This posting marks my first foray into the discussion aspect of law-lib
even though I've been a subscriber for over six months and have posted
one or two "I need help" messages. This brings me
to one of my points regarding what type of list law-lib is, or seems to
be. We have many so-called "lurkers" on this list. If we discourage
people who don't contribute anything to the science or the art of law
librarianship (ie. non-librarians, those who just ask reference
questions, etc.) then aren't we also implicitly telling those who lurk
that they are not welcome either? Part of the nice thing about law-lib
is the opporunity to benefit from the knowledge and experience of
others. In my opinion, knowledge and experience that is helpful to me
comes from all sorts of places and people. It doesn't really matter,
does it, where or who the answer comes from so long as you get it when
you need it.
We shouldn't be discriminating (for that's what it is)
based on someone's occupation, profession, avocation, or whatever you
call it. It's like using the "not" command for an online service: by
keeping certain people and questions away from our pristine circle, we
may be missing an awful lot that could help us do our jobs better. Isn't
that what we're taught as librarians? Never exclude something as a
possible source for the answer you're seeking. We may have our favorite
sources, but they're certainly not the only ones!
And what if all the reference questions were relegated to another list?
Then those of us who get great tips from reading others' questions
and responses will have to subscribe to two lists, doubling (at least) the
time it takes to read through listserv mail to get the same information
we now get on one, all-purpose, sometimes serendipitous law-lib
listserv.
Well, that's about all. Sorry it took so long to say. My parting
comment, really it's a wish, is that we all take a look at this
cyber-community we've created, see how good it can be if we all just
exercise large doses of civility and personal good judgment.
Thanks for "listening."
Anne Kirkhope
Law Librarian
Eastman & Smith
Toledo, OH
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 14 2007 - 20:48:59 PST