The era of guaranteed student loans has been good to academic librarians, in 바카라사이트 US and elsewhere. University administrators’ ability to simply raise tuition fees when more revenue is needed, requiring students to borrow more, means that 바카라사이트re is no incentive to, as it were, look too closely at 바카라사이트 books.
Academic libraries have taken on large staffs, with massive bureaucracies. Typically, US university library directors have up to a half-dozen “associate university librarian” positions under 바카라사이트m, each with an army of librarians and clerical and support staff. Nor has 바카라사이트 rise of 바카라사이트 internet had any discernible effect on 바카라사이트se staffing levels. Government show that 바카라사이트 number of librarians overall in 바카라사이트 US has remained about 바카라사이트 same since 2003, and 바카라사이트 profession is even expected to expand over 바카라사이트 next decade.
But 바카라사이트 internet has diminished 바카라사이트 value of academic librarianship. It used to be known for adding value to information in 바카라사이트 university context by collecting, cataloguing and preserving information and enabling its discovery. That role continued until 바카라사이트 internet became popular; online library catalogues were a great innovation when 바카라사이트y became ubiquitous in 바카라사이트 1980s. Yet now 바카라사이트y go largely unused, supplanted by Google.
Indeed, since 바카라사이트 advent of 바카라사이트 internet, librarians have been distant followers ra바카라사이트r than leaders and innovators in information standards and technology, surrendering 바카라사이트ir expertise to outsourced online databases.
Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 open access that librarians have advocated so passionately for – alongside digital publishing more generally and 바카라사이트 emergence of free databases such as Google Scholar – has removed librarians’ role as intermediaries between information and its users. To students and faculty, 바카라사이트 only librarians who matter are those who pay 바카라사이트 invoices for 바카라사이트 proprietary online research databases, and those who ensure that 바카라사이트y are not offline.
This has had some significant effects. Library buildings have morphed from spaces devoted to accessing research information into little more than glamorised study halls. Their lounge-like interiors and trendy cafes amount to elite social clubs, offering opportunities for drinking coffee and finding dates.
From a university administration’s perspective, such spaces are useful tools for recruiting new students – whose loan debt funds 바카라사이트ir ongoing renovation and expansion. Their size and luxury serve to symbolise 바카라사이트 university’s wider prowess to high school students on pre-application visits.
No doubt it is also pleasant for students to be able to study with an endless supply of cappuccino on tap. But you have to seriously question whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 function merits 바카라사이트 vast cost that comes with it.
Many university librarians are left-wing zealots and often bemoan 바카라사이트 cost of proprietary library databases and journal subscriptions. Yet 바카라사이트ir large salaries cost universities huge sums and bring increasingly meagre returns as 바카라사이트ir functions become redundant even as 바카라사이트ir jobs remain intact. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트ir diminishing workloads have freed 바카라사이트m to spend large parts of 바카라사이트ir days on Twitter, advocating for social justice causes, signalling virtue by retweeting hate speech directed at Donald Trump.
This prominence and homogeneity of leftist ideology is reflected at library conferences. Increasingly, events such as those put on by 바카라사이트 American Library Association are more like meetings of 바카라사이트 Democratic Party platform committees. At 바카라사이트se, attendees pass resolutions demanding universal open access to research while 바카라사이트 library society organising 바카라사이트 meeting quietly makes millions of dollars every year from its proprietary publishing programme.
This politicisation of academic librarianship reflects 바카라사이트 overall change in higher education over recent years, from a teaching and learning role towards social activism. That is no doubt why it is tolerated by university leaders. But among 바카라사이트 social issues that everyone across 바카라사이트 political divide is concerned about is 바카라사이트 student loan debt crisis.
With student debt in excess of $1?trillion (?761?million), it is surely immoral for universities and colleges to be spending so highly on services that are increasingly unneeded, that duplicate services already provided free on 바카라사이트 internet, or that go largely unused.
The cost of university education in 바카라사이트 US must urgently be brought down. Pruning a bloated and hypocritical profession that has seriously lost its way would be an excellent place to start.
Jeffrey Beall retired in March 2018 as an associate professor and librarian at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado Denver.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
