[LINK] Link's Influence

[Antony Barry]

On 27/03/2007, at 11:07 AM, Rick Welykochy wrote:

> All credit to Tony for having the vision to create the list at an  
> early
> stage of Internet development in Australia.

Eric Wainwright had as much influence as I in creating this list. I'm  
not sure that it was a huge vision thing. The list was created from a  
somewhat irregular meeting of people with an IT interest in libraries  
who recognised the potential of networks for radically changing the  
way information was stored and transmitted. It was the Working Group  
on Local Libraries Interconnection if I remember rightly (Eric  
correct me if I'm wrong) and predated the internet. We used to meet  
when major national library conferences were being held, VALA and  
Online&Ondisc (as it was then) mostly. I suggested that we get Geoff  
Huston along to one of our meetings to talk about the internet.

Eric was chairing it and we though a mailing list would be a good  
idea. I had a unix workstation (wombat.anu.edu.au) on my desk so i  
volunteered and ran it manually as an alias file.

> What is it about librarians?

We are the cultural audit trail of mankind.

> I am doing consulting and mentoring work with a librarian these  
> days, and
> I am impressed with the breadth of knowledge and interest my librarian
> client possesses. I suppose it comes with the territory - one must be
> a generalist and into ontology to be an effective librarian.

That's the most succinct explanation I've seen!

Tony


phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
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