Correspondence

Sir, We need idealists like Elspeth Hyams (Proceedings, September 1996), but sometimes idealism obscures hard reality. At least she has the grace to say that she is optimistic about the future contrary to some colleagues in the public sector (my italics). Her public library colleagues do not lack idealism or enthusiasm, but do very often find themselves the victims of local party‐politicking, obsessions with fashionable management theories and, in some quarters, a blatant disregard for professional qualifications and experience. It is only too obvious in libraries where qualified librarians have been replaced by unqualified staff or those without relevant experience that the quality of service has suffered alarmingly. The parameters of a question and the scope and potential of available resources are simply not apparent. Recently I read in a local paper that protests about the redundancy of the borough's music librarian (‘our wonderful music librarian’, one correspondent said) were ill‐founded because music enquiries would continue to be answered by other members of the library staff! Adequately? I doubt it. Another borough as a matter of policy (and, no doubt, in the questionable interests of political correctness) appoints non‐librarians to work in its reference libraries. It is clear that the scope of the role and the skills necessary to handle enquiries have not been appreciated by those who formulate such policies. Unfortunately the public too readily accepts such standards as no more than they would expect, with the double result that qualified librarians are insulted and frustrated (what was the point of all the training and experience?) and confidence in the library is not enhanced. (For more in this vein, see my keynote address to the ISG's 1994 Study Weekend in Refer, 11(1), Winter 1995, pp.1–8.)