Will Computers Replace Librarians?

I say yes only when the day that a computer can think like a human, have emotions like a human, and talk like a human, and then it is the day that the computers replace librarians.  However, librarians will not be the only profession in danger if such scenario happens.  The fact is that computer is a tool.  It assists human being to accomplish complicated tasks, but it cannot take over the tasks by themselves.  For example, a computer can create a concordance but not an index.  Listing words in alphabetical order is not an index.  An index is created with the understanding of the material or concept of the material in mind.  Indexers can sort through humor, figure of speech, puns, or abstract logics.  A computer cannot appreciate art although it can describe it by its physical form.  It’s all about the aboutness!  Analytical thinking and abstract thinking are still required human intervention.  Let’s remember that in the year 2008 computer is still a tool not a human being.

Controlled Vocabularies versus Natural Language Vocabularies

This is an age old debate among the indexers and catalogers.  Either system has its strengths and weaknesses.  The controlled vocabularies system brings about standard and uniformity.  Users can easily find information as long as they follow the rule like Dorothy follows the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz.  The end result to conduct this search yields higher precision but lower recall.  The burden is on the shoulders of the cataloger or indexer to find all possible way to link the users to the information.  If the “Ozian” builders did not build the yellow brick road from the East to the Emerald City, then Dorothy will never be able to find the wizard.  Same as if the indexer failed to index the appropriate terms, then the users will not be able to find the information.  Natural language system on the other hand gives the power to users to enter their own search terms.  The problem is that not all roads lead to Rome when you conduct information search.  The recall is high, but generally the precision is low.  The users might have to conduct further searches to eliminate irrelevant information.  Generally a good system I believe is a hybrid system when you have some controlled vocabularies but not too restricted.  This does not mean that hybrid system is always the best.  In some situation, controlled vocabularies system is the best solution.  If a user is new to a subject field, it is better to use controlled vocabularies system to guide this new user because he or she might not have enough subject related terms to conduct a search.  On the other hand, the natural language vocabularies system works great for subject field that often generate new words and terms.  It is difficult to control these vocabularies when they are often new and not well known.  The user will likely to find information with keyword search in this kind of subject field. 

Blended Librarians

I was thinking about the article “A Passion for Academic Librarianship” by Steven Bell specifically about the blended librarian. Bell actually set up a website and a community of Blended Librarians at http://blendedlibrarian.org. Bell wants the librarianship moving into a more technological and educational role. He is absolutely right. It’s hard for the technology to replace the librarians if the librarians are the maters of the technology. It also helps the librarians moving beyond just book stacks and into the classrooms joining the faculty members and the students. Education has changed as much as the librarianship has changed. Physically confined spaces are not required to make classrooms or libraries. The creation of WebCT or Balckboard transforms classrooms into virtual space and classrooms without walls. Chat rooms, instant messages, emails, webcams, and electronic discussion boards are all become tools for educational means. Asynchronous and synchronous communications through computer mediated method deliver quality education just as good as a traditional classroom method. Librarians can deliver library tutorials through real time media, and student’s questions can be answered through virtual reference. Librarians actually play a more important role than ever when it comes to technology and education. Librarians often are the first people who dive in to the dark technological pools. We find what work for our faculty and students and we deliver the new technology to them. Without us, the students will be lost in the massive new technology pool and can’t find what tools that can truly help with their education. Without us, you will have serious problem to educate and “push” our faculty new ways to deliver their knowledge to their students. A blended librarian is everyone’s pal because he or she can bring technology and education together to the academia in this ever changing technological, savvy world.

Librarians as Teachers and Guides

Librarians in general have a role play in the society that is to educate the public about information access.  We are no longer the gatekeepers of the entrance to the “book warehouse.”  We are rather the gatekeepers of the knowledge.  As the amount of information increases in our world, our roles become more and more important.  It was not that challenging in helping users to access to 20 books on a shelf couple hundred years ago because it did not take much time to go through 20 books.  It was then becoming more challenging to help users to access to 100 and even 100,000 books in a grand library as libraries became more popular.  Subsequently, librarians came up methods of cataloging to assist them to find materials for the users.  Later on it was sometimes nearly impossible to help user to access the information on the internet in the early days of the 90s before a good index system was in place.  Key word search would only return you with hundreds of irrelevant recalls.  As the amount of the information explodes, librarians have come up better organizing and index methods to control it in order to gain access to the vast among of the information that will not stop growing anytime soon.  We then pass along these valuable skills to the information “sailors” so they won’t be lost in the “sea” of information.  In reality we can’t be anywhere to help anyone at anytime.  This is why it is important that we help our population to understand how to find information, how the information is organized, and how to retrieve it.  It is also important for the users to understand the nature of the information whether it’s neutral or bias.  The world is changing in a great rate of speed.  New technology advances as information increases, and new information advance new technology.  It seems like it’s going to be an endless cycle in the near future.  I believe the librarian profession is not going anywhere soon.  The public needs us.  We will be that beacon for the lost “sailor” in the dark “sea” of information guiding them to the shore of knowledge. 

