Re: Accuracy (RE: [SERIALST] dropping serial check-in?) barbara trumpinski-roberts 04 Aug 2004 20:38 UTC
As a library technician who is responsible for checking in and binding periodicals/serials/etc, i really take exception to someone who doesn't deal with my job on a daily basis saying 'a little inaccuracy isn't important.' Your acceptance of inaccuracy makes MY job a lot harder. On one hand, you say it saves time to not check in whatever it is that you aren't checking in...on the other hand, when a piece is missing and a faculty member needing information is screaming and I have no clue if we received the piece or not...it's my butt on the line and I will be taking the blame because I am the one who hasn't done my job properly (given that my job is to make sure that the periodical is on the shelf and available because I am the technical staff dealing with periodicals). What we are REALLY dealing with here is that old bugaboo of "professionalism." Should I, as a library tech, not treat my job with the respect that it deserves because I am not getting paid a faculty salary nor wearing the title "librarian"? I don't think so. Barbara Trumpinski-Roberts Funk ACES Library Technical Assistant MSLS Eastern Illinois University, 1979 ---- Original message ---- >Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 10:52:53 -0700 >From: Rick Anderson <rickand@UNR.EDU> >Subject: [SERIALST] Accuracy (RE: [SERIALST] dropping serial check-in?) >To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU > >> My library administration doesn't really think claiming or >> inventorying >> periodical collection is really necessary. As the administration puts >> it "a little inaccuracy, disorder and instability are not always bad." >> Personally, I found it is very difficult to persuade library >> administration why it is important to be accurate. > >At the risk of starting another argument, I think it's worth pointing >out that the question isn't whether we should be accurate or not, but >rather how much a unit of accuracy is worth. If you employed one person >and said "Handle serials any way you want," you'd probably end up with a >completely unacceptable level of inaccuracy. On the other hand, if you >wanted perfect accuracy, you'd probably have to hire 100 professional >librarians and create endless manuals for them. We can probably all >agree that that's too high a price to pay. So where's the balance >between those two extremes? Cynthia, you're not wrong to say that >accuracy is important. But your administration is also not wrong to say >that "a little inaccuracy... is not always bad." The question is, how >little? > >---- >Rick Anderson >Dir. of Resource Acquisition >University of Nevada, Reno Libraries >(775) 784-6500 x273 >rickand@unr.edu barbara trumpinski-roberts (smotu) 217-333-2416 kittent@uiuc.edu Funk ACES Library-UIUC 200 LIAC 1101 S. Goodwin Urbana, IL 61801 mc-633 "the one thing you can't give up for your heart's desire is your heart." mitch burnside-clapp