HOMEPAGE
Moving Offices,
Reassessing Technology
By Marydee Ojala • Editor |
First, the facts. The editorial office
of ONLINE moved from Park City, Utah, to Indianapolis,
Indiana, the beginning of May. This meant physically
packing up the office and driving 1,600 miles. Many
readers have undergone similar moves, both office and
library, sometimes voluntarily and sometimes not. Your
employer may decide to move you or you may change jobs
and orchestrate the move yourself.
Welcome or not, moving brings many challenges. I've
spoken with librarians who lost their entire collections
to disasters—earthquakes, floods, fires, terrorist
attacks—and had to start over again. This occasions
a complete re-think of the nature of a library. How
much of the physical collection to replace and how
much should migrate to digital form? For corporate
libraries in the business and finance area, the decision
is a bit easier than for those requiring a significant
historical collection. Older books and periodicals
necessary to scientific research may not be in electronic
form. They may also be out of print and difficult to
replace.
When I read about what was lost from the Iraqi national
library when it was looted or from the Czech Republic
national library when it flooded, I realize that my
move is trivial. I haven't lost anything, although
I did take the opportunity to discard materials I no
longer need. Moving accompanied by weeding is a blessing
in disguise.
The move also prompted my reassessment of computer
technology. The Internet does not help with physical
packing. It will not load a moving truck or my car.
Professional movers do not work by library cataloging
rules. They do not group like things together. There
is no metadata for physical moves. The Internet will
tell me how to contact my new state government and
deliver in PDF format forms I need. It will not sit
for hours in the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office waiting
for bureaucrats to tell me that minutiae in my driver's
license application are invalid and that I need additional
documentation. Who knew they'd reject a lease as proof
of residence if the print was too small? Next time
I'll bring a magnifying glass with me.
Indiana won't register your automobile until a police
officer comes out and verifies that the vehicle identification
number (VIN) on your car matches the VIN on your title
document. How often do they not match? According to
several police officers I spoke with, never. Plus,
this is already in a national computer system. Why
not just check the data? Here computer technology is
being ignored. It could help, but it isn't utilized.
Connectivity is a major issue, and I'm thankful that
e-mail keeps me in touch regardless of where I am.
Well, sort of where I am. E-mail connections aren't
a given in some parts of the rural U.S. There are no
hot spots in the middle of Wyoming and dial-up speed
is pathetic. Here in Indianapolis, so far I have no
complaints. I'm looking forward to getting the new
office completely up and running, and I'm looking forward
to communicating with readers from my new digs. E-mail
me at marydee@infotoday.com.
 Marydee
Ojala [marydee@xmission.com] is
the editor of ONLINE. Comments? E-mail letters
to the editor to marydee@xmission.com. |
