Marcus' World

The Institute for the Future of Libraries

When I began the National Library of Medicine fellowship in 2002, people quickly began to ask, "What do you want to do? Where will you be in 5 years? 10 years?," etc.  It's a natural question, but in my heart of hearts I had absolutely no idea.  But saying "I don't know" is not appropriate. So I latched onto the idea that I would eventually be a library director, and ran with it.

That may still happen, but as I've gained some small understanding of what the director's job is like, I am not sure it is for me.  My naive impression was that the director sets the library's direction and meets with external groups, leaving most day-to-day work to trusted staff.  But it appears that there's more "daily grind" than I would do well.

If not the director, what else?  Lately I've been mulling over the idea of starting something called (grandiosely) the Institute for the Future of Libraries.  Every group seems to have a "think tank"; why not libraries?  Our professional organizations are well equipped to provide continuing education and connections between colleagues.  But, perhaps because libraries are so service-oriented, there is not much support for ongoing reflection on the nature and evolution of the profession. 

This is always important, and I believe it is especially critical now.  Change is constant, as Scott noted recently.  But today's changes--when the nature of authoritative information is less clear, the status of copyright laws is unsettled, and folksonomy is challenging traditional structured vocabularies--feel particularly fundamental.

In a way, the Institute for the Future of Libraries would maintain a permanent environmental scan, of the sort that OCLC did so well in 2003.  We could apply for start-up funds from OCLC (if they do such a thing!), or an appropriate foundation.  Ongoing revenue would come from contracts in which librarian scholars demonstrate how "big picture" thinking can improve day-to-day operations at various libraries.

This idea is still many years from fruition, and needs a great deal of fleshing out for any chance to succeed.  But the next time somebody asks what my future holds, I'll say, "think tank creator."

Times Select

I am a sucker. Or, if you prefer, a loyal member of my designated demographic.

Today the Times premiered Times Select, which is a way to squeeze more money out of the brand that is the New York Times.  The benefits of Times Select are cool, including early access to weekend articles and generous monthly limits for browsing the archives.  The most visible change is that opinion columns are part of the Select package, and no longer available for free.

If I subscribed to the print edition I could have added Times Select for free.  But I quit subscribing immediately after we moved to New York, once the paper was stolen from the steps outside our apartment building. By now I've grown used to picking it up at the newsstand.

So I had to pay to be select, and it didn't take much convincing.  The price is not bad, and I  jumped on the deal fast enough to get the early-bird discount.  Part of me is snickering at myself, but on the whole I'm content with yet another manifestation of Eastern Seaboard snobbishness.
 

That's Why I Write This Way

As William Safire recounts in this week's "On Language" column in the New York Times Magazine, recently deceased author Saul Bellow once wrote, "Let the pure snows cool these overheated minds and dilute the toxins which have infected our judgments."

The grammarians are recoiling in horror by now--Bellow used "which" instead of "that" to introduce "have infected our judgments."  This chump won a Nobel Prize? Were they just giving it away that year?

Of course not; Bellow is one of the 20th century's great writers.  As he explained in justification, "'Which' sounded better than 'that,' and I do go by sounds as well as by grammar."

Great advice, Saul.  I like to think of grammar as an envelope of suggestions rather than a tight box of persnickety rules.   Too bad that I think of paper citation formats the same way!

Fit and Fidgeting

I always drive Helen crazy with my fidgeting about.   I never really sit still, which first became a problem at church years ago when they made the kids sit through the entire service.   Now I always fear that I am being rude at the movies or a play.

But it turns out that this is just a sign of my incredible health.  As reported in the Times on Friday ("The Fit Tend to Fidget, and Biology May be Why"):

"Overweight people have a tendency to sit, while lean ones have trouble holding still and spend two hours more a day on their feet, pacing around and fidgeting, researchers are reporting in findings published today."

So there, sweetheart.   If anyone ever challenges my fidgeting at a nice evening out, I'll politely say, "It's not boorishness, it's biology."