Ignore the man behind the curtain": does this paradigm still work?

Citation

Boese, K.C. (2003), "Ignore the man behind the curtain": does this paradigm still work?", The Bottom Line, Vol. 16 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2003.17016caa.001

"Ignore the man behind the curtain": does this paradigm still work?

"Ignore the man behind the curtain": does this paradigm still work?

One thing that has become crystal clear is that libraries, and librarians, need to be visible and vocal to remain viable. Public, private, and governmental support of libraries for the public good is not business as usual anymore, nor has it been for some time. Our need to run "efficient information clearinghouses" that can account for every nickel and dime, while making Herculean efforts to provide more, better, and faster, seems to be what is demanded from our times if we are to thrive.

While many library directors have adapted to the new paradigm well, there are still library services and staff that are rarely known outside of their narrowly focused professional subgroups, let alone outside of the library itself. One of these groups is technical services librarians. They are the actuarial black boxes of libraries, where unorganized purchase requests and materials are sent, only to magically appear shelf ready at the other end of the box.

Some of the most time consuming and valuable work in a library is done, like Dorothy's wizard in Oz, behind the curtain – little known, quietly performed, and often not understood. This issue attempts to bring technical services issues out from behind the curtain. The goal of doing so is to encourage a better understanding of library financial issues in their entirety, both within and outside of the library.

One thread that recurred in each of this issue's articles is the need for additional studies on the costs and benefits of technical services operations. While a cataloger can calculate the cost of an authority record, or money can be saved through economies of scale or sharp negotiations, there are several peripheral and long-term questions that still have no answers. Until these questions, and others, have been identified and answered, the true cost of operating a successful library that adequately serves its users cannot be known. To intelligently decide which activities or services are performed in-house, which are outsourced, and which are omitted entirely, many of the intangibles of library work must be made tangible, real, and familiar.

Admittedly, the articles within these pages take a micro view of their subjects. But, much like a jigsaw puzzle, the macro level can only be achieved by understanding the parts, and then seeing how those parts interrelate. Upon reading this issue, it is hoped that such examinations will be undertaken. These studies could only enhance our professional understanding of the work we do, and place us on firmer foundations as we argue our cases for funding.

Kent C. Boese