Reactions to Defining the Academic Librarian

There are many specific points on which I could agree or disagree as far as Dean Holley's comments are concerned. However, there are many pitfalls to that avenue. Rather than get into a "my opinion" or "your opinion" situation, a somewhat different tact seems in order. Therefore what I want to do is 1. Counter Dean Holley's basic assumption; 2. Present my concept of what an academic librarian is (primarily in terms of a large university situation). Dean Holley's basic assumption is that a general background is utmost in the needs of an academic librarian. He states that it is important "to know the social, economic, and political context in which the library operates" and I agree that knowledge of these contexts does make a more effective librarian. But this knowledge is not as high a priority as knowledge of one's discipline. These contexts are not as important as leadership in being effective. And in my opinion, there is no way they can be a significant part of a one-year curriculum. Let me, then, suggest what academic librarians should be-not necessarily what they are. My definition will be in terms of the aggregate, not in specifics. My definition begins with the environment in which the library exists. It is characterized by three factors: