I think the copious discussion regarding out of distribution video on this
list is pretty much an indication of the abject stupidity of the "5 year"
statement.
I also think that, as I've ranted endlessly on this list, one of the major
jobs of a video librarian (of any librarian, really) is to hold the line
against procrusteanism (i.e. making sure that the head and the feet don't
get cut off to match the size of the bed). I think it is becoming
increasingly common for technology to dictate content, and that's a really
nasty direction to take. Library administrators and tech salesmen aren't
always that far apart in their witting (or unwitting) buy-in to this
trend.
gary
> Hi All,
>
> A couple of months ago we were talking to an equipment vendor about
> redoing a couple of our classrooms (upgrading from Extron, or something
> like that) and we were telling him that we'd still need to be able to play
> VHS and laser discs, to which he replied, "No you won't, in 5 years
> everything will be streaming." All eyes turned to me, probably just to
> see how red I would get. Not understanding the needs and mission of your
> client is one thing, but contradicting them in another. "Just how do you
> suppose we'll get our 16,000 VHS tapes streaming?" "Why do you even have
> them anymore? Can't you just digitize them?" I started to tell him about
> how the mission of libraries is different from the commercial sector, and
> how there are copyright restrictions, and besides it would take 15 years
> etc... but then I realized that we weren't going to buy anything from this
> man so why waste my time.
>
> Anyway...
>
> I hear this so often ("In 5 years everything will be streaming") and I
> wonder how others feel about this notion. Do you think it's true, and if
> not how do you respond?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Matt
>
> ______________________________
> Matt Ball
> Media Services Librarian
> University of Virginia
> [email protected]<https://mail.eservices.virginia.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=f9bb9e66e0cb45eb9c98da126198ad7e&URL=mailto%3amattball%40virginia.edu>
> 434-924-3812
>
> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of
> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic
> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in
> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve
> as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of
> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video
> producers and distributors.
>
Gary Handman
Director
Media Resources Center
Moffitt Library
UC Berkeley
510-643-8566
[email protected]
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC
"I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself."
--Francois Truffaut
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues
relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control,
preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and
related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective
working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication
between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and
distributors.
