Comments on: Comparing the Library of Congress to Wal-Mart http://www.familymanlibrarian.com/2007/11/02/comparing-the-library-of-congress-to-wal-mart/ A blog about family, technology, and libraries Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: <![CDATA[Tim]]> http://www.familymanlibrarian.com/2007/11/02/comparing-the-library-of-congress-to-wal-mart/comment-page-1/#comment-2192 Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:10:06 +0000 http://familymanlibrarian.com/?p=703#comment-2192 No, I agree, that would be interesting although, not to quibble, you'd want to pick closed-stack libraries. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't just one book-fetcher out of ten being completely irresponsible, and dropping books wherever they wanted because it was easier. No, I agree, that would be interesting although, not to quibble, you’d want to pick closed-stack libraries. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t just one book-fetcher out of ten being completely irresponsible, and dropping books wherever they wanted because it was easier.

]]> By: <![CDATA[Steve]]> http://www.familymanlibrarian.com/2007/11/02/comparing-the-library-of-congress-to-wal-mart/comment-page-1/#comment-2191 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 15:07:31 +0000 http://familymanlibrarian.com/?p=703#comment-2191 I still would characterize it as a tempest in a teapot. I still think comparing LC to Wal-Mart, Target, or UPS is simply ridiculous, and I think the official responses from LC are on target. That is not to say that there are things they (LC) need to improve. But this is the world's largest library with perhaps the most diverse set of resources anywhere to be found. Give 'em a break. If you or someone else could provide figures for other libraries such as Harvard, the British Library, etc., <em>that</em> would represent a legitimate basis for comparison. I still would characterize it as a tempest in a teapot. I still think comparing LC to Wal-Mart, Target, or UPS is simply ridiculous, and I think the official responses from LC are on target. That is not to say that there are things they (LC) need to improve. But this is the world’s largest library with perhaps the most diverse set of resources anywhere to be found. Give ‘em a break. If you or someone else could provide figures for other libraries such as Harvard, the British Library, etc., that would represent a legitimate basis for comparison.

]]> By: <![CDATA[Tim]]> http://www.familymanlibrarian.com/2007/11/02/comparing-the-library-of-congress-to-wal-mart/comment-page-1/#comment-2190 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 05:19:23 +0000 http://familymanlibrarian.com/?p=703#comment-2190 Do you really think the article "completely exposes" it as a "tempest in a tea-pot"? Seventeen percent of requests turn up as "not on shelf" after a first look, 12 percent after a second. Those aren't small numbers.* Aside: It would be interesting to know what the "real" NOS rate is--item-by-item not request-by-request. Do requests skew toward things likely to get found or unlikely? My money is on likely, but I can see it either way. I'd also like to know what the failure rate is for Member-of-Congress requests, as that's likely to hit home rather faster than a report that some scholars aren't getting their monographs on the first try. Do you really think the article “completely exposes” it as a “tempest in a tea-pot”? Seventeen percent of requests turn up as “not on shelf” after a first look, 12 percent after a second. Those aren’t small numbers.*

Aside: It would be interesting to know what the “real” NOS rate is–item-by-item not request-by-request. Do requests skew toward things likely to get found or unlikely? My money is on likely, but I can see it either way. I’d also like to know what the failure rate is for Member-of-Congress requests, as that’s likely to hit home rather faster than a report that some scholars aren’t getting their monographs on the first try.

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