I found this video interesting, though I admit I had to force myself to pay attention to what people were saying. I kept getting distracted by the terrible fashion (especially the glasses).
Each of the four companies profiled seemed to really prize information as a resource and that led to an appreciation for the library. I believe it was Dave Printz, the VP of MacNeal Hospital, who said that "we don't use the term library because it really is a resource for us."
For their part, the libraries all considered themselves an integral part of the company. Timeliness of service and quality of information provided were of the essence at each library. One librarian even said that timeliness was most important because if information was too late it was too late. Each of the librarians acknowledged that it was important to position the library as a value-added service.
This video made me wonder about my previous employers and whether or not they had libraries. I imagine at least two of them did since they were giant multi-nationals, but I never heard a word about a library (or information center). Of course, you could make the argument that accounting shops are a form of information center, albeit one that only contains information about the parent company. But if I had ever wanted to know something about the budget, I knew the people who put it together.
I'm also curious about what happened to the companies profiled in the past 20 years. Do they still exist? If so, do they still pride themselves on their libraries? I think it would be fascinating to find out.
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