 The previous section featured comments that reflect negatively on Don, so it seems only fair to include some comments from those who have defended him. Most of these are responses to someone telling Don to shut up, so they usually fit the category of defending his right to say what he wants.
This is one of the few posts that actually stands up for what Don is saying, instead of just his right to say it. For the record, mbaker@monmouth.com doesn't participate in soc.libraries.talk often, and when he does, it's usually only to critisize libraries and government. Not that this diminishes what he has to say, naturally.
Re: Librarian tricks of the trade > Don, get treatment. Don't keep bringing this stuff to the ng. I enjoy reading Don's observations. You can pick individual ones to dispute, and question his zealotry or style, but to me it's clearly a case of "where there's smoke, there's fire". Something is wrong at the BPL, and I suspect that lots more folks than Don are unhappy about it. It's just that he has the time & energy to try to make it better. Read the entire post on DejaNews.
This post was written at a time when Don was the target of several posts by people who were tired of his rants, mostly telling him to shut up.
Don Saklad....a small defense Before I get attacked by a raging mob, I am not here to defend what Don Saklad has to say (most of the time I'm not sure I even understand what he's attempting to express). However, I would like to pose this question to the masses: Are we as a whole not better for having individuals like Don Saklad around? I believe that we are. Let me briefly explain why. Don Saklad keeps us focused on real issues by presenting vague and hypothetical questions, situations, and concerns. It is through our ability to discern the difference between practical, real life problems, concerns and issues and his pseudo-intellectual, passively academic ponderings that we gain a perspective on what is important. If this sounds like a wordy and ambiguous diatribe, rest assured it is not. I am simply trying to state my belief that the comments made by Don Saklad, though numerous and often frustrating and annoying are a vital part of the "conversation" in librarianship. It is through his (and others like him) that we come to understand the difference between the theoretic and the practical approaches to common issues. I often wonder what world Don Saklad lives in (obviously in or around Boston). I often wonder what his experience and credentials are. I often wonder if he is as outspoken in person (where he must face others openly) as he seems to be here. I often wonder if we would tell him to his face what we speak of him here. I don't defend his thoughts, but he is as much a necessity in any honest forum as anyone else. As in any other aspect of a free society. I can choose not to read him any time I desire. Read the entire post on DejaNews.
This post straddles the line, in that it defends Don's right to speak, but criticizes the way he's doing it.
Re: Don Saklad I think it's obvious that he's got some problems other than what's happening or not happening in his urban public library. BUT, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a right to speak his mind, and at the risk of throwing BPL in a bad light for no good reason, I think we should give him a chance to explain himself. I'm struck by his statement in his response to Michele, "Write about your own experiences." In megabytes of email to newsgroups and listservs Don Saklad has not revealed what has actually happened at his urban public library. He has constantly been abstract about his experience. That's my big complaint with him. If he wants any sympathy from anybody out there, I think he has got to start getting concrete and talk about what has happened, and be specific. Just talking in generalities without a story behind them is boring and invasive. Read the entire post on DejaNews.
This one isn't exactly high praise, but it isn't exactly critical either. We'll close this section on this note.
Re: Don Saklad And almost anything Mr. Saklad posts beats the shit out of the porno spam that crops up periodically.
-- Read the entire post on DejaNews.
This one comes courtesy of someone who claims to know Don in real life, and thus provides an insight unavailable to most of us.
From: Seth Finkelstein <sethf@{no-spam.remove-this.}[mit.edu]> [...] Given all the other linguistic agendas in the world, from hype-mongering journalists to sleazy PR flacks to demagogic politicians, I personally find his quirk quite mild and tolerable. Read the entire post on DejaNews Main Page | Next |