http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/580000658/post/1790042979.html?nid=4697
April 6, 2009
from Annoyed Librarian
The LIBRARY (why don't we just capitalize the whole darn word because it's so important!) has roles. One of my favorites is: "Inspires and perpetuates hope." How exactly the LIBRARY is supposed to do this, I have no idea, but it sure does sound good.
... For example, if I'm a librarian, I "must" "Promote openness, kindness, and transparency among libraries and users." What does this mean, though? How am I supposed to promote kindness among libraries, for example? Does that even make sense? Or among users? Should I wander the library stacks and upbraid any users who aren't being kind to each other? Maybe to promote kindness among users, I could put some smiley face stickers everywhere. After all, no one can be unkind if they have a smiley face sticker attached to their forehead.
What about this one: "Be willing and have the expertise to make frequent radical changes." Let's examine this sentence. "Radical" means going to the root, the most basic and foundational thing. "Frequent" means, well...frequent. Can anyone really make frequent, radical changes? ...This would mean having a willingness to change absolutely everything we do possibly every day. In real life, this would basically mean chaos. Every day we could all show up at the LIBRARY and change all of our procedures. Wouldn't that be fun! You might think I'm willfully misreading this statement, but consider it in the context of another statement: "librarians must commit to a culture of continuous operational change." What else can this mean but that we show up every day and start doing things differently?
... Those phrases are just meaningless gibberish, which only serve to make ridiculous whatever value there might be in the grand and possibly even inspiring statement that the purpose of the LIBRARY is to "preserve the integrity of civilization." Nobody ever preserved the integrity of civilization by making "frequent radical changes." Ever.
We're also told that we have to "accept risk and uncertainty as key properties of the profession." Huh. How effective will we librarians be if two of our key properties are risk and uncertainty? This sounds as ridiculous as "frequent radical change." How about we show up and face the risk and uncertainty that we'll be fired? Oh, and next day we'll be rehired. Then fired again. Then rehired. Then required to mop out the restrooms. Then required to sit quietly underneath the reference desk and eat Oreos. That all seems risky and uncertain in a frequently radical way. "Oh no," you say (and you are such a devil's advocate today!), "it can't mean that!" Well, I hate to break it to you, but it can. Because if one really has to make "continuous operational change" in a situation of risk and uncertainty, then there are no limits. Try everything!
...That's not a job; that's just hell.
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