Re: [CODE4LIB] Google can give you answers, but librarians give you the right answers

[Leigh, Andrea]

To go further, I would say that librarians empower users to gain knowledge and 
do so by guiding users to reputable resources without bias, rather than diffuse 
knowledge or control it. 

Andrea



-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Siân 
Evans
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2016 12:29 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Google can give you answers, but librarians give you 
the right answers

Thanks for this discussion thread. I would argue that good librarians don't 
provide answers at all, they provide the means to ask thoughtful, critical 
questions.

Also, in adding to the reading list, I thoroughly recommend Astra Taylor's *The 
People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age*:
http://www.worldcat.org/title/peoples-platform-taking-back-power-and-culture-in-the-digital-age/oclc/761850064

Best,
Siân

On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 12:07 PM, Goldsmith, Ivan Victor 
wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> This is something I've been thinking about a lot in the past few weeks.
>
>
> I don't think librarians necessarily give people the "right answers" 
> (what does it mean for an answer to be "right", anyway?). Sure, not 
> everything on the Internet is true, but not everything that came from 
> a librarian's mouth or a book is true, either. Humans are frequently 
> wrong no matter which medium they're using to reach an audience.
>
> Libraries don't provide the "right" answers -- they provide 
> *different* answers through a different lens, and that's what's important.
>
>
> Quoting what I told a colleague earlier this week: There are major 
> perks to the fact that libraries are NOT Google. Our motivations are 
> vastly different from Google's, and this makes all the difference.
>
> We do not track our patrons. We do not record their every move and 
> sell that information to advertisers.
>
> We do not bias their search results based on previous behavior. We do 
> not filter or limit the information they can find based on what we or 
> our algorithms think they might like. We don't build profiles to guess 
> at their demographic and skew the materials we give them to reaffirm 
> their preexisting beliefs. Patrons can come to the library and search 
> for knowledge in peace, separate from the baggage of the Internet's 
> pervasive tracking data and invasive profiling.
>
> We are neutral in the services we provide, and that is invaluable in 
> the age of personalization.
>
>
> If you have the time for a quick read, you'll find Eli Pariser's "The 
> Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You< 
> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10596103-the-filter-bubble>" to be 
> very relevant.
>
> Best,
>
> -- Ivan Goldsmith
> Front End Developer
>
> Penn Libraries Web Unit
>
> 
> From: Code for Libraries  on behalf of 
> Cornel Darden Jr. 
> Sent: Friday, April 1, 2016 12:31 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Google can give you answers, but librarians give 
> you the right answers
>
> Hello,
>
> "Google can give you answers, but librarians give you the right answers."
>
> Is it me? Or is there something wrong with this statement?
>
> I've been hearing statements like this since I've been in the field.
> Tonight I saw a public library post on FB:
>
> Library: "because not everything on the internet is true"
>
> Some people applauded the statement and were like: "yay librarians!"
>
> Others thought it was a very ignorant statement. And many patrons 
> caused a huge backlash. It was interesting as the library responded to 
> the irritated patrons.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Cornel Darden Jr.
> Chief Information Officer
> Casanova Information Services, LLC
> Office Phone: (779) 205-3105
> Mobile Phone: (708) 705-2945
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>



--
Siân Evans, MA, MLS
Instruction Librarian, Decker Library
Maryland Institute College of Art
1300 West Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217

tel: 410-225-2715
email: sevan...@mica.edu
http: www.mica.edu/library

[CODE4LIB] GS-11 Librarian (Cataloger) position open at Library of Congress for American Archive of Public Broadcasting

[Leigh, Andrea]

Librarian (Cataloger)
GS-1410-11
Indefinite, not to exceed 2 Years
Closes 4/14/2016
Vacancy Announcement #150263

THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT #150283: 
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/432347800/ (CLOSING DATE 3/31/2016). 
YOU MUST APPLY FOR BOTH POSITIONS SEPARATELY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED 
FOR BOTH POSITIONS.

The Library of Congress is seeking a qualified Librarian (Cataloger) for the 
American Archive of Public Broadcasting National Educational Television 
Collection Catalog project. The position is indefinite, not to exceed two years 
and located at the The Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation 
Center (NAVCC) in Culpeper, Virginia. For more details about the position and 
how to apply: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/434460300/

Information about the American Archive of Public Broadcasting:
http://americanarchive.org/

Information about the National Educational Television Collection:
http://americanarchive.org/about-the-american-archive/projects/net-catalog

Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation:
http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/packard/


Andrea Leigh
Moving Image Processing Unit Head
National Audio Visual Conservation Center |  Packard Campus
19053 Mt. Pony Rd.  |  Culpeper, VA 22701
o: 202/707-0852 |  e: a...@loc.gov
http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/packard/

Ideas & opinions in this email are not intended to represent those of the 
Library of Congress or its staff.
[cid:image001.png@01D18B50.2C41CF50]

[cid:image002.png@01D18B50.2C41CF50]