I hate to be a harbinger of bad news, but there was an
incredibly offensive article regarding outsourcing in the August 7,
1995 issue of _Of Counsel_. In it, Larry Smith, Editor in Chief of
Aspen Law & Business' _Of Counsel_, makes several inflammatory
statements, such as:
"Today, law librarians must justify their existence as their work
becomes no longer the studious building of great collections, but
the same automated information delivery that MIS staffs can
provide. Is someone redundant here?"
and a rather strange comment,
"The fact that [Carol] Billings, who works at the State Law Library
of Louisiana, nor Patrick Kehoe, her successor as AALL president
and librarian at the American University, work at law firms or law
departments may say something about where the shifting tides are
carrying this profession."
In a discussion about the salaries for librarians who go to work
for outsourcing firms, Smith states, "On the other hand, Lorraine
Kulpa [the librarian at B&M Chicago] earned $100,000 at Baker &
McKenzie; it is absurd to imagine any outsourcing firm willing to
pay her that."
I recognize that taking quotes out of context is dangerous, so I
encourage each of you to read the article on your own, and
formulate your own opinions. I would also like to see some formal
response on the part of PLL and AALL to the misinformation
contained in the article.
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"Faced with the choice
Michael Saint-Onge between changing one's mind
Coudert Brothers and proving that there is no need to,
San Francisco almost everybody gets busy
cbsfo@well.com on the proof"
John Kenneth Galbraith
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