Dear Moderator, It is good not to be swayed by everything foreign. But the demand for latest and quality information can't be confined to the geographical boundary of any nation on the ground of so-called patriotism or something else. It has to be acknowledge that the information seeking behavior of the present generation has undergone sea-change. Only undergraduate students are still relying on static bookish reading. Not only the formats of information has changed (i.e. becoming interactive) but also the tools of information processing and servicing have changed. Libraries are becoming user oriented (i.e. User participation in the creation of content) and community centric. Information has to be made available fast and repackaged according to the requirement of the users. e-books,e-journals, databases, blogs, wikis and instant-messaging (IM) which allow real-time text communication between individuals are now becoming the norm among students of the Indian Universities as well. However, another part of the WSJ article where the learned author who himself has been an ex-librarian has advocated that libraries of the future should facilitate direct contacts between the scholars and the students appear to me to be a throw back to the older times when Ranganathan was pleading about the virtues of the library extension services and the reading hours. Yes, it is true that the linear reading aid to better cognition and no one is calling for replacing the books. But what is desirable is that libraries should evolve into interactive community centers of learning and provide experience in social enrichment. Librarians should come forward to make use of the fruits of ICT technologies in a big way. The library profession has to continuously re-invent itself to remain socially relevant and meaningful. Regards Dr. T. Shahab HMS Central library Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 2:27 PM, Sharmila Ghosh <milaghosh@gmail.com> wrote:
For the kind attention of Prof Subbiah Arunachalam and friends of LIS-Forum
Clarification: with my limited knowledge, I understand that the WSJ is daily newspaper with a special emphasis on business and economic news. The *Journal* primarily covers American *economic* and international *business topics*, and *financial news and issues*. Its name derives from Wall Street, located in New York City, which is the heart of the financial district of USA. Though financial and business issues form a major component of librarians' work domains, the WSJ is surely not an appropriate reference tool to take into consideration for opinions or views.
Secondly, it is an American daily and covers American issues predominantly. A country promoting and harboring google and similar search engines - is not expected to value the essence of traditional libraries, sustained reading habits and the pleasure one derives from reading the print version of an encyclopedia! The quicker the libraries stop to exist ... the faster / sooner will business thrive for Microsoft, Google etc..
Also, if librarians start reading WSJ articles seriously *for professional purposes*, then why not a sports daily or a films daily? For that matter, the International Herald Tribune is a better choice, it adds to substantial knowledge discovery.. Lastly, why should Indian library professionals' views be determined by American writings? I hope I am more or less clear.. Regards Sharmila Ghosh Library Consultant
On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 1:54 PM, Subbiah Arunachalam < subbiah.arunachalam@gmail.com> wrote:
Ms Sharmila Ghosh may kindly explain why she thinks articles in WSJ are irrelevant to librarians.
SA
On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 4:17 PM, Sharmila Ghosh <milaghosh@gmail.com wrote:
Are articles in the Wall Street Journal to be taken into consideration for thoughts and discussions .... as far as librarians are concerned?
On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 4:35 PM, <kiran@cseindia.org> wrote:
Dear Moderator
This article published in The Wall Street Journal, 17 Feb 2014 with the message that "Innovation matters" will be of interest to members of this forum. Please circulate link to the article "Do people need libraries in the digital Age?" published in The Wall Street Journal, 17 Feb 2014.
Do people need libraries in the digital Age? can be read at http://on.wsj.com/1oIniqq
Thanks
Kiran Pandey Programme Director Information Management Centre for Science and Environment New Delhi -110062 India
-- *Sharmila Ghosh* http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sharmila-ghosh/4/170/7b3 https://www.facebook.com/putul.ghosh.1/notes_my_notes
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