Ben Shirley's Revised Statement Of Professional Values

Ben Shirley MLIS 662 Dr. Chow 4/26/09 Revised Statement of Professional Values Contents:

Introductory Statement As a library and information science professional, my professional values are based on how I feel information can best be communicated and organized to benefit our society. Ethical Foundations of Librarianship and Informational Work The foremost professional value that I hold is making information universally available to users. It is the structure of our society that limits the implications of this value. First, it is necessary that information be made available to people in a way that helps them, educates them, and lets them make their own decisions about the information's value. A system that provides universal open access to all, but does not promote positive critical interpretation and use of information becomes dangerous, volatile and self destructive. I believe that luckily, it is human nature to do otherwise. A good system takes ethics into account, but also treats those ethics just as other pieces of information are treated, as something, if it is useful, to be communicated to users, and communicated about by users of the information system. This gives the opportunity for users to participate in information creation and not just the consumption of it. If through use, information is critically examined and then synthesized by the user and not just by the information authority, then the process of information nurturing and culling will be infinitely more efficient and accurate to the needs and ethics of the information society. To mix metaphors: the wheat will separate from the chaff, and the cream will rise to the top, but only if the system is designed for this to happen. It is the information process which is most essential in the creation of good cream and wheat (yum!). The information process can be defined as communication of information. It is information in its kinetic state. Like matter, information is most useful when it is dynamic, creating energy. There are many aspects to the issues of information rights both legal and humanitarian. For me these issues are also largely tied to information technology since the possibilities of information access are increasing as a result of progress. I will discuss issues such as the open source movement and digital rights management later in the section on technology. First I would like to discuss the role of academia as a model in the progress of universally accessible information. At symbolic example of this matter is the issue of the open access journal. Open access journals are academic journals which are published without subscription costs to the end user. This system is meant to allow for free access of scholarly information to a wider audience and especially to provide equal access to groups which would not normally have the funds that grant access to this information. This is a model based on the philosophy that providing widespread and equal educational opportunities is in the interest of the greater good of humanity. The recent emergence

of open access journals as a movement has been propagated by the cheap, widespread and easily accessible format of web publishing. Despite the noble aims of the movement there are obstacles that have and will continue to slow its progress. Mainly opponents of the open access movement are those that stand to loose profit from its growth. These are journal publishers, aggregators, databases, and even authors of individual articles. There is an understandable concern over free and widespread dissemination of articles which might lead to infringement on the rights of the creator and copyright holder. Like copyright law, this issue will continue to be debated and continue to evolve over the long term. The philanthropic nature of education lends its self so directly to the concepts of open and free access to information for all people of the world that the movement cannot be ignored by those in the academic and educational realms. The enemies of open access remain corporate researchers, publishers and academic elitists who have traditionally profited by excluding information from those that could not afford it. Historically there has been a physical limitation of printing and dispersing information which created an information service and a physical product in printed form. However these barriers to more comprehensive information access are being overcome by technology and the human conviction that shared knowledge is much more powerful and beneficial than exclusionary retention of knowledge. We have seen that the movement towards open access is complex and will be a gradual process the field. We must raise and answer questions of rights of individuals to power in the form of information and economics, but also more practical ones of academic integrity and user access (See Open Access Journals for more information on the subject). Another higher education issue of information access is the peer review system. The traditional academic peer review system for publications in academic journals is currently colliding with the online world of open democratic input by all who are willing or interested in commenting on a published work. Traditionally the process of peer review for academic publications had been open only to the academic community, and specifically to the smaller community of experts within the given field of study. The Internet offers new technologies for written communication and collaboration. But the question is raised as to whether these technologies offer something that the world of academic publishing has always needed, and will breath new life into its process, or if the technologies are being adopted for the sake of information fads, and will only weaken the process of academic publishing. It seems at this point that the academic publishing world is moving towards some form of an open online review system. The process of finding a system that works well and can satisfy naysayers will be a long one. However this is a problem that the academic world is specially equipped to take on since it has so many philosophical implications about information freedom and society. As it is with all academic decisions, this one will take debate, discourse, and above all, time (See A New Face on Peer Reviews for more on the subject). Another way that information ethics are related to technology is through the concept of the digital divide. This refers to the widening gap between those who have information technology skills and access and those who don't. This is an education issue, a cultural issue, and a socio-economics issue. It is directly tied to issues of information literacy. As an information professional I see it as my role to help to recognize, illuminate, and decrease this problematic disparity. There are many fronts that information professionals can work on to close the digital divide. One is effective application of action research, where researchers work directly with a group, to help them better understand their problems and obtainable solutions while remaining culturally sensitive. (See Supplemental Documents for examples of action research). Management

