Blog backlash, academian style

Are we about to see a backlash against the blog hype?

Blaise Cronin, Indiana University's school of library and information science's dean, dresses down bloggers:

"The present generation of bloggers seems to imagine that such crassly egotistical behavior is socially acceptable and that time-honored editorial and filtering functions have no place in cyberspace. Undoubtedly, these are the same individuals who believe that the free-for-all, communitarian approach of Wikipedia is the way forward. Librarians, of course, know better."

and

"What desperate craving for attention is indicated by this kind of mundane, online journaling? "

Funny enough, he too writes a blog.

Comments

[qg]

qualityg says...

Education, particularly some college academia's with letters after their name anger me with their self-indulgence and insecurity about anyone else that may have an opinion in their subject area and arrogance. Just because they know a subject well doesn't make them smarter, well maybe in their area of expertise, however, it does not give them the right to intimidate (grades) or teach by absolute power to a captive audience (classroom).

While I am not a "full" time academia, I choose to instruct part-time where I can transfer information + data + application = knowledge. Add in listening and then you have Wisdom.

By the way Mr. Librarian, you work in a world of information, not knowledge. I use the library often for information, but can it write my paper or provide improvement opportunities? It's all about theory! It's about asking questions and experiencing outcomes. Hence without theory there are just libraries filled with dictionaries and encyclopedias that provide information. We all need each other to continue to learn, I'm continuously baffled by the educators who try and create barriers as opposed to unlocking doors.

So keep supplying some information and let us derive the knowledge.

[Alfred Thompson]

My librarian wife suggests that Professor Cronin’s attitude seems similar to that of the wealthy and churched who had grave doubts as to what would happen with the advent of the printing press making books more widely available. Many at that time would rather books remained the privilege of the rich and the church so that information could be tightly controlled.