Dear Lis-forum Members First of I am very happy that Mr Gireesh Kumar Poonattile has commented on the my email. But somehow, the context in which the comments were made have been torned away (perhaps NOT deliberately), otherwise Gireesh would have found me sailing along him in the same boat. Just to recaputulate, these were to argue the case of research in core areas Library & Information Science like Classification. Here I think it would not out of context to debate issues raised by Mr. Gireesh. Let us take the issues one by one: ">..You want to debar people from working in these areas. How na�ve!" We have never barred any people working in area of LIS. Infact, Libraries are normally the first institutions to utilize any latest technology. About 160 years of Modern Librarianship, have seen many technologies coming and being assimilated. At the same time, LIS professionals have to build and develop prevailing theoretical principles, theories and laws which would give a scientific framework to better utilise any technology, current or future. ">..Who said that they have copied this idea from Bibliometrics. Didn't
they copy the powerful Google algorithm also from Library Professionals?"
Nor have I said they have copied the idea,..did I?. If one tries to understand the "PageRank" algorithm used by Google, it is same as Citation Index have used it. Citation Index uses the references cited in the end of the articles to link between Citing and Citated article. And more a article has been citated, the more worth it is. Similarly, PageRank Algorithm uses the hyperlinks between pages to draw up an association between the linking web pages and the linked pages. The more a Page have been linked, the weight the page is given. ">..You need only commonsense and sound knowledge of technology to bring up
a site like Yahoo. �Classification� is not the hegemony of LIS professionals."
True, Classification is not hegemony of LIS. But it is also true, that "Commonsense" is Most Uncommon. Was it not commonsense that "Apples falls on Ground?" But it took Sir Isaac Newton to formulate 'The Universal Law of Gravitation' In LIS we are talking of commonsense, we are talking of theorisation. Further, librarian should not take low level jobs of programming rather they should concentrate more of Designing, Developing and Maintaing the LIB & INF SYSTEMS as such. ">Thanks for that information. Latest addition to the vast LIS knowledge
repository!"
Nothing new in that, Even new B.Lib.Sc student is told
that classification
is just about Helpful Sequence. But this helpful
sequence requires more
then just Commonsense.
">..life. Big money is the secret."
We have seen this Big money game not very long ago,
Heard about Hometrade.com?.
Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan and the great Indian
cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar in it. The ads were aired on
televisions...
with Hrithik dancing n Sharukh playing football n all
that
stupid stuff and saying life means more!
....Were has that Big Money gone...?
">..Every professional? Then who will feed us?"
Why insecurity...?
">..how to use a tool doesn�t require you take a Phd
in that subject."
True, that is why even school kids knows better than
programmers themselves"
">Remember, Ranganathan�s five laws are centered
around books."
If it is true, then we have yet to understand
Ranganathan.
Timing is running up, I finish it here itself.
Regards
Sukhdev Singh
--- gireesh kumar poonattile
On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 Sukhdev Singh wrote :
It is unfortunate that while computer professionals are working in areas were library people should have been working.
Weird! What is unfortunate here? Computer professional 'encroaching� LIS area. You are square pegged in the four falls of your profession. You want to debar people from working in these areas. How na�ve!
work in. Take for example, while we were beating about the bushes of "Bibliometrics" some students created GOOGLE using the same principle of "citations" (links here).
Who said that they have copied this idea from Bibliometrics. Didn't they copy the powerful Google algorithm also from Library Professionals? Do not blather like people who used come up with Vedas and Upanishads when someone makes a new invention in the west. (It has been said some 4000 years back in the <book name> here, blah, blah��.)
While we were debating on utility of classification, some other students created "YAHOO". And still others are building up Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.org/).
You need only commonsense and sound knowledge of technology to bring up a site like Yahoo. �Classification� is not the hegemony of LIS professionals. Do you think that LIS professional are qualified enough to do the job of a programmer? Is that what people are taught in our schools. Then, why this insecurity?
Classifiaction does not mean numbers we put on the spine of the books; dear friends, it is putting things in helpful sequence.
Thanks for that information. Latest addition to the vast LIS knowledge repository!
Information technology is in use in every aspect of life. Even some medical professionals left their profession to join IT Rat Race.
They joined the rat race not because IT is used in every aspect of the life. Big money is the secret.
example http://www.indmedica.com. But should this mean every professional follow the same path.
Every professional? Then who will feed us?
You use toilet soap, right? Since it�s an integral part of your life, does it mean that every other household needs to start making soap? IT is a tool. It had application in almost all the spheres of life. Knowing how to use a tool doesn�t require you take a Phd in that subject.
Today we have to answer, the real tough question? Do we really have something to offer? Something Unique.
If you don�t have something to offer, then why thousands of libraries in our country. Please don�t bring IT as an overhead. Your profession caters to many other things. Technology may change. But there are quite a number of things which doesn�t change. Reading habit, People�s affinity toward books, etc ��� Remember, Ranganathan�s five laws are centered around books.
What is our USP...? If Yes, then why we are in hibernation.
Who said that library professional are in hibernation. Can�t you see them doing their work? Look at closely, is that IT driving them, really.?
If No, then why we are pretending...? Why not to leave the stage to Computer Professionals who otherwise are today "Plenty in Supply, Less in Demand".
What stage you are going to leave? There is no stage which you have occupied where others are going to take over. It�s a hallucination.
Gireesh Kumar Poonattile Radha Nivas Chulliparmaba Farook College Post Calicut
Dear Sukhdev ji
I agree with your suggestion that research on Classification is required but to be honest, it is the need of the hour that a librarian has to be perfect in the modern information technology other wise the whole scene of librarianship will be spoiled. The advent of the new information
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