Letters

Rob Geiszler's letter ("No need for an MLS ," LJ 7/03, p. 10) reminded me of my Aunt Nina, who always said, "There ain't no fool like an educated fool." I am not saying Geiszler is a fool, but some of his comments were foolish…. He was smart enough to earn the degree but somehow failed to grasp what he studied…. It puzzles me that he is working as a reference librarian by virtue of the MLS, which he thinks is inferior. Yet he makes note of his other master's degree, which is not the source of his bread and butter.

I also have two master's degrees and a doctorate. My MLS from the University of Alabama is something I treasure with great pride. The curriculum was tough, and the teachers were outstanding role models. Phillip Turner was the dean at the time, and by watching him I developed a deep respect for the vanguards of this profession.
—Rick L. Wright, Ph.D., Literacy & Adult Education Libn., Instructional Learning Ctr., Atlanta-Fulton Lib. Syst.

Blaise Cronin's "The Trouble with Trophy Speakers " (The Dean's List, LJ 6/15/03, p. 46) mirrored my thoughts after hearing two high-profile keynote speakers at the Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference in New York City this June. Not only is the size of the remuneration for speakers an important issue but also the tone and topic of their speeches at library conferences.

Neither speaker is from the library profession, but the difference between the presentations of Pulitzer Prize–winning history author David G. McCullough and Madeleine Albright, Clinton administration Secretary of State, was stark.

McCollough's opening remarks included a quote from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey that grabbed readers'/librarians' attention: "History, real solemn history, I cannot be interested in…it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilences in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all—it is very tiresome." [Obviously] McCullough had researched the SLA audience and prepared his remarks to address our interests....

Albright, on the other hand, made no such effort to connect with us as professionals or otherwise…. Not once did she utter the words library or librarians…. Instead, she read, from the Teleprompter…the text of a speech that was primarily political in tone about her time in the White House and the current state of world affairs.

Although conference planners cannot possibly know what kind of presentation a speaker might deliver, it is my sincere hope that more care might be taken in choosing speakers who have something to share with the audience that affects library associations and their members….
—Patricia Watkins, MLIS, Thunderbird American Graduate Sch., Intl. Business Information Ctr. Lib., Glendale, AZ

In his review of our Becoming Giants: The Story of the 1952 Illinois State Champions (LJ 5/1/03, p. 167), John Hiett states that "sadly, very little visual material exists, just a few stills…." On the contrary, the first half of the program contains between eight and ten photographs per minute, almost none are repeated. He also mentions that there isn't much footage except for a few home movies…. We actually have quite a bit of film footage of previous games as well as other events, and we've been told that the reenactments added quite a bit of charm to the program…. This is a positive, feel-good story that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience….
—Harold Rail, Rail/Row Prods., Woodstock, IL

Kudos to Sue Knoche and John Alita for their insightful responses to "Whose Job Is It, Anyway? " (How Do You Manage, LJ 7/03, p. 52). Although I have often advocated that paraprofessionals and library science students should have expanded opportunities….it is never appropriate to make these changes without some form of transition and training to prepare all staff for the role-shift…. Support among staff and community is essential…and should be the last thing compromised…. Library students and paraprofessionals can handle some reference duties with…training, but if a library's community expects trained, professional reference staff to handle the more sophisticated inquiries, this level of staffing should be phased out gradually…. When support staff and students are suddenly invested with reference duties, they must not only have their compensation and classification reconsidered, but they should have their permanent job duties (read career opportunities) upgraded. When the economic picture improves, will these support staff simply be returned to their former support duties…? Some recognition…seems appropriate to acknowledge that the individual has "stepped up to the plate" when asked.
—Francine Joy Allen, Lib. Asst., Lib. Student, Wayne State Univ., Detroit

In her review of Laurie Notaro's Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Childhood (LJ 7/03, p. 82), Donna Marie Smith mistakenly suggests that a "swamp cooler" is a euphemism for an air conditioner. It is not. Swamp or evaporative coolers are only used in arid regions. They work by blowing air through a wet, fibrous pad…. In Smith's home of Palm Beach County, FL, however, they would only be efficient at growing mildew.
—Julie Zelman Chamay, John G. McCullough Free Lib., North Bennington, VT