Librarian's Lobby
by Daniel D. Stuhlman
August 2000
Remembering
the past few years
I would like to
publicly thank Rabbi Menachem Rosenfeld and wish him hatzlacha in his new
position. Working with him at Kehilath Jacob Beth Samuel and the Chicago
Rabbinical Council has been a wonderful experience. We have learned from each
other and hope that the projects and ideas that we shared have made KJBS, the
CRC and the larger community a better place.
This is my last column as the Librarian of the Saul Silber
Library. The column will continue next month with a new focus. I will be
working with the new Executive Director and with my loyal readers to write
about the world of books, learning and knowledge. I would appreciate any ideas
and suggestions for topics for my columns.
In the last issue of (Chicago Rabbinical Council) Hadashot
several staff members reviewed the accomplishments of the CRC. One of the
accomplishments of this column has been to guide readers to new ideas about
books and knowledge. The column I wrote on the story of the two brothers who
met on what became the site of the 1st and 2nd Temple has been quoted and
referred to by librarians ever since. In my columns I have tried to show a
process of finding information and turning that information into useful
knowledge. Later in this column I will tell you how this process will be part
of my new venture.
I would like to review some of
the Library's accomplishments that allow library readers to help themselves.
1. We put up signs to help
readers. It is amazing how a sign can help readers find what they want more
effectively. The Library has signs on each tier of book shelves. The stacks
have signs and posters to guide the readers to the place to find their books.
Each book tier and area of the reading room has an identification number to
ease locating of materials. These location codes are posted and in the library
guidebooks.
2. The Library's computer
catalog now has over 23,500 items from all branches of the Library. Every item
added to the collection since 1995 is in the computer catalog. The catalog is
also available on the World Wide Web at : http://206.217.66.102/htc/. This is a
temporary URL and will be changed when the vendor upgrades their software in
October. While the cataloging is far from complete, it is a vast improvement
over the card catalog. Since the Library never had an inventory, the card
catalog has items that have been missing for over 40 years. Every item in the
computer catalog that has been recataloged has been processed and relabeled. I
have been complimented that our spine labels are much easier to read and they
make finding a book much easier than most of the big university libraries in
the area.
Cataloging is a never-ending
project. The idea and mission of cataloging is to organize and record the
information about a library item so that it can be found and used. The catalog
contains not only books, but also videos, CDs, articles, analytics,
"see" references, museum objects and even the Library's equipment.
Some books are easy to catalog because they have clear information on the title
pages and cataloging in publication. Some books are difficult because they are
missing vital information such as author, date of publication, and publisher.
Serials are a special challenge because they are published periodically and
have multiple authors. Publishers that change the name of their publications
make cataloging difficult and make readers struggle to find the issues they
need.
3. The Library branch in the
Blitstein Teachers Institute has blossomed from a small collection of text
books into two attractive rooms with new book shelves holding over 3000
volumes. The collection contains books in areas that support the curriculum. In
addition to Judaica volumes that largely duplicates what is in the main
collection, the library has literature, psychology, business, education, and
computer science books that are not duplicated in the main library. All items
are cataloged in the library management system.
4. The Library has received
major gifts from CRC members over the past five years. Their names have been
mentioned in my columns. The Library has been able to fill in major gaps in our
collections thanks to these gifts. However, gifts are a mixed blessing. Chances
are that two CRC rabbis have similar interests and collect many of the same
books. The Library keeps what we need and then passes the others to appropriate
places. The CRC office itself has many of the duplicate gifts. These gifts are
an important source of out-of-print books that the Library could never purchase
at a book store.
Adding value to data and information to make knowledge
Libraries are store houses of knowledge. Books are the
frozen knowledge of their authors. Understanding the terminology of
"data", "information" and, "knowledge" is
important to understanding how each one of you adds value to information. Data
is easily stored and retrieved in a computer data base. The pieces of data are
assembled to become information. Information is integrated in the brain then
changes it into knowledge. Knowledge is learned by humans based on information.
Once learned knowledge changes behavior.
The above paragraph may sound
unclear, but let me describe knowledge in terms that are very familiar. Rabbis
make sermons. Think of the value rabbis add to data to make sermons that share
knowledge. For example, a rabbi will start with an idea from the sidra
(or any other source). This idea is one of the datum. The rabbi will look for
sources in the Torah and later rabbinic and Jewish literature to support the
idea. These sources (data) are gathered and then become information. The
information is integrated into the rabbi's experience, background and previous
knowledge to help synthesize new ideas. These new ideas are integrated to make
the knowledge that will be shared in the sermon. The knowledge is received by
the congregation and if it effects a change in behavior, it is part of the person's
knowledge. Each step adds value to the previous step. The initial idea needs
the added value of the sources; the sources need the value integrating them
into new thought worth sharing and finally the congregation benefits from the
integration, synthesis and integration into knowledge.
This adding value is not
limited to sermons. The project could be anything that requires gathering data
and adding value before passing it on to another person. My new venture will be
helping organizations and businesses understand the process of adding value to
information and turning that information into knowledge. This process is called
knowledge management and it is what I have been doing for over 30 years and
never knew it before four weeks ago. Cataloging is the most important aspect of
the organization, storage and retrieval of knowledge. Knowledge is the most
valuable human endeavor that can be shared but never touched, felt, or seen.
Librarians are experts in adding value to data through their dedication to organizing,
storing, and retrieving data and information. In future columns, I will
continue discussing adding value to data.
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