‘LIBRARY SWEATSHOP’ PRO AND CON

You are to be congratulated for highlighting Ron Kelley’s moving manifesto.

Granted that computers have created havoc in libraries--as well as solving some problems in information handling--nevertheless it should be possible to attain peaceful coexistence between man and machine in this era of inevitable mechanization.

The human touch needs to be restored. The situations which Kelly depicts so eloquently remind me of “The Desk Set,” which first appeared on Broadway starring Shirley Booth and later as a movie with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It takes place in a special library where the mechanical brain also plays a leading role.

The ‘50s were the years when machinery was introduced in special libraries, and those of us in SLA--Special Libraries Assn.--took note of the delightful way in which problems were presented and resolved. Shirley Booth was truly one of us, we felt, concerned and dedicated to her staff and clientele and finding herself unexpectedly competing with the computer in supplying information! So we arranged a theater party and made her an honorary member of the SLA Southern California Chapter.

Computers are here to stay. They are invaluable tools in controlling the floods of information which inundate all of us. But . . . they are tools and are to be controlled by us, not vice versa.

Small personalized reading rooms in the traditional library setup could easily supplement the output of the computers. Then it would be perfectly possible to stretch out and reach for a volume of one’s choice without trying to cope with the jargon of computers. After all, small is beautiful and reading does require an element of privacy.

You can’t curl up with a good computer. I hope Ron Kelley finds some satisfaction in that reminder.

SHERRY TERZIAN

LOS ANGELES