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Re: Paper Tiger



For every item or subject there is a passionate advocate.  These advocates
believe that their item or subject is indispensable to future generations of
researchers and historians.  In Mr. Baker's New Yorker article, he asked at
one point what was more important than saving America's newspapers.  The
answer would come from all of the other advocates and champions (and we've
all run into a few of them.)

My main problem with Mr. Baker's article was that it did not give much
credit to librarians and archivists for making the difficult decisions
between "keep or not keep" that have to be made on an all-too-regular basis.
I definitely agree that paper is needlessly neglected these days, and that
people are too focused on the possibilities of technology to properly
evaluate its practicality and value.  But when I encounter advocates such as
Mr. Baker, I always ask myself, does this person seem to be genuine,
reasonable, and learned, or is he/she an advocate ala Don Saklad.

Focus on any subject too long, and you lose your objectivity.

(But I'm interested to see Baker's book.)

Maria


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Title: RE: Paper Tiger

For every item or subject there is a passionate advocate.  These advocates believe that their item or subject is indispensable to future generations of researchers and historians.  In Mr. Baker's New Yorker article, he asked at one point what was more important than saving America's newspapers.  The answer would come from all of the other advocates and champions (and we've all run into a few of them.) 

My main problem with Mr. Baker's article was that it did not give much credit to librarians and archivists for making the difficult decisions between "keep or not keep" that have to be made on an all-too-regular basis. I definitely agree that paper is needlessly neglected these days, and that people are too focused on the possibilities of technology to properly evaluate its practicality and value.  But when I encounter advocates such as Mr. Baker, I always ask myself, does this person seem to be genuine, reasonable, and learned, or is he/she an advocate ala Don Saklad.

Focus on any subject too long, and you lose your objectivity. 

(But I'm interested to see Baker's book.)

Maria