** Reply to note from Amy Comeau <hgphlib@TRANSIT.NYSER.NET> 08/08/95
11:12am -0400
> Many of us have policies in our libraries that restrict the use of
the
> library or interlibrary loans to members of various library groups
(ie
> ALA, AALL, SLA, etc). Our time on the internet is, for the most
part,
> another resource that our employers are paying for, and for some of
us,
> that means restricting access to our time except for our colleagues.
If
> you have a problem with that, think of it from the point of view of
our
> employers, who have no problem with our being networked with other
> librarians, since that has value to the institution, but would be
pretty
> annoyed at us spending their time giving away advice/assistance to
the
> general public. Childishness has nothing to do with it.
As a former employer of law librarians, and a non-law librarian,
perhaps I might make a comment?
I would be willing for any employee of mine to help the public at large
or unknown "others" right up to the point where it interfered with
their job.
I get four benefits as employer. First it increases goodwill. Second
it makes the community (real or virtual) one where I prefer to live and
work. It makes it more probable that I will get help when I need it,
because attitudes permeate communities and affect people far more than
we generally acknowledge. Finally, it makes my employees better people.
An attitude of "this doesn't make immediate economic sense" might in a
limited analysis make sense, but only to the short sighted.
I concede thet requests for help might be abused, but it has not seemed
that way to me here.
I would hate to have my high regard for this place as a community of
the helpful and gracious dashed.
Regards,
John Lederer
retired lawyer
DeWitt, Ross and Stevens
Madison, Wis.
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