Outsourcing is another issue facing Librarians. Outsourcing is defined by the ALA in this document: http://www.ala.org/ala/pla/plaorg/reportstopla/outsourc.pdf . Sometimes outsourcing is logical, such as in digital services that are open 24 hours a day, however when the entire running of a library is outsourced to a corporation, it does not make a lot of sense. Privacy concerns of citizens, unbiased dissemination of information, varied scope of materials that goes beyond popularity. It’s time for Librarians to begin demanding a stricter definition of “titles”. Librarians graduating now from the Universities, are the ‘next generation of Librarian’, it’s our responsibility to push for professional requirements in the government sector, a strict adherence to title gained via scholarship or accreditation. Write-in campaigns, establishment of Political Action Committees (PACs), official rings or pins that designate accredited degree rank, and promoting the designation will do a lot to uplift the image of Librarian which when outsourcing occurs, will not put us out on the side of the road.
Fister, B. (2005, Nov 29). Siva Vaidhyanathan on Outsourcing Risk. Retrieved Oct 14, 2007, from ACRLog: http://acrlblog.org/2005/11/29/siva-vaidhyanathan-on-outsourcing-risk/
Hill, J. B.-H. (2007). Outsourcing Digital Reference: The User Perspective. Retrieved Oct 14, 2007, from The Haworth Press, Inc: http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=101853
Silverman, J. (2007, Oct 4). Librarians under new management . Retrieved Oct 14, 2004, from insideBayarea.com: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OUTSOURCING_LIBRARIES?SITE=CAOAK&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
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