Andrew K. Pace: January 2009 Archives
I promised a follow-up on the RMG session at ALA, but rather
than give a blow-by-blow account (done nicely by Leonard Kniffel already), I
thought I would single out one part of the conversation.
I am a lover of language, though I am often careless myself. I bite my tongue at grammatical errors or
poor language usage. But I am bothered
more by the use of words that violates the spirit but not the law of vocabulary
and grammar. Repeated superlatives annoy
me. More than one exclamation point per page
should never survive editing. Given the
word's roots in crucifixion, I cringe at the loose usage of
"excruciating" to describe the most trivial personal trial.
So that is why I was dismayed to hear one of the library automation CEOs on Rob
McGee's RMG panel describe each of his customers as "unique." It is this kind of thinking, I believe, that
could be detrimental to true innovation in libraries.
I'm not suggesting that libraries are not unique--a mixture of staff, skills, collections,
geography, and patrons makes for a distinctive offering. But remember, the panel was talking about
re-inventing the integrated library system.
Is a circulation transaction unique?
Is the act of buying a book unique?
Is each catalog record unique (or more likely, does it need to be)?
This is, of course, a shared problem.
Locally installed systems with infinite configurability tempt libraries
to strive for uniqueness where they shouldn't and cause vendors to create more
and more incremental (and expensive) changes to commodity systems that support
the least distinctive workflows in library management.
eBay or Amazon do what they can to create unique experiences for customers, but
once we click that "purchase" button, we are all a credit card number
and address. Imagine the custom
offerings libraries could be making if the focus shifted from configuring and
explaining what should be industrialized processes to the things that make them
truly unique.
This has to be an all-time record for number of people on the RMG panel (or any panel for that matter). Ten library automation representatives (including my boss, Robin Murray, Vice President of Global Product Management) and a panel of 5 library innovaters. Forty minutes in and the introductions are over.
Whether or not I had young children, I think my favorite movie line would still be from Mary Poppins, where the father, George Banks says to his wife, "Winnifred, please! Kindly do not cloud the issue with facts."About the Author
