I think it’s fairly sensible on their part because librarians do often act as a medium between the company and users. Admittedly we’re only small in number, but I like to think that librarians punch above their weight. One might also think that Google feels the same way, because they have come to library conventions, at least in the US and UK – I can’t speak for anywhere else – so it’s a logical assumption.

So I don’t think it’s an ‘obligation’ at all, but one of their goals. I don’t actually care that much if they change their mind, but what I, and a number of other librarians object to is the slipshod way they’ve behaved. I think it’s a bit like inviting a guest into your home and then leave them hanging around by themselves for a few hours – it’s rather rude. Clearly their marketing in this instance *hasn’t* worked because they dropped the ball.

I don’t believe that Google has any intention of continuing with their librarian newsletter – they got caught out by constant references in librarian blogs to the lack of updates and finally felt that they had to do something to quieten it down. I also don’t believe that they want a two way dialogue – given that I emailed them as suggested and they never responded. So what annoys me is their fickle nature, what *I* see as contempt for librarians and a basic dishonesty and I don’t particularly care to deal with companies that treat me in that manner. Clearly you see it differently, or don’t care, which is entirely up to you. Bottom line: Google doesn’t care about librarians. Why should librarians care about Google? That’s good marketing?

But this is the rantiest post I have ever seen on your blog…Are you sure you’re not up-in-arms? Or maybe you are up-in-arms at librarians’ ignorance, and not at Google…I guess this is warranted. But you made your point in the first paragraph and then went on.

Forgive my freshness, I am on Day 5 of the comment challenge (albeit behind the rest of the world).

Thank you.

Respectfully submitted……..

I also agree with T. Scott’s assessment that maybe the librarian community didn’t step up and give Google a whole lot of incentive to cater to them. Maybe we should look in the mirror a bit before claiming we all got duped.

I don’t understand why is the fact that Google has a blog for librarians so important or the fact that their stopping it? We’re information professionals and it seems like we’re asking Google to cater to us. How many blogs or other sites die without a moment’s notice? Things happen, its life. So Google didn’t let us know they weren’t going to be updating their blog. It isn’t like it had groundbreaking info.

Quoting Meredith, I must be missing something. Perhaps it’s unwise to “feel” like libraries have been “used” by Google, but the fact of it having occurred doesn’t seem to be in dispute here. Google uses libraries–Google giveth and Google taketh away–because Google is a company: that’s the message I take from this discussion.