Take a stand—empower yourself for the profession - Communications Outlook

Information Outlook, June, 2002 by Anthony Blue, Tamara Theiler

As information professionals, you have the power to abolish negative stereotypes and perceptions about your profession. So in this month's column, I've decided to share letters that SLA recently sent to the editors of the Washington Post Magazine and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Daily Bruin Online. Each letter addresses negative comments that were published about special libraries, library schools and the library profession.

The first letter was written in response to "Monumental Ambition," an article printed in the Feb. 17, 2002 edition of The Washington Post Magazine. The author, Paula Span, questioned the necessity of spending taxpayer dollars to maintain presidential libraries. The Washington Post Magazine published the SLA letter in their March 31, 2002 edition.

An Open Letter to the Editors of The Washington Post Magazine:

This letter is to express disappointment over the comments made by Paula Span in her article Monumental Ambition (February 17, 2002). The column underestimates the value of presidential libraries. These institutions are the sole depositories of millions of presidential papers and pieces of memorabilia. Such items combine to help us better understand the workings of the White House and the function of the presidency. These articles of Americana also provide us a glimpse into how our leaders make decisions, which allows us to either build on an administration's good works or to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Without these libraries much of our history would be lost. Items that currently go to the libraries would be packed away in a large warehouse somewhere, dispersed among former presidents, vice presidents and White House staff and advisors, or simply thrown in the trash. The loss of these items would leave us with no way to look back on our past and objectively review what took place. Without the information available in these libraries American society would remain stagnant.

For those who live outside Washington, a visit to one of these libraries may be the only chance for a handson view of the workings of government. The firsthand knowledge gained during a visit teaches more than even the best history teacher.

Span asked "Are these libraries worth the $55 million dollars taxpayers spent last year to maintain them?" Absolutely!

The second letter was written in response to an online article, "Library Science Degree: File That Under Stupid," which ran in the March 8,2002 edition of the UCLA Daily Bruin Online. The author, Sony Barari, questioned the need for library science programs and ridiculed the library profession. Barari later issued a statement as a result of an overwhelming response from the library community.

An Open Letter to the Editors of The UCLA Daily Bruin Online:

I write to express disappointment over the negative atmosphere created by Sony Barari in his online article Library Science Degree: File that Under Stupid (March 08, 2002).

Since the article was published, library science students, as well as information professionals worldwide, have expressed dismay over the lack of integrity and misinformation displayed by both Mr. Barari and the UCLA Daily Bruin Online.

Although the tone of the article is satirical, the message easily misleads your readers, leaving them with a negative impression of the library profession and further perpetuating the stereotypes that librarians have fought long to abolish.

Contrary to the assertions made by Mr. Barari, it is estimated that there are 140,460 individuals holding master's of Library/Information Sciences degrees. These special librarians/information professionals are experts who play a pivotal role in the global information arena--collecting, analyzing, packaging and disseminating information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, government and academic settings.

Working for an organization that represents the interest of thousands of special librarians and information professionals worldwide, I strongly suggest the Daily Brain Online take responsibility and uproot the seeds planted by this damaging article. Coincidentally, my organization (SLA) will be holding our 93rd Annual Conference in Los Angeles, June 8-13, 2002. We invite you to send a representative to experience the world of today's information professional.

Perhaps the Daily Brain Online could ran a feature story on one of its own hard working employees. UCLA staff members Alison Becker, Jennifer Hill and Laura Smart are positive examples of librarians who do not fit Mr. Barari's mold. Although, I am very much aware of the apology released on behalf of Mr. Barari, the Daily Bruin Online has an ethical responsibility to uphold journalistic values and not sacrifice the truth for comedic purposes.