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Stephen, 

Thanks for forwarding that.  That's really interesting-what an
interesting life! I'm assuming the "deep questions of similarity and
difference" you're referring to relate to Avram's pivotal role in our
transition from cards to electronic records.  And I'd propose that it's
important to distinguish between "content" and "carrier."  Yes,
Henriette Avram enabled us to throw away all those millions of cards,
but not the CONTENT that was on the cards.  As the article says, she
"had to enter the mind of the library cataloger, a profession whose
arcane knowledge - involving deep philosophical questions about
taxonomy, interconnectedness and the nature of similarity and difference
- was guarded like priestly ritual."  

There are positive and negative aspects of that way of describing our
profession.  One problem I see is that it implies we're not open to the
world of learning and innovation: that we just pass "arcane" secrets
from generation to generation.  I think there's abundant evidence that's
not true, and I doubt that Ms. Avram herself would have put it quite
that way. Just the fact that there are things about cataloging that you
have to learn by doing it, that can't be stated fully in a manual,
doesn't mean they're some sort of secret Masonic ritual.  But the
statement does show there's some real depth to our field, too: it's not
just a matter of data entry, and proposals to turn it into simple data
entry may jeopardize a lot of its intellectual content.  

My point is, while we should jump at the chance to find new "carriers"
for our work (new media), we should be real cautious about changing its
content.      

           --Ted Gemberling, UAB Lister Hill Library, Birmingham, Ala.  

 

________________________________

From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Stephen Slovasky
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 5:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCCLIST] Deep questions on the nature of similarity and
difference.

 

This may further help you understand the "context."  A brilliant
article.

 

Stephen Slovasky
Unit Head
Bibliographic Information Services

CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY
231 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT  06106

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Voice:  860/757 6546
Fax:     860/757 6503



>>> On Thursday, May 04, 2006 at 3:34 PM, in message
<[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] wrote:

The New York Times obit for Henriette Avram appeared today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/us/03avram.html?_r=1&oref=slogin