更貼近讀者? 圖資界的專業用語也考慮跟著變!

7月2日是美國專門圖書館學會(Special Libraries Association, 簡稱SLA)的100週年慶. 美國圖書館學會(American Library Association, 簡稱ALA)在Twitter上通報了這個消息, 同日在Library Journal上也有相關的報導, 同時也揭露了SLA想要改名的想法.

The Special Libraries Association, which six years ago began doing business simply as SLA, is again considering changing its name. "As SLA enters its second century, it is clear that we are burdened with a name that not only causes confusion but also fails to capture the aspirations of our members,"

比較有趣的是文中另外提到一些圖資專業用語的調整, 經過它們個案研究的結果, 都傾向要使用客戶群所認得的用語("language that the marketplace recognizes"), 因此下列一些圖資的專業術語都建議作重新調整:

Acquisitions → Purchases
Collection Development → Selection
Cataloging → Organization
Taxonomy and Metadata → Classification
Reference → Customer Assistance
Library Instruction → Teaching/Training
Online searching → Research
Information Analysis → Market Intelligence

個人覺得這真是個很好的思維, 時代在變, 服務名稱怎麼能不跟著變. 長久以來, 圖資界使用"採訪" ,"編目", "參考服務", "流通"等術語, 常讓人無法一"聽"瞭然服務的實質內容, 透過新語彙的使用, 或者可以讓我們的客戶群(讀者)更瞭解圖書館在做些什麼服務吧! 或許也有助於彼此的溝通呢!

正值館內有意作組織調整之際, 或許圖資人也該動動腦, 跳脫傳統的組織架構與傳統的名稱思維,從讀者的角度想想看吧!

參考資料:

Blumenstein, Lynn. (2009, July 2). ""Special Libraries" Name a Burden, So SLA Considers Name Change". Libray Journal. Retrieved on July 2, 2009, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6668581.html.