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Are we Library professionals are creating Information Explosion?
Recently I happened to visit some noted Institutional Repositories and its contents mainly conference articles, which made me ask this question to myself. As a professional empowered to retrieve relevant data from the deep areas of uncontrolled, overly populated and complex web resources, what do you think?
As a Library professional in this dynamic environment we are always learners and facilitators sometimes good teachers. So of course we must be able to communicate our thoughts and study results effectively in the professional arena. If so what are the craft skills which we often forgot to learn or include when we step into this profession?
India as a country has different types of value systems. To qualify for a higher post or to maintain a better status we are compulsorily push to show the quantity of papers (instead quality) on our credit. On this way we are knowingly or unknowingly, I think becoming one among the many reasons for the so called explosion in information. Whenever a new area pop up we take our paper and start writing as like:
Application of -------on LIS,
Advantages of -------on Circulation,
Disadvantages of --------on Acquisition,
Future scope in access control …etc.
Yes, of course we all care LIS more and what we are doing is a good sign for the professions development. But when 100 people do the same even after 2 or 3 years, it’s not very good. You know that, I know that but it’s for our system of acceptance in the society. Can we change that? Or are we limiting ourselves?
Don’t say a big no.
You are not writing an article in order to write it, you are writing in order to demonstrate that you have learned how to write article to fully professional standards. And at the same time it should contain the twin element of exploration and creativeness with beauty. With which we must evaluate and re-evaluate our work and that of others in the light of current developments in all the relevant fields.
As for practice we are conducting Technical Paper Writing Workshops for our staff ( R&DE(Engrs.), Pune) annually with titles covering Effective written communication, writing a journal article, Patents and its detailing… etc. Some universities have already included technical paper writing in their curriculum for LIS but many are still not considering its necessity.
So in such case can we use this platform for the purpose of mapping our ideas and at the same time shaping our writing skills?
Am I asking a lot more questions ??? I am sorry, I am a learner--- as always---as like you—I am in this profession.
But surely friends there should be some sort of restriction to the bulk of duplicate contents created around us. It is not only a wastage of time and effort but also doing damage to our information infrastructure. I think those people who are responsible should be made to plant 10 saplings in their locality.
“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we are at when we created them.”
Albert E.
So what do you think? Are we going to think all these before writing a paper?
My writings and thoughts are not intentional, if it is going to hurt anybody in any way I am really sorry.
Subeesh AC
Pune.
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Dear Sri Subeesh, A.C,
Thanks for your post and for addressing an important ethical issue. However, I have certain doubt regarding our philosophy behind publication. As I feel (personally, of course!) we generally write articles mainly for three (distantly) different purposes: (a) To supplement our CV (in most cases) (b) To update/uplift our professional existence among our peers (in moderate cases) and (c) the reason you have mentioned. Of course there is a very vital fourth reason and that is as a compelling necessity to tide over the time bound assessment for upliftment in professional career (it is, some what linked to Sl.' a' as well )
For reasons a&d, we often slice one good paper to several ones and quantity overlaps quality in most cases!! we often come across useless papers and they generally spring from this reason!!
The art of writing and especially technical paper is, as I believe, a perfect combination of style and flair of writing and depth of knowledge which unfortunately many of us do not possess!! But still we write, we write to impress our peers, we write to make our list of publication more impressive and we write to survive in the rat race of career progression!!
You have mentioned the issue of Technical Paper Writing Workshop.at your place. Certainly it is a very commendable venture. It is an undenying fact that the merit and readability of papers differs to a considerable extent upon this issue and so also the chances of acceptance and rejection.
Your proposal for introduction of such issues in this forum seems to be quite useful but as I understand you have to discuss the issue with Dr. Barman about modalities of such activities.
Sincerely,
Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta
Correct opinion ...........
I agree the point(when 100 people do the same even after 2 or 3 years)
Respected Ray Sir,
Thank you very much for your suggestions and it is always inspiring to read your comments. Whether it is your forum post or replies, you always excelled with your knowledge both in subject and the style of your writing. It is through this forum, pupils like us got ideas from/about great minds like you dispersed all over India.
Once again thank you very much sir.
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