Since I missed class on Monday, I was going to write a post about the reading on Authority Control. However, I feel like we’ve already discussed that topic (Some are for, some against). In lieu of that, I wanted to share a blog that a family friend of mine (who is a librarian) sent me a few weeks ago:
http://censoredgenius.blogspot.com/
A lot of the posts are interesting, but I particularly like the “How we killed the Public Library” Post.
http://censoredgenius.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-we-killed-public-library.html
Here’s a little excerpt:
“I read articles where some idiot laments the difficulty with using library resources, catalogs, databases. They want everything to be easier. But tools are not easy to use; you cut your finger on a kitchen knife or smash your thumb with a hammer, but no one stops cutting or hammering. We learn. If tools were easy, we would all fix our own cars. But no, professional mechanics fix your car. Some librarians want to dumb down the profession of librarianship! To what end? Why the fuck would you want to do that? So what if the catalog is difficult to use: teach people to use it. The people who learn will be smart and the other assholes will remain assholes; it’s that simple.”
I guess I should mention the blogger uses quite a bit of profanity, but I think that’s to be expected from someone who goes by the.effing.librarian. I’m curious to see what other people think.
Oh, and this is pretty accurate:
http://censoredgenius.blogspot.com/2013/05/evolution-of-library-using-books.html
LIS 653-01 Knowledge Organization 
Just going by the quote I think this article could be quite controversial. I don’t think there will ever be a correct answer on how public libraries should respond to users who prefer the easy route to the best route. Personally, I sort of disagree with the quote but I do understand how someone could feel that way.
I liked his concept that as a database, it is a tool and it can be difficult to use. He has a valid point though, it isn’t easy to use at first try. That’s why people either give up, ask for help, or figure it out themselves. The first example that came to mind for me was a cell phone. It is a tool and with as much as they have changed, (and I especially remember this being applicable when Siri for iPhones was introduced) people loved it once they discovered how to use it. I had a friend who came to work sleepless from staying up with his new iPhone the night before. He did it because (…Siri was addicting…) he wanted to make sure he could use his phone correctly and tried understanding it as thoroughly as possible.
Databases as a tool can be helpful. If they so choose to not figure it out, so be it.
As for the rest of his article, I felt like he rambled at times and in the end, although with many digressions, got back to the main point. It was an interesting read, and I have looked more into his blog/books just because I do find his opinion intriguing.
I liked the blogger’s brutal and honest opinion because some of my friends and families have even asked me why I was going to library school when so much information can be found through Google or other free sources of information.
But I think we will still need libraries and librarians who can teach information literacy because anyone can go on the internet and find what they are looking for but the information may not be reliable. People need to be taught which sources of information are credible and which ones are not. Librarians play a key role in this, particularly in schools.
I agree with the author when they say that a library that we think of today may not have the same meaning or function in the future but libraries will still provide people with the information they seek.