot of the electronic content is trash with few treasures. Blah blah blah. I hate the world. <br /><br />I just think that maybe if librarians as a whole said, "hey, this is OUR needs" rather then having the publishers (regardless of format) tell us what they THINK our needs are, we can make a lot of changes. <br /><br />-Lisa / @pnkrcklibrarianThe Story of the Suicide Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17053755284431069501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-30929082852306491882012-03-07T08:44:56.593-05:002012-03-07T08:44:56.593-05:00I love that idea, Jenny.I love that idea, Jenny.Jessica Olinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-76968446739029725302012-03-06T14:06:26.049-05:002012-03-06T14:06:26.049-05:00I think a common factor is both communities' n...I think a common factor is both communities' need to explain the issues in a way that makes sense and tries to get our user groups to understand why we make the decisions we make. Libraries are a strange marketplace in a way, because the people who create the demand aren't the ones who pay the suppliers (with the added wrinkle in academics that our users are also the ones who give the content away to those same suppliers...). So maybe we can come together and learn from each other about community engagement and communication to our users.Jenny Reiswighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11000378101269490235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-21634047970555369312012-03-06T11:01:15.009-05:002012-03-06T11:01:15.009-05:00That's the thing, Kristi. We're still suff...That's the thing, Kristi. We're still suffering through it. Cutting things from other parts of the budget to be able to provide access to the electronic materials. I signed The Cost of Knowledge (http://thecostofknowledge.com/) pledge, saying I won't review, publish, or do editorial work for Elsevier, but there's no way I could completely stop doing business with them. The journals they own & publish represent some of the most prestigious in many fields. It's as frustrating for academic librarians to be at Elsevier's mercy as it is for public librarians to be at Random House's.Jessica Olinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-23464077547261573882012-03-06T10:54:01.153-05:002012-03-06T10:54:01.153-05:00No, I don't think that we are that different i...No, I don't think that we are that different in our problems. Especially dealing with electronic resources (which honestly, ebooks are) academics have already been through the "print vs. e-whatever" battle that publics are going through now. I hope that we can find a workable solution.Kristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209813611833340226noreply@blogger.com