The Librarian vs. the Retail Guru

I saw this interesting opinion piece in ExploreHoward.com, which is linked to the Baltimore Sun newspaper and contains weekly editorial content various newspapers:

Library needs experienced librarian, not retail guru
Posted 12/18/08

Like many other patrons of the East Columbia branch of the Howard County Public Library, I was so disappointed to hear that acting branch manager Herb Malveaux was passed up in favor of an outsider who comes from a retail background rather than from one of library sciences.

Mr. Malveaux is just what our library needs, a dedicated professional who has worked hard for 15 years to make inroads and build bridges into the surrounding community and local schools.

Apparently, the big new thrust is to shake things up, to make the library more like a Borders bookstore. Our library system is nationally recognized because of dedicated specialists like Mr. Malveaux, not because of spiffy retail window dressing and mocha lattés.

We do not need another Borders. We need a great library.

If I want something more like Borders, I'll go to Borders. Or, more likely, just stay home and surf over to Amazon.

David Hobby & Owen Brown

I was rather surprised that a library user would actually comment about an official appointment, and how the 2 chaps who posted comments actually discussed whether the former acting Branch Manager was the ideal candidate or not.

At the heart of this little debate is not whether change is desirable or not, but rather whether the change was done well. Fortunately for Singaporeans, the organisation I work for did rater well when a former IT guy took over in the mid 1990s, though some may have thought otherwise back then.

But in the long run, libraries need to be libraries, or risk losing their place, mission & soul.