The structure of our society determines the control and flow of information. And the component that I value most within this structure is people. In order to facilitate the effective flow of information to and from people, a human management structure is needed. The concept of management is closely related to the idea of leadership. Both terms can be defined as a person who facilitates the work of a group towards a goal or mission. A more important distinction to be made is between good and bad leadership (or management). Throughout my studies many of the good leadership attributes which I have been presented with have confirmed my own values in human interaction. These values include leading by example, working through collaboration, and treating people as complex beings rather than simple resources of an organization. It is an unhealthy relationship for employees to consider their leader to be an all knowing authority to be followed without question. This model of leadership only promotes disillusion, lack of investment in the organization, or dissension. My view of leadership has changed through my view of myself as a leader. I have been in leadership positions before, but I have generally not considered myself to be a strong leader. Through exploration of the subject of leadership I have seen that an effective leader uses his or her own strengthens to lead as effectively as possible. There is also much that can be learned in the way of leadership through practice. Becoming aware of your behavior patterns and making a conscious effort to improve upon them through trial and error can improve leadership skills. It is also important to truly have interest and emotional investment in the people and organization that you are working for. Good management skills can be beneficial even if used by those who are not in an official management position, and managers usually have started in a position of non-leadership. In any new position I would expect peers and managers who are in direct contact with me in my work environment to undergo a “forming, storming, norming, conforming, performing” process. The “forming” step begins immediately and is generally filled with formalities. Part of this process would be a job orientation, which hopefully I would have had much of during the interview process. Again, my match for the position will have the biggest effect on how smoothly I move through “storming” (conflict that may arise) to “norming” (my acceptance into the work environment). Knowing what my peers and managers expect of me will speed this process. Through this acclimation process I will strive not only to know what needs to be accomplished, but what purpose the goal has. In this way I can align my personal and career goals with those of the organization. It is possible that these methods will be met with resistance if the organization and work environment have a hierarchical command and control type structure. Through lateral leadership techniques, such as leading by example, planting new ideas as seeds, giving others input, and encouraging participation in addressing problems, the “norming” and “conforming” steps can become a two way street. In other words, I can contribute to the growth of the work environment just as I learn to become a productive functioning part of the system that already exists. It will be through this process that the ideal state of “performing” will be approached. In practice an ideal state of perfectly efficient performance is impossible. Processes will continue to arise that put the group back into “storming” or other stages. Acceptance of the reality of chaos and complexity by the group will help stabilize and adapt the organization more quickly. Positive social interaction is another way that I can contribute to a healthy working environment. It is important to get to know the goals and perspectives of the people that you are working with, and also to learn their talents and weaknesses. This kind of familiarity can only be accomplished by social interaction outside of the structure of the work environment. Arguments against social familiarity between coworkers do not outweigh the benefits. (See Leadership and Management Treatise for more on this subject). As a manager in my theoretical model of an ideal library I would create an environment where equal respect would be given to staff with professional degrees and without. Roles would primarily be

assigned based on the fit of the employee to the task. However, an environment would be maintained where professional experience would be respected and used to teach others. Staff would be hired based on their fit for a very specific job description detailing what they would actually be doing. Half of the interview would be like a training orientation. The interviewer would demonstrate a task and ask questions like, “How comfortable would you feel doing this?” Tasks that require interactions with patrons would be done with live patrons or role playing with other staff. After being hired the employee would go through a more in depth training, which would follow the same outline. Staff positions would be flexible in that staff would be encouraged to take shifts in different departments of the library. This would help identify specific talent in employees and also prevent burnout. Another benefit of this cross-pollination would be a better understanding of what colleagues do on a day to day basis, and a more holistic view of how the library functions. A system of training and checking would be put in place to avoid having inexperienced employees miscataloging items or violating circulation rules. This system would even be expanded to volunteer patrons who could eventually become employees. The employee would be encouraged to make ongoing suggestions about the structure of their job, as