I did not mean to turn the discussion into this, so please
accept my apologizes. I agree that every medium has its challenges, but I
assumed, maybe wrongly, that most of our patrons find microfilm particularly
difficult and tedious to use. That assumption was based on the
complaints I've heard over the years from patrons and the difficulty I have had
using microfilmed sources myself. I have heard few complaints about
digitized records, particularly when search functionality has been
added.
That said, I know of no survey
that would prove my point. But I'd love to see one published, which
gets me back to my original point: we need to more information about patrons'
needs, wants, how they access information, what access tools are the
most effective, what kinds of source documents/publications (and in what
format) are most useful to them, etc. Since Baker is one
of our most prominent patrons, maybe we can learn
something from him. I, for one, feel I have a lot to learn, that I am not
immune from making mistakes when it comes to microfilming, appraising,
etc. If a knowledgeable patron can provide me with insightful
information maybe with a tad bit of criticism, once I get over
that urge to lash out, I hope to use that information
wisely.
Heather
>> Tom Anderson <tanderson@AMSE.ORG> 04/19/01 03:20PM
>>>
I can't say as I find microfilm
research any more tedious than online research, or pouring through piles of
books, and I must say it's certainly easier to handle than oversized, fragile
newsprint. Not to mention it's easier to get a copy of the article I want
compared to trying to photocopy the pertinent articles out of a paper. And
you're right, it *is* better to have microfilm than nothing at all.
Tom Anderson
American Museum of Science and Energy
I didn't think anyone would question that microfilm and most
microfilm readers can make research incredibly tedious.
Though, I did think someone might say something like: "well,
it's better to have microfilm than nothing at all..."
Heather Willever-Farr
Electronic Records Archivist American College of Physicians - American Society of Internal Medicine 190 N. Independence Mall West Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572 hwillever-farr@mail.acponline.org (w) 215-351-2470 (h) 215-481-0962
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