The RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF READERS AND LIBRARIANS

Abstract

On the assumption that the majority of this audience works in technical and industrial libraries or information departments, of which I have no first‐hand knowledge, I have thought it prudent to devote myself to a general theme, which I hope is of interest to all of us, rather than to talk about techniques and methods which might well be irrelevant to you. I have already for the Journal of documentation tried to clarify my own ideas on the proper part to be played by special libraries in the national interlibrary loans system. I have based my remarks there on the assumption that every reader has the right of convenient access to any material that he needs, but I have suggested that it is the duty of librarians in different circumstances to establish priorities which will give privileges to certain groups financially supporting special libraries, and also that the national interlibrary loan system can only continue to work efficiently if borrowers (personal or institutional), intermediaries (such as the National Central Library, Aslib and the Science Library) and lenders all persistently ask the question ‘Is this a reasonable request?’ and thus prevent exploitation. Here, therefore, I should like to explore not so much the actual provision of material as the methodology used by the profession as a whole in this provision, and the relations between the profession and its clients.

Citation

KYLE, B. (1956), "The RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF READERS AND LIBRARIANS", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 51-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