would other employees and managers, using a database system similar to the interactive catalog. This system would keep a database of tasks performed by employees, and related comments and evaluations by those involved. There would be a bi-annual (or more often if needed) evaluation meeting between each employee and respective manager where the collected comments and suggestions given about a person’s job will be discussed. Major modifications to positions could then be suggested to a committee for approval based on budgetary and personnel resources of the library. The pay scale for a staff member would be recommended for an increase as they became more efficient at a task, as well as when they took on new tasks. With a program that encourages staff to try out new roles in different departments, there will be a constant opportunity to try new things and discover new talents. Through this program, when successful matches are found between staff talent and required tasks there will be an opportunity to modify the staff member’s job description to charge them with a new task. This will make the staff member more content in doing something that he or she is good at and will increase the overall productivity of the library. As a part of the system that allows employees to make comments or suggestions about the structure of their positions, it will be encouraged to have manager as well as peers enter comments about other employees, including positive ones. This system of feed back will require involved employees involved in a task to make comments about how a task was completed. It will give peers and mangers the opportunity to give positive feedback to one another on a regular basis. All employees input will be considered equally and given equal time and attention. A professional mediator will be kept on staff to help with interpersonal staff as well as patron conflicts. They would be a non biased confidential resource available even for patron’s exclusive needs on a limited basis. When ever a conflict is encountered, a report of its nature would be passed on for the consideration of a committee which decides if policy should be changed to avoid repeating the problem. A part of the work schedule for the employees of the library will be social activities. These activities will include fun learning experiences in and away from the library. There will also be an emphasis on programming activities that encourage self exploration and group dynamics. Staff members will learn about themselves and others around them. They will be paid for this time so as not to discourage participation. When possible the community will be invited to participate, especially the

families of the staff. As with the other systems in the library there will be a database of comments and suggestions for improving social activities. This social frame of reference will help employees show interest in each other on a more personal level and not just a business level. The primary mission of the library will be universal access to the community. The staff will be a part of the community though social activities and interacting with patrons getting to know their interests as a part of the community. Through this, library staff should feel a sense of importance in what they do, but the primary thing that will allow employees to feel value in what they do individually will be the flexibility of the system which helps them find the right fit in a job for their talents. As a part of the community, if employees feel self-fulfilled in what they do, they will also likely feel that they are fulfilling important needs of the community at the same time. (See Administrating My Ideal Library for more on this subject). Reference Reference is the process of information service that a library offers to information users. Traditionally it is used to refer to the interaction between a librarian and a patron searching for information. The role of the librarian in ensuring universal information access is one that involves both personal interaction and guidance, as well as making library policy decisions that directly effect the patron's information gathering experience. I value the responsible and progressive communication of information. Here, responsibility does not mean strict control of the information but cultivating the freedom of the information user. A library provides an information service by facilitating the communication of information to the users. I see four ways that the process takes place. First there is self facilitation by the user. For example, a user can enter a library, search for the information that is individually required, and then leave without criticism or outside influence. This gives users a freedom to choose their own path and rate at which they process information. The second is facilitation of information communication by a librarian to a user. This has been a thoroughly and well developed process in the library field. As an information authority, the librarian communicates with the user. Through this exchange of information, the librarian is able to guide the users to information which will be useful to them. There are certain important ethical standards which have been established to guide the reference service process. In general reference answers should be as accurate as possible and given regardless of who the patron is. Individual institutions will determine restrictions to this. Sometimes individual cases demands decisions to keep information from some individuals in order to protect others. Confidentiality and neutrality should be maintained when communicating with and providing information for patrons. Rules regarding use and access to information should be applied impartially to all patrons. No personal monetary gain should be made from working with patrons. The reference interview is an important central part of personal information service. In this process the reference librarian first finds the real question, meaning that the patron may not initially ask the most direct of complete question to point to the information sought. The reference librarian should be visually approachable and receptive. It is useful for the librarian to take notes, so as not to repeat parts of the interview process. Jargon and other exclusionary language should also be avoided. The scope of the patron's question should be determined leading to an appropriate search strategy. The subjects which are likely to contain the answer can then be determined. It is important to remember that more information creates more noise or the possibility for confusion. Knowing how to limit the amount of information is an important skill for the librarian. The way in which information is delivered is just

