Tuesday, September 23, 2003

I received an email from my old school (GSLIS, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois) today. An alumni service, it provided me with a hyperlink to UI Current LIS Clips. In the September issue they focus on Marketing: The Power of Ten; Ten Marketing Ideas and Tips, etc. I guess I must have needed a break because I read one of the articles they recommend; this one is under the Ten Reasons Why You Must Market Your Library. Building a Brand: Got a Librarian? is actually an article that is a year old. The article irritated me, though it tries to be pretty concrete in the advice offered to rectify the problem discussed. When I see 'information professionals' so blatantly wanting to follow 'corporate' strategies for professional survival, the humanist side of me really struggles to understand. The article bemoans the fact that a Knowledge Management focused issue of the Harvard Business Review did not mention special libraries. Among other things, the author goes on to discuss the lack of 'marketing' in the LIS curriculum. Don't get me wrong. I think marketing is important (especially to Special Librarians), and yes LIS professionals should have management, marketing, etc. I can't help but wonder though how many courses we can keep adding to the LIS curriculum and not lose the rigor and strength of a truly intellectual Master's degree (one where we become jack of all trades and master of none)? At SIRLS (Tucson) our students must take a minimum of 2 courses outside the department. I wonder how many who want to go into special libraries take them in the Management school and what exactly they take. I wonder what they gain and what they lose. comment []8:10:47 PM

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