Still… flattering.

And by the way, the ‘Blog People’ buttons were both a joke and a statement that not all librarians are throw-backs. It was not a way of shouting to the world, “I blog, therefore I am!” Perhaps those buttons should come with a small-print explanation for those too wrapped up in pretending to be iconoclasts to actually think about them.

It’s always interesting to see people like TL say things like: “why do people who blog believe that blogging is such a great and fascinating technology, that it is going to change the world?” I have yet to hear anyone who actually blogs say that. A similar thing was posted recently on the AUTOCAT list. Someone asked what XML is used for, and one answer was, “Well, it certainly isn’t going to solve all the world’s problems, like some XML advocates have been saying!” In fact, no one to my knowledge has ever made such a claim. XML, like blogging, the internet, and the Roomba, is a very useful tool that some have embraced and others have not. Only when a jerk (no offense to TL or Gorman) decides he can get some attention by denigrating it are ridiculous claims made.

By the way, geting back to the crux of the original posting, ask 10 librarians what the top 10 “issues affecting academic librarianship” are, and you’ll likely get 75+ answers.

Please let me know when Bell finds that single voice he seeks. Then I can add it to all the others.

-M

I don’t know exactly why people feel the need to debate blogging’s usefulness or worth. Isn’t that relative? If it’s useful to someone then that’s great. If it’s not, then they shouldn’t bother reading blogs. Blogs can have some cool applications, but so can wikis and a whole lot of other methods of disseminating information. I have never seen someone who argues that blogs are the answer to all the world’s problems, but I certainly have heard that they are the cause of a lot of problems (which is equally bogus). Scholarly publishing is great. Blogs are great.

And tl, why would you think Dorothea was calling you a creep?

Sheesh! I spend a day away from the computer and look what happens!

For the record, I have no problems with blogs, library blogs, or women, or creeps. I simply am very interested in the debate over web logs and their role in academic librarianship. This has been an interesting dialogue, to a certain extant, and I thank Meredith for creating the digital space to house it.

Thanks for mentioning me; I appreciate it. And I see some new blogs I want to subscribe to, so thanks for that too!