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	It is better to be consciously naive than negligently stupid.
LfH - SECTIONS FRONT PAGE REVIEWS - Online sites - Books - Software & Other RECOMMENDED LINKS - Search Tools - Subject-Specific Sites ARCHIVE - Articles - Editorials - Cartoons FEEDBACK - E-mail Feedback - Contact Us MARKETPLACE Endeavour Voyager BookSense JOB STAR FastSearch Librarian's Index to the Internet HANDEE BOOKS EMPLOYMENT SITE PUBLISHER OTHER	CURRENT ISSUE: November 2001 THE LIBRARIAN FROM HELL FOR INFORMATION USERS NAIVE NOT STUPID What does the Internet/World Wide Web really mean for individuals? It means power, and it means victimization. It means opportunity, and it means exploitation. It means that we, as individuals, will have ever greater responsibility for our (cont.) IF YOU NEED INFO, LEARN TO FIND IT! Who am I speaking to? I'm speaking to all of the people who think that the librarian is going to solve their information needs. I'm talking to (cont.) X What does the Internet/World Wide Web really mean for individuals? It means power, and it means victimication. It means opportunity, and it means exploitation. It means that we, as individuals, will have ever greater responsibility for our (cont.) YOU KNOW MICROSOFT IS PREDATORY Hey, its a market economy. The big beat the shit out of the little. What do you expect? This is capitalism. This is not socialism. This is not communism. (cont.) X What does the Internet/World Wide Web really mean for individuals? It means power, and it means victimication. It means opportunity, and it means exploitation. It means that we, as individuals, will have ever greater responsibility for our (cont.) X Who am I speaking to? I'm speaking to all of the people who think that the librarian is going to solve their information needs. I'm talking to (cont.)	EDITOR: the LfH FOR INFO PROFESSIONALS LIBRARY USERS ARE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT We are supposed to be thoughtful, compassionate, and non-judgemental. Forget it! We're human. And, sometimes, the patron is a complete asshole. I'm not one to easily sufer WHY NO WEB-ACCESSIBLE CATALOG? WHY DO LIBRARIES MAKE IT HARDER TO USE ELECTRONIC CATALOGS? Do you know how to telnet? Do you know how to download, install, and configure communications software to dial into your local library? IMITATING AMAZON, AOL, & MICROSOFT What's missing in the skills toolbox of most librarians? The answer is: aggressive marketing, rapid response to the changing demands and needs of customers, and alliances and mergers to provide the tools and scale to serve the public conscientiously. (cont.) EDITORIAL WHY BOTHER? What is the point of this E-newsletter? The purpose is change, recognition of the need for it, and the recognition that librarians as well as everyone else need the skills and responsibility to survive, be happy, succeed, blah-blah-blah, in the ever-more networked, information-awash world. A large portion of us, librarians, other information specialists, and just plain folk, tend to be insular, self-absorbed, and non-competitive (at least with the larger world). These are not survival (cont.) FEATURED ONLINE TOOL There are enough good indexes to excellent online tools such as the Librarian's Index to the Internet, About.com, Infomine, WWW Virtual Library, and more. Consequently, this column will focus on onlyoneor two significant tools. For example, x(cont.) MORE LINKS FEATURED BOOK XXXX x(cont.) MORE LINKS
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