On         Wed, 18 Jan 1995 Dean DeBolt
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>While I am glad that Mr. Baron got his information, there are some vexing
>issues that I need to comment on.   First, I believe Mr. Baron is the
loser
>in this information search.  What we try to do as librarians is to TEACH
>people HOW to find their information--that way, they can do it themselves
>the next time they need something.
 
Of course Mr. DeBolt is absolutely correct in this.  There *is* no adequate
substitute for library research (at least at the present time).  In my
enthusiasm for this grand salon filled with news, views, information and
chatter of the internet listserve and newsgroups, I obviously did not give
the library its proper due.  How could I forget so quickly the joys of
library research.  Indeed, I owe much to specialized libraries and
librarians across the US and Europe.
 
What I'm so excited about is the ability to work on ideas that would
normally have to be placed on the back burner had one to arrange library
time for their research.  For many of us library time is valuable and must
be devoted to specific subjects, but there are endless numbers of topics
that would not be researched and rather might be addressed to colleagues
instead.  Well, here in museum-l, are not one, not two, but a thousand such
colleagues, so many ready and eager to help.
 
Sure, were I preparating a paper for a conference or for publication, I
would certainly have been the loser in the quest for my little bit of
knowledge.  But to make a point in a museum-l discussion, well...  At last
count, I think I won.
 
>Second, the comment about let's get
>our libraries online is the new contemporary myth.
 
Of course this is a myth.  Who in their right mind can think of everything
on line.  But it is the myth that excites the imagination to go forward.
On CAAH (the art historians listserv) someone recently asked a question
about the iconography of yawning.  Ten years ago a researcher would have
had a devil of a time investigating this subject.  Today you may not be
able to execute a good iconographical search to obtain a list of images,
but you can consult ICONCLASS to help phrase your search.  Ten years ago no
one would have attempted to find literary examples of yawning; but today,
imperfect as it is, all one need do is search any one of a variety of
cd-roms containing surveys of literature.  My "Library of the Future"
cd-rom quickly yielded hundreds of citations, many of which were right on
the mark for his purposes.
 
Sure, let's keep our feet firmly planted on the ground, but there is no
reason why we can't continue to gaze at the stars.
 
______________________________________
Robert A. Baron
Museum Computer Consultant
P.O. Box 93, Larchmont, NY 10538
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