Thank you for saving me some angst. Since I'm (a) retired and (b) not really a librarian, I don't think I'd have purchased TANL anyway--but I might have wondered what I was missing. Since I've nudged at Lankes on the whole "everything's conversation" thing before, and felt like I was pushing at a wall of Jello, I'll just avoid it this time.
waltc: Actually, from a practical standpoint, the book is worth reading as it offers a lot of great advice for librarianship. It's just the theoretical, philosophical parts that need to be avoided.
I'm disappointed that Lankes gets the philosophy so wrong, but I'm more concerned about what great advice Lankes has for librarianship. I'd be happy to strip away the bogus philosophical underpinning to get to the good advice. (Though if the good advice grew out of a coherent theoretical view of librarianship, even better.) Does Lankes offer anything new or revolutionary as far as how librarians should think about their future, or is it just a rehash? (By the way, I think Paul Boghossian is still alive, though you might be privy to some very recent news that I'm not.)
Paul H.: I'm working on a post summarizing the good parts of Lankes' theory, but I'm afraid it's slim pickings. Most of what he writes is more theoretical than practical. Indeed, most of his book hangs its hat on Conversation Theory. As to the new or revolutionary, again, there isn't very much; it is in fact a rehash. Perhaps librarians who haven't changed their worldviews in a few decades will find something new, but for librarians who follow the trends, it's not a terribly original work. I'll try to get a more positive post up soon.
(And that Boghossian thing was a gross error on my part. I was going to recommend something by the late Bertrand Russell, then changed my mind in favor of the newer book. Professor Boghossian is, indeed, alive and kicking!)
Sounds good, Lane. I'm looking forward to your next post. It seems that Lankes has a lot invested in Conversation Theory, which is too bad; I think it's a loser. He should cut it loose.
As someone who really enjoys Lankes's lectures, the day after I got this book though ILL I had to send it back. While I do agree with your philosophical arguments against the content (from the short sections I read), those diagrams and maps in the book are impossible to read. 3 point font, maybe? I'm in my 20s with perfect near-sighted vision and I couldn't read the smallest print without my nose being an inch from the page. I honestly think it's the only time that a book's design has offended me.
NewLibrarian: I know what you mean; it's especially bad that the full-size, fold-out map in the back seems to be even more illegible. In any event, the map itself is a distraction and you can safely ignore it.
Thank you for saving me some angst. Since I'm (a) retired and (b) not really a librarian, I don't think I'd have purchased TANL anyway--but I might have wondered what I was missing. Since I've nudged at Lankes on the whole "everything's conversation" thing before, and felt like I was pushing at a wall of Jello, I'll just avoid it this time.
ReplyDeletewaltc: Actually, from a practical standpoint, the book is worth reading as it offers a lot of great advice for librarianship. It's just the theoretical, philosophical parts that need to be avoided.
ReplyDelete"like"
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed that Lankes gets the philosophy so wrong, but I'm more concerned about what great advice Lankes has for librarianship. I'd be happy to strip away the bogus philosophical underpinning to get to the good advice. (Though if the good advice grew out of a coherent theoretical view of librarianship, even better.) Does Lankes offer anything new or revolutionary as far as how librarians should think about their future, or is it just a rehash? (By the way, I think Paul Boghossian is still alive, though you might be privy to some very recent news that I'm not.)
ReplyDeletePaul H.: I'm working on a post summarizing the good parts of Lankes' theory, but I'm afraid it's slim pickings. Most of what he writes is more theoretical than practical. Indeed, most of his book hangs its hat on Conversation Theory. As to the new or revolutionary, again, there isn't very much; it is in fact a rehash. Perhaps librarians who haven't changed their worldviews in a few decades will find something new, but for librarians who follow the trends, it's not a terribly original work. I'll try to get a more positive post up soon.
ReplyDelete(And that Boghossian thing was a gross error on my part. I was going to recommend something by the late Bertrand Russell, then changed my mind in favor of the newer book. Professor Boghossian is, indeed, alive and kicking!)
Sounds good, Lane. I'm looking forward to your next post. It seems that Lankes has a lot invested in Conversation Theory, which is too bad; I think it's a loser. He should cut it loose.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who really enjoys Lankes's lectures, the day after I got this book though ILL I had to send it back. While I do agree with your philosophical arguments against the content (from the short sections I read), those diagrams and maps in the book are impossible to read. 3 point font, maybe? I'm in my 20s with perfect near-sighted vision and I couldn't read the smallest print without my nose being an inch from the page. I honestly think it's the only time that a book's design has offended me.
ReplyDeleteNewLibrarian: I know what you mean; it's especially bad that the full-size, fold-out map in the back seems to be even more illegible. In any event, the map itself is a distraction and you can safely ignore it.
ReplyDelete