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 naïve!
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 its 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 doesnt 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 dont have something to offer, then why thousands of libraries in our country. Please dont bring IT as an overhead. Your profession caters to many other things. Technology may change. But there are quite a number of things which doesnt change. Reading habit, Peoples affinity toward books, etc Remember, Ranganathans 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. Cant 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. Its 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
___________________________________________________ Meet your old school or college friends from 1 Million + database... Click here to reunite www.batchmates.com/rediff.asp