The Perfect Unbiased Librarians

I question if there is such specie as unbiased librarians?  Every one of us was brought up with certain values and beliefs.  Things we learned along the way could be educational or brainwashing.  As we grow older, our experiences in our passed years give us more insight about what life should be or ought to be.  We bring all these “tools” and “baggages” in life with us into the profession as we become librarians.  One of our new objectives is now setting aside many of our beliefs and values and become neutral to our users.  Is it possible to do?  I think it is doable but it’s not going to be all easy.  There will be time when conflicts and ambiguities occur while dealing with our users.  Pro-life medical librarians help Pro-choice patrons with pro-abortion issues and vise versa.  Christian public librarians help patrons with witchcraft and black magic studies.  Muslim law librarians help gay patrons with gay marriage rights issues.  Here is the best one.  Any librarian helps patrons who are seeking information on pro-censorship materials.  It is not too hard to put aside our personal beliefs for a short moment, but if we spend too little time and give too little information to our “controversial” users, are we then denying their rights to information access?  How much information we provide to them is enough information in order to be considered unbiased?  It’s not easy to find the balance.  I think we all should do our best.  Should any librarian feel strongly about certain issue and truly cannot help the patron, then he or she has an obligation to find another librarian who can assist this patron.  We all have our beliefs and values.  We all have obligations to our patrons.  We must understand that providing the information to the patron does not equivalent to our condolence of what the patron is going to do with the information.  Everyone is given free choices to make decisions in their lives and that include our patrons.  Gun makers are not responsible for murderers’ heinous acts.  Car makers and wineries are not responsible for drunk driving.  Why are the librarians so concerned with the information we provide to our patrons?  Unless the information we provide can cause immediate harm to the patron and the persons around us, I say let go and be all the librarian you can be.   

PS. I just want to clarify that when I said “Unless the information we provide can cause immediate harm to the patron and the persons around us.”  I mean for example if someone comes into the library with a gun and says that he wishes to kill the director of the library and wants to know where his office is.  I believe I have a duty not to provide him such information (I probably would lie to him) because he has made his intention known to cause harm to the director.  I didn’t mean to censor any information that  the patron might use to do harm to others.  I meant in a clear cut, in your face kind of the situation.  Thanks.

Organizational Culture

I have been working on this topic for couple of weeks.  It’s about time that I should post it!

The Organizational Culture and Higher Education reading is like a dry steak.  It is very dry and hard to digest it all.  I have been trying to cut it into pieces and see if I can get it down.  There were many schools of thought on organizational culture.

Max Weber studied the bureaucracies, and Heri Fayol expanded upon Weber’s study.  Bureaucracy is a very hierarchical and top to down kind of organization.  It runs inefficiently when it grew too large.

Frederick Taylor then came up with the scientific management.  It requires the mangers and workers to work together to ensure productivities.  Everyone then shares the surplus of profits as a result of working together.  I think Taylor forgot about personal hidden agendas and politics that exist within an organization.  I can see that there will be a lot of singing of kumbaya among the workers and managers at work.  I will work if there is a tremendous leader at the top who can bring everyone together. 

Bureaucracy theory then evolved into structure theory.  Structure theory breaks down the bureaucracy and does not assume that one method fits all organizations.

There is the system approach or thought of Norbert Wiener and Ludwig von Bertalanffy.  It focuses on the interconnections, both within the organization and between the organization and the environment.  Daniel Katz and Robert Kahn suggest that organization needs to constantly evolve and adapt to its environment.   

Organizational culture is made out of its members.  Schein described that there are 3 levels that the organization culture manifests itself.  They are deep tacit, espoused values, and day-to-day behaviors.  William Sannwald stated that organizational culture gives its members identities. 

The organizational leader can change and evolve an organization with new visions through communication to its members.  I totally agree.  On the other hand, a leader who cannot communicate his or her vision will bring down an organization.  Chaos, confusions, and mistrust occur when the message of a leader was not properly communicated to the body of the organization.  This could lead to higher number of overturn rate in the organization. 

Organizational culture is a complex topic.  It involves with people and people are complex.  However, I think that any type of culture can work no mater what type of cultures an organization adopts as long as the body of the organization can work together to achieve its overall goals. 

January 19, 2008 First Day @ SLIS 5330

This is my first blog at SLIS 5330.  I really enjoy meeting everyone in the class, and I am looking forward to a great semester.

DL