Libraryberry

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Congregation of Inspiration!

There ain't no backslidin' 'round he'ah!

Halleluiah and Greetings, Brothers and Sisters... (especially you Sisters!) Welcome to the Congregation of Inspiration! Are you ready for your initiation...infatuation...participation...saturation and graduation...into our organization; The Nation of Spiritual Conflagration!?

You don't need no libation...

You don't need no reservation...

And this certainly ain't no vacation! Can I get an Amen?!

I can tell that some of you out there are uninspired, perhaps even troubled by the readings set before us by the prophets of the long-distance library this term!

Yea, verily, the prophets say 'Spell it out' for the flock regarding resources and services available...and who could argue 'useful redundancy' is a not blessed thing?

Do the prophets not prophesize the power of the venerated databases?

Do the prophets not testify to the suffering and 'unequities' that faced our forebears?

Do the prophets not reaffirm that the needs of the near are the same as the needs of the far?

Is it not true that these scriptures are a blueprint for services to the faithful...and must you not plan your own services before we close this chapter?

Do you not believe that these epistles are gospel?

Well, Brothers and Sisters... (especially you Sisters!) I stand before you to put:

A damper on that dullness...

The kibosh on that Oshkosh...

To shush that mush, so to speak.

I say unto you, a true prophet has been revealed to me! And it was...a revelation!

Her name is Nancy, Nancy J. Burich, and she comes to us from the book of the Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning. The Changing Face of Distance Learning: Implications for Distance Learning Librarians is the title of her missive. Okay, okay...maybe that sounds like the same old shenanigans, but there is a new light in the library sanctuary.

Her sentiments stream from my screen like sanctified spring water to a thirsty theologian. She writes, "This once discernible group of distance learners is no longer distinctly different from their on-campus counterparts....We have championed a special population that now includes all student groups."

I know...I know...It was hard for me to comprehend it all at first, and now I'm afraid time and temperament conspire to terminate my testimony. I do urge you though, to indulge your internet connection to make a deeper connection.

The path leads to: www.haworthpress.com/web/JLISD/ then click on View a PDF Sample, and scroll down to page 99.

Can I get an Amen!?