Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Stop the bickering in ALA!

I want to start posting more. I started multiple posts about getting laid off and my ongoing job search, but I kept feeling embarrassed to be writing about being unemployed, even while knowing that I have nothing to be ashamed of. It's just really weird to be unemployed.

I just made a comment on John Berry's article on anonymity and free expression. In an attempt to write more or at the very least publish what I write, I'm pasting the comment here.
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One of my major gripes within our profession are the self-created and self-imposed great divides. The techies and the non-techies, the old and sometimes seemingly entrenched and the young and sometimes impatient, social activists of ALA and those that think ALA should not take stands on things that they consider to be non-library issues, intellectual freedom champions and those that put their entire lives available for public consumption in addition to individuals that appear to be uneasy with the notion of anonymity.
By no means do I wish to present these issues as dichotomous and/or simplistic. I just find the gall of the various camps and their staunch vehemence that there
I sometimes wonder if we have far too much in-fighting to continue as a profession.
We need to not be so put off by those that do not see take an interest in b/vlogs, RFID technology, webinars and the like.
We need to be open to the suggestions of all while being willing to listen to the counterarguments without prejudice.
We need to stop thinking that our way is the best/right way.
We need to be willing to try something for a while, just to see if it works. If it does not,
We need to be working together as a profession as opposed to tearing down each other.
Work together to build our own automation systems, share advocacy tools, create searchable databases that rival corporate products in breadth and reliability,

I agree that Annoyed Librarian's blog entries should be anonymous. While I am not comparing Annoyed Librarian to Voltaire in style, I appreciate that both have written to critique
I, too, am not a fan of "obsessively self-revelatory librarians" and for better or for worse, I see that as the primarily accepted lifestyle within this profession at the moment.

I by no means think that I have all of the answers. I want to see libraries flourish and thrive for years to come. It has been devastating to see so many colleagues laid off and to read of numerous library closings. Perhaps I'm a bit shell shocked and skeptical of a continued prosperity and relevance of libraries. I honestly think that the bickering, passive aggressiveness, snark, stonewalling and overall conceited notion that is pervasive in this profession is what may be ultimately holding us back.