>I shouldn't be forced to opt out in order to control what flows into my >mailbox. The connection between my recent ALA renewal and the barrage of >emails from video companies cannot be coincidental. As far as i am concerned >this is reason enough to not renew my ALA membership next year.
Helen's situation would seem unlikely to be purely the result of coincidence, but when I renewed my ALA membership (for the 18th year in a row? Gad, I need a change), I noticed no increase in vendor emails either at work or at home. In the past when I have noticed a spike in unwanted email traffic from vendors, it has corresponded to times I've gone to conferences or expositions and signed in to or for something, or given my business card out. It's been so long now that I don't remember exactly how my ALA membership profile is set, but, at least in my experience, simply renewing my ALA membership has not had the results Helen mentions, so maybe changing one's profile works. This is not to say that vendors don't traffic in contact lists, just that ALA isn't the only culprit involved in disseminating contact information for librarians. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com -----Original Message----- From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Helen P. Mack Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 8:27 AM To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu Subject: Re: [Videolib] Marketing list of librarians? That's terrible. They're like vultures! I just wrote an angry message to ALA Member Services, detailing the fact that I had just changed my profile to eliminate all communications except for official ALA ones (ballots, renewals, etc.). It's a shame that it has come to this, but I don't want to be put on any mailing list unless I opt in. I shouldn't be forced to opt out in order to control what flows into my mailbox. The connection between my recent ALA renewal and the barrage of emails from video companies cannot be coincidental. As far as i am concerned this is reason enough to not renew my ALA membership next year. 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.
