There are two interesting articles on CNET about libraries and online resources.

Steal this book? Don't bother. by Candace Lombardi
Talks about libraries are offering more and more free search services, access to databases, articles, photo, ebooks, audio books, etc. The problem is that most people don't know that these things are available. Gary Price from ResourceShelf states in the article, "The bottom line is people can't use what they don't know about. It's not just search. It's everything. Libraries need to do a better job of promoting themselves. Unfortunately, it's been a challenge for the library world to get anyone's attention."

Tell me about it Gary. As I mentioned in my previous post "Look at the Library" I mention how I am constantly amazed that I run into a lot of people who are unaware about what services my library has. I am not a hide in the office kind of gal, I am out there talking to people and trying to promote my stuff. Obviously judging from the reactions of my patrons about our resources, I need to do a better job.

Free information for the taking. by Candace Lombardi
This article mentions all of the "free" resources available to people. Unfortunately I find this article a little misleading. It implies that all of the resources listed are free for anybody. "There's a wealth of free resources out there - online databases, audiobooks, museum passes, and help so that you can find even more resources. You just need to know where to look:" Candace then lists a bunch of online resources such as Factiva, InfoTrac (which she misspells), JStor, etc. which are NOT free! Libraries have paid for these resources and licensed them to be used by their patrons for free, but they aren't just hanging out on the Internet free to use by anyone who happens upon them. Equally frustrating is that she completely ignored major free resources like PubMed, MedlinePlus, eMedicineHealth, etc. I just listed a few of the free medical resources, I am sure there are some great free websites out there that other librarians use and know about.


I think the first article was a good article about how library's have a lot of resources available online that patrons can access for free through their library, but are unaware of them because we (librarians) haven't figured out a good way to market our resources. However, the second article is just so frustrating. The whole article implies that people can access these resources for free if they just "know where to look." Yeah they are free if they look at the library. Personally, I think this article just reinforces the idea that everything is available online for free, and defeats the entire purpose of the "Steal this book? Don't Bother" article. Perhaps I am off base, what do you think?