as important as its accuracy. Finally, the librarian should ask if the question has been answered, and be receptive to feedback. There are also less direct ways that a librarian provides reference services. One is virtual or chat reference. Chat reference, where the librarian and patron communicate through a text chat interface via the internet, has been used with varying degrees of success. It is the role of a public services librarian to be involved in the choice of vendor for this service and its potential for effective implementation. (See Digital Reference Product Evaluation for an example). Another part to the responsibilities of providing information is cultural sensitivity and relevancy. It is important for the librarian to create pathways to information for and about diverse social groups. This may be in the form of traditional bibliographies or interactive information presentations. (See Supplemental Documents for examples). Information diversity is an important part of library services. The third form of communication that takes place in a library is the library as an institution communicating with users. This process of information exchange takes place in many ways, but some examples are the Library publicizing its services, or the communication of rules, guidelines, or services to users. This communication can take the form of publications, postings, web information, or even librarian to user information. Often the problem with this type of information communication is that the information stems from a bureaucratic decision making process that hardly represents the mission of filling of users information needs. The structure of the data itself can also be an example of the communication of the library as an institution, and convolution of that structure from the bureaucratic decision process can be the bane of the library’s existence. Traditionally businesses have been much more successful at the institution to user type of communication because their capitalistic goals are much more straight forward. Often in business, a mass need is created or seized upon and exploited for monetary gain. Libraries are faced with a very complex task of meeting the individual information needs of all its users. I believe that a solution may be found within the fourth type of information communication in a library, the communication of information from user to user. This is the aspect of communication in libraries that I believe has the most potential for improving the information structure of the library. The growth of technology is making this type of structured communication more possible and more beneficial to the whole system. Library users should be encouraged to create information about information. If this new information is then readily shared with all other users when and were it is relevant to their search for information, all will benefit. The work of information authorities will be multiplied by the masses and users will have more control over the flow of information that they receive, for the betterment of other users. Examples of this type of communication are found largely outside of the average library information system, but could be applied to great benefit. One example is an online user rating system for information. Users can assign a ranking to different pieces of information marking their relevance for future researchers. User created content is a burgeoning information model on the world wide web. With the proper structure and guidance towards beneficial information communication, this could be a very powerful model for Library information communication. As stated earlier, my values include a widened view of the information authority. In our current information society this may require a redefinition of the role of the information authority. Users need to have a say in what information is authoritative, exercise critical thinking, and communicate it to others. In the academic world, the peer review system is a good example of information authority being checked. But it excludes most users from the process, through the definition of who is peer to who. It lacks public exposure and accountability. In the development of the academic system it had been a necessity for checks to evolve to this end, but now using rapidly growing communication technologies,

all members of an information system can benefit from a more open system. Another important part of promoting responsible information authority disbursement is a process of active deferment of information authority. In this process one user gains enough information to actively defer to another user who they believe is knowledgeable and thus worthy of being an authority on a topic. I believe that the disbursement of information authority is the only way for a true model of “the information commons” to be achieved in libraries. A good example of this type of structure at work is Wikipedia, the open source user created online encyclopedia. Wikipedia has its many critics because of its proven potential for misinformation and chaos. I would argue that these are information dangers that we must grapple with in our everyday lives. It is no longer practical to provide current information and simultaneously keep it in a protected form that guarantees information authority. It is the responsibility of the up and coming information professionals to devise systems to find a balance between static information authority, and chaotic noise. Collection Development At the heart of collections development is the library's collections policy. My closest to handson collections development experience has been in an academic library. As I discuss the concept of a collections policy, I will begin with the model of an academic library and then expand it to libraries in general. It is important to have a written collections policy at an academic university library. The basic mission of any academic library is to serve the information needs of the patron population. Here, the information offered is contained in the library collection. The range of information required by members of a university is diverse. Focused subjects of study also require highly in-depth materials in a collection. In a university, specialization of expertise among faculty is the basis of structure for the organization. It then