Thanks, Eli, for an erudite and thought-provoking response. But, I do have a couple of caveats (You thought I woudn't?!). You say, "It is about time that we present ourselves using current terminology." You also say, "We should feel comfortable using those terms because they accurately describe our duties and functions." I'm afraid I'm not that much of a pragmatist. As I have attempted to make clear, I don't object to modern technology, per se, but I do object when the use of that technology leads to a change in our perception of exactly what the nature of our work may be, and much more basically the exact nature of the world of which we are among the guides. Those who use that terminology clearly do not do so in a neutral way. I still remember a friend and colleague at another institution, who said that as soon as someone invented the wheel, our relationship to the ground changed. That is philosophy, not neutral terminology. Academic librarians have struggled for years against the perception that they are simply "glorified secretaries" (My apologies to all secretaries, for whom I have the highest respect; I am only repeating what others have said.). I don't want us to give the ignorant even more ammunition to use against us. It's bad enough that too many administrators see technology as a means of speading up production, and see additional advanced degrees only as a means of making the library look better in the eyes of the public. In one way I am a pragmatist. I will use just about any technology available so long as it does what I want it to do. I'm not particularly concerned about adopting it just because the rest of the world thinks I should. And, yes we do still have a card catalog here, with an active manual shelf list, but we also have an online catalog, full internet connections, and a wide variety of both electronic and printed resources. We use what works for us and what fits our budget.
Best, Dan Rettberg [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================================================== HaSafran - The Electronic Forum of the Association of Jewish Libraries Submissions for HaSafran, send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org/
