Well, this was a bit of a
difficult read…but worth the effort. Koltay makes some valid points about the
importance of “knowing your audience”. Publishing in the written format is/was
not as easy or as fast as producing thoughts and ideas through electronic
means. Now everyone is an authority, but where is the authority. With so much
information readily available we must be aware of what type of information we
seek and the reliability of the information we receive.
I really liked the point
made by Lessig (2007) “I think it is a great thing when amateurs create, even
if the thing they create is not as great as what the professional creates. I
want my kids to write. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll stop reading Hemingway
and read only what they write.” It is all important. However, as distributors
of information and facilitators information sharing, libraries must understand
what their users are seeking and provide the appropriate sources.
Also, as Koltay points out
in this paper, “the general mission of library services (is) to facilitate
convenient access to documents and support the mission of the institution or
the interests of the population served.” (Buckland, 1992) It is important that
libraries understand the ”information seeking preferences” of their users so
that the users needs can be met. At the same time, users have a “responsibility
for the acquisition and use of knowledge…the readers themselves have to become
the gatekeepers (and) enhance their evaluation skills.”
