Monday, 26 March 2007

Monday 26 March: A rose by any other name

I mentioned previously members of the school of thought (or lack of!) who don't see the point in having a library when they have Google and Amazon. They are one of the reasons why I call where I work an information service rather than using the "L" word to describe it.
One of my many tasks is to develop impact measures to show that we add value - so that we can survive and thrive.
I'm very happy to have much more emphasis on electronic resources and delivering services to the customers' desktop.
All our division is gearing up to sell its services (externally) and recharge for services (internally).
The title of the document I'm working on (given by those who must be obeyed) is "Library Service Definition" which outlines the services we'll offer. So we're still calling the service "Library Services". However, those delivering these services are not to be known by the "L" word. The compromise term is Library Service Specialists.
I'm happy to be outward looking. I'm delighted to be promoting electronic resources. I'm also very aware that language is loaded and anything but neutral.
I also like consistency. So what do you call someone who delivers Library Services?
I'm enjoying my job, but the organisation is a strange beast to work for.

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