[10701] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Librarians as Junk Mailers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Mon Oct 7 21:52:21 1996
Date: Mon, 07 Oct 1996 18:15:44 -0500 (CDT)
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
3 Messages, 65 Lines
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From: kgs@bluehighways.com (Karen G. Schneider)
Subject: Re: Librarians as Junk Mailers
I'm rather startled at librarians who don't appreciate the entertainment
value of job announcements. I love the jobs requiring two masters, a CNE,
five years of management experience, ability to leap tall buildings, etc.,
and starting at US $31,000. For the benefit of our international friends,
that is unacceptably low pay for this amount of education and experience.
Even better are the discussions that often follow (the best ones,
unfortunately, are private) where these job announcements are summarily
dissected.
Also, there's a larger issue here. I read the New York Times on the train
in to work. I probably filter at least three-fourths of what I see. Does
that make the Times a bad value? I watch 3 TV shows each week, though
there are many more available, but I wouldn't call the quantity of TV
programming annoying (though I would wish it had better quality overall).
I listen to great sermons in church, but I doubt I am tuned in 100%
throughout even the most fascinating homily. Communication involves
sifting, filtering, listening on multiple channels--it's an active
process, requiring judgment and selection. I follow several talkative
discussion lists, and like a Robert Altman movie, many discussions are
happening simultaneously. It's up to me to select those I wish to tune
into. In fact, it's a positive attribute of email that you can listen in
on so many channels quasi-simultaneously, using the natural delays built
into the medium to hold a number of conversations at once.
Failing all that, you could learn to grin and bear it.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Karen G. Schneider * kgs@bluehighways.com * schneider.karen@epamail.epa.gov
Author, The Internet Access Cookbook (e-mail Neal-Schuman@icm.com)
Director, US EPA Region 2 Library * Cybrarian * Columnist, American
Libraries
Visit our library at our new URL: http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/
These opinions strictly mine!
*-----
From: Millard Johnson <zendog@incolsa.palni.edu>
Subject: RE: Librarians as Junk Mailers
Concerning the problem of unwanted job postings, conference
announcements, etc.:
The problem is that we do not have the tool we need. The "listserv" is
so good at what it does that we have used it beyond its design limits.
We need something that could be described as "professional society
groupware." It would be a cross between a modernized conferencing
software and a listserv. It would have a number of group boxes. When
you subscribe, you could mail parameters to receive all messages in each
box, some messages in some boxes or be notified of unread contents in
boxes at specified intervals. Different boxes could have different
moderator parameters, etc. etc.
Millard Johnson -- zendog@incolsa.palni.edu
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From: rnelson@denver.lib.co.us
Subject: Re: librarians as junk mailers
Dear David,
Maybe instead of worrying about excessive junk mail, people could just
put something in the subject field that lets us know if we are getting
job postings etc... I know it is a pain to get a bunch of useless mail,
but you can always delete those messages before reading them.
