Well, Stevan, how do I know that your messages are usually worth reading? Seriously, (and please excuse the liberty of using you as an example) how DO I know? I think that I know because I've found it valuable to read earlier messages. I initially discovered this because a colleague whom I trusted informed me about them. Had she not done so, I would have found out anyway because many people refer to them. Eventually, I heard you give a talk--which was a sort of certification by the organizers of the conference. These are all the informal channels of communication, and they are of course in the life of many or most of us more important than the formal.
I will admit that for the purposes of serious administrative decisions affecting people's careers, informal channels may not be appropriate by themselves--though here too they do play a role. And, like all methods of formal and informal interpersonal interaction, they are subject to abuse. Speaking of certification by journals, how many journals are there whose certification we fully trust? In terms of quality, there are a few in each field; in terms of personal relevance, that's another matter. You are right, incidentally, that "certification" is a better word for what we're talking about than "labeling." David Goodman Research Librarian and Biological Sciences Bibliographer Princeton University Library [email protected] 609-258-7785
