A battle about the form and function of libraries is not over -- Thoughts from the Secrets of the Stacks

The book that is in context is: The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading by Phyllis Rose

"Viewing libraries as repositories, he overestimated their  preservation function and underestimated their need to serve a specific community. I find myself sympathetic, if unequally, to both parties in this dispute, wholeheartedly to Baker’s book-loving bellows of rage at the destruction of precious objects but also to the librarian’s desire to create an institution that serves its community. That this battle about the form and function of libraries is not over was made clear when the New York Public Library’s announcement of new construction caused protests from people (like me) who fear sweeping changes to libraries. (Editor’s note: The New York Public Library recent announced that it was abandoning its renovation plan.) Continue reading: "Secrets of the Stacks ... How libraries decide which books to keep—and which don’t stand the test of time" Phyllis Rose in Book Excerpts...

More food for thought (on A battle about the form and function of libraries from the Secrets of the Stacks):

They want a full collection but don’t want to be saddled with books nobody reads.

Weeding, to such people, is akin to eugenics and murder. Some people feel the same about books: no book should be removed from a library.

On the same shelf:

• The bad news ... even 25 years after its invention, not everything is available on the Internet; The good news ... 33 reasons why libraries with physical books still matter ... >> HOW TO KEEP A LIBRARY OF (PHYSICAL) BOOKS, Meditations on strategy and life, Ryan Holiday
• Why the death of net neutrality would be a disaster for libraries www.washingtonpost.com -- A Q&A with Lynne Bradley, the director of government relations with the American Library Association's Washington office. 

Assessment Skills and the Academic Library Job Market

Recruiting for Results: Assessment Skills and the Academic Library Job Market By Scott Walter and Megan Oakleaf  (pdf)

Abstract:

This paper reports the results of an exploratory content analysis of academic library position descriptions posted between 2004-2009 in order to determine the degree to which assessment skills are identified as required or preferred qualification for hire, as well as the degree to which assessment responsibilities are noted as components of the positions. It suggests that, despite the increased call for assessment in academic libraries over the past decade, there is little evidence that we are recruiting new professionals into our libraries with a clearly articulated responsibility for designing, implementing, or reporting the results of assessment activities.
 Also in Proceedings of the 2010 Library Assessment Conference - LibQUAL

Another library career shelved

Extract:

A library career shelved, by Kelly Grinsteinner Editor kgrinsteinner@hibbingdailytribune.net HIBBING — If one wanted to book some time with the reference and technical services librarian at Hibbing Public Library, they’re out of luck.
That option is long overdue. The position no longer exists.
 ... “I’ll still have to come in and get my books,” she said. “I do some electronic reading, but I’d say about three-fourths of my reading is still a book.”
continue reading: Hibbing Daily Tribune

On the same shelf:

• Study: 70 Percent Of Consumers Tied To Print, Most eBooks Are Never Read, CBS
• Libraries get help to improve digital literacy, By Cody Neff Register-Herald Reporter

• Beware, public libraries: You'll go the way of print newspapers if you automatically diss nonlibrarians' gutsy ideas

• Regular books are dangerous for allergic with acute reactions