becomes necessary for librarians to specialize in collecting materials of different subjects. They can then work closely with professors to obtain materials that will benefit the departments and subjects of study offered by the university. Because of these complexities a statement of collections policy is a necessity to maintain structure and balance in how materials are selected or rejected by the information provider, the library. It has already been mentioned that many people with different interests are involved in different aspects of collection development at an academic library. Without a written statement of collections development policy, conflicts will inevitably arise over what the library should and should not collect. In any library organization, people who are involved in collection decision making can change over the years. There will be little consistency between years where collection responsibilities change hands unless some sort of written legacy can be handed off to the next person stepping up. Subject concentrations in departments can also change depending on specializations of current professors. A detailed collections development policy can create a balance among and inside of subject areas. The collections policy is important because it is an extension of the mission statement of the parent organization. The library's mission statement is a part of the fulfillment the university mission statement, and so the collections policy is a detailed outline of how the collections department will help fulfill the library and university's mission. Mission statements are often broad in scope and vague in the way of the details of how the given goals can be achieved. It is necessary that the subdivided parts of an organization have policies which support the over all organization's goals while providing more detail of their role in achieving these goals. As stated earlier, the mission is to serve the information needs of the community. The creation process of the collections policy can also provide a useful analysis of the community. Aside from being divided by departments, a university has many different patron types based on academic level including undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, faculty, and members of the

surrounding community. The process of putting together a collections policy document can be a useful opportunity to analyze the different needs of the different parts of your community. There also may be special programs which would benefit from some preconceived information services. Besides the subject of material, the format that it is obtained in can be an important policy decision. A clear example would be a film department which would require a library of exemplary films. A detailed policy would be needed to make sure that the collection was consistent in formats which are accessible to the department. All this being said, possibly the most important role of the collections policy in service to the community would be it's role in balancing the distribution of funds and information resources among departments and programs. With limited funding and resources, it is important to have a written policy to justify how the resources are divided. In the same capacity that a collections policy is a means to achieving the goals of the organizational mission, it can also serve to communicate the specifics of that mission to the members of the information community. When conflicts arise over choices made in collections development, a clear policy can be referenced to support the decisions that were made. Patron's complaints and challenges of materials, as well as issues of censorship can be fielded through the context of a collections policy. It can serve as a central talking point, which can be debated and then changed if necessary consensus is reached. It can also serve to protect individual librarians from taking the blame for collections decisions which can be shown to be made by consensus, and approved by the organization administration. In cases of litigation concerning collections decisions, the majority that had been supported by an approved policy statement have been dropped. When working with the community, a collections policy can help a library have systematic procedures for dealing with many different collection issues particular to that community. For example a gift or donation collections policy can promote consistency in deciding to accept or reject gifted books. The policy can also help communicate the library's intentions in this case to the patron, and provide an agreement of ownership. Within the library a written collections policy is necessary to divide collections responsibilities among staff. This is necessary because of subject specialization as well as division of workload. It is also a useful tool in assigning deselection, evaluation, and other responsibilities. Often, when tasks such as these are not assigned to specific parties, but rather to groups or departments, they will be much less likely to be completed on a regular basis. It is too easy for each person to simply decide that it is someone else's job. Just as a library can use a collections policy to assess its information community, it can also be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. When looking at the balances in quantity and depth of information resources offered by the library, it is not always necessary to sight weaknesses for the purpose of correcting them, but rather it is necessary to justify those weaknesses in light of the information needs of the community. In addition to the processes of selection and deselection, it is important to have policies for item retention and duplication. The decision of how long to retain items is much more efficiently made if there is a standing policy that can be interpreted and acted upon. The process of weeding can be streamlined to avoid having to reinvent the processes every time someone gets around to deciding that the library needs more shelf space. Many librarians would be hesitant to get rid of anything without some clear direction that justifies it. With this system, blame will not be placed on individuals if they are acting on an agreed upon policy. This system also prevents the rash destructive weeding by an incautious librarian. Decision can more easily be made concerning which items will benefit the community in the future and which will just take up shelf space. Efficiently and productivity of collection management will ultimately be improved.

Another realm of the library which a collections policy can extend to is that of budgetary and acquisitions. Universities are accountable to administration, students, trustees, contributors, and sometimes governing bodies and taxpayers for justifying all purchases made. Including collections budget decisions in a policy statement can provide justification and organization of how money is spent in different areas of the collection. When faced with audits or other questions of spending, the policy can show organizational support for the spending decisions that were made. There are several important factors outside of the library or its information community which can be effectively addressed by a collections policy. A library may be subject to official standards imposed by affiliated organizations. Adherence to those standards can be assured through the collections policy. Other external organizations that can affect policy are vendors which require contractual agreements with the library. These agreements will often include limitations on actions such as duplication and dissemination of the provided information. Compliance can be assured through the collections policy. Other libraries can be important external organizations to work with for resource sharing opportunities. In a consortium, a network, or loosely affiliated regional library system, the sharing of resources adds a complex layer of policy on top of individual library policy. Interlibrary loan, shared electronic databases, and agreements between libraries to not overlap holdings across collections can all be outlined in a collections policy. The legal system is another very important external organization which the library must adhere to. Library policies that effect collection management must comply with intellectual freedom and copyright laws. The patron's access to materials must be limited in ways that do not violate the intellectual property rights of property holders. By outlining the library's compliance to these laws the collections policy can be used to protect the library and institution from litigation. In some cases the policies can protect the patrons from potential repercussions of copyright infringement and even litigation involving the patron's use of materials marked as questionable by the federal government. To summarize, a written collections policy statement is an important path to achieving the mission of the parent organization. It outlines and justifies the current state of the collection as well as where it needs to be going to be improved. It divides responsibilities, promoting efficiency, and making collections decisions into actions which are approved and supported by the institution. With proper attention and revision, a collections policy will provide a path for future development of the collection and further meet the institutional mission as well as the information needs of the patron community. (See Collections Development Policy for more on this subject). Information Technology I have stated that I believe the expansion of technology can be used to create a structure of communication, making information more universally available and beneficial to all users. I have also cited a few other professional information values that I believe are important in this process. This leads me to a final value statement. I value responsible and effective use of technology. I see technology as a set of tools for organizing and giving access to information. And it is the information professional’s job to use these tools to clean up people’s information messes. Some of these messes are overt, but most are more latent, owning to the evolution of information structures. These must be carefully subverted to create a new and more beneficial information system. In the use of technology, the human need should not be overshadowed by technological advance but uplifted by it. Part of making these tools effective involves closing the “digital divide,” providing equal access and thus participation in information communication though technology. Another part of the responsible use of technology is knowing when to not use it. Many of the examples I have given of egalitarian contribution to information can and have

been conducted without new technologies. Among these are interest group meetings, open panel discussions, and learning circles. Electronic books are a good example of a technology that is moving slowly because of important human factors. People are used to books and paper. They have been using them for thousands of years. In this sense, technology is actually lagging behind the needs of humans, not the other way around. This has lead to developments of solutions such as digital paper technology. Another value that is directly tied into responsible use of technology is responsible use of information resources. Minimizing material waste and waste of people’s energy is important in our progress as an information society. Taking the previous example of ebooks, it is clear that one benefit is the reduction of waste paper. For this reason other technological advances are being explored such as plastic pages that have ink that can be removed and reprinted. A few specific examples have already been mentioned, but the number of iterations and branches in the progress of information technology are vast and expanding. I will briefly touch on some of the trends that I see as important to libraries and the information world. Computer software is an information technology tool that our society is becoming increasingly dependent on. At the same time it is affording us great strides in efficiency and knowledge. Software is not only an information tool that takes information as input, processes it, and outputs it in a different form, but it is also a piece of information itself. Because of my stated value for universal access to information, I see the open source software movement as an important push toward maintaining universal access to information. This is because open source software allows users and creators alike to change, copy and redistribute iterations of the software. The lines of the information authority are broken down and anyone willing to improve the information is given a chance (See Information Theory of Open Source Software for more on the subject) Digital rights management is an important related issue. DRM takes the form of any electronic system that has grown out of a long legacy of developments by companies to limit user access to information products. These access limitations are intended to balance the rights of the copyright holders, granting a monopoly on the profits from their works, with the rights of the user of the works. Large corporations are often the most powerful copyright holders, and purport to represent the interests of the individual artists or creators of these works, while meeting the needs of consumers. The corporate influence over copyright legislation has created legal barriers to fair use and other freedoms of the end user of intellectual property. As a result the traditional social roles of libraries are being threatened by DRM. Therefore it is important for librarians to have some knowledge of the technical, legal, and social implications of DRM, allowing libraries to continue to fulfill the mission of providing open access to information by the public (See Digital Rights Management for more on the subject). For libraries today the central focus on keeping current and appropriate use of technology is the library catalog. In many ways what is current for library catalog systems is sadly lacking compared to other commercial online systems, especially those designed to sell products to consumers. The process of researching and selecting a catalog system gives relatively few choices, and often locks a library in to using products from one company (See Choosing an ILS for an Academic Library for more on the subject). Like the legacy of the traditional card catalog, Online Public Access Catalogs have been relatively slow to evolve, and lack flexibility. The solution I’d like to suggest may amount to a revamping of classification and cataloging rules, and the library journal database market itself, but I see it as a needed step in the progress of information access and libraries themselves. With the growth of electronic journals and databases and the decline of printed article use librarians have come to accept that the catalog is no longer the one portal for information in a library. Proprietary databases have limited access and license agreements which make searching and interfacing with them a problem for libraries and library patrons. Link resolver and metasearch products have been created as workarounds for the cumbersome and unfortunately legally binding

access issues for journal databases. What we need is a system that allows a library to completely and internally track each article that its patrons have access to. The patron should be able to search in one place, the OPAC, for all information belonging to the library. The patron should have the ability to customize and limit their search according to their subject knowledge or on the fly suggestions for narrowing their search. The search results should be returned within the catalog and the patron should be able to click once to be taken directly to the full text of an article. Of course implementing this would be no small feet, or it obviously would have already been done. My argument is that limitations of antiquated library data structuring and constrictive and legal access issues have kept libraries and library automation vendors from achieving a simple and graceful interface that many have dismissed as an unobtainable utopian holy grail of library interfaces. Cooperation between many libraries would be essential to push the library automation market to change. Project development would also benefit greatly from cooperation in order to create a universal system that works for as many libraries as possible. For this reason an Open Source development project would let many libraries contribute to the process of creation and testing of the product. Opens Source would allow libraries to customize the product to their particular needs, while also allowing a mature product with the most desirable functions to emerge as the standard to be implemented world wide. This product could continue to evolve and adapt to new and unforeseen changes in the library world (See Database Access Improvements for more on this subject). Conclusion Through the statement of these values I have made suggestions for a revised information system which could be applied to libraries. The structure of this system is, of course, subject to its own rules. I, as an individual cannot decide that these values are the best for the information system. The users of the system would decide that. In that sense these values are very much personal opinion subject to scrutiny of the surrounding information system.