Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on December 18, 2003 03:23 AM
Just one note on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I am quoting from memory from a very good presentation to the Senate by Melinda Gates on an overview of the work of the B&MGF.
"We would no more ask our children to do research with a paper encyclopedia than we would ask them to do their math with a slide rule."
Please note that while I appreciate and respect Melinda Gate's work, I really don't think she "gets it.". That statement was very telling.
One learns math with a slide rule, one learns math. One learns math with a calculator, one leans how to use a calculator. One learns research with encyclopedias, one learns research. One learns research with "Where do you want go today" one learns how to use Micrsoft Internet Explorer. Not the same thing. Not at all. Not even close.
As to a shortage of IT people. I am not alone when I said years ago, that I don't do windows. Libraries accepted a trojan horse, and they were told that they were accepting a trojan horse with the LSTA, and they did it anyway.
(My mother, a career librarian, and my uncle a double phd career librarian and I used to get in downright vicious fights over many of the provisions in the LSTA, I was completely against it. I still am.)
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Very Interesting response.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on December 18, 2003 03:23 AM"We would no more ask our children to do research
with a paper encyclopedia than we would ask them to do their math with a slide rule."
Please note that while I appreciate and respect Melinda Gate's work, I really don't think she "gets it.". That statement was very telling.
One learns math with a slide rule, one learns math. One learns math with a calculator, one leans how to use a calculator. One learns research with encyclopedias, one learns research. One learns research with "Where do you want go today" one learns how to use Micrsoft Internet Explorer. Not the same thing. Not at all. Not even close.
As to a shortage of IT people. I am not alone when I said years ago, that I don't do windows. Libraries accepted a trojan horse, and they were told that they were accepting a trojan horse with the LSTA, and they did it anyway.
(My mother, a career librarian, and my uncle a double phd career librarian and I used to get in downright vicious fights over many of the provisions in the LSTA, I was completely against
it. I still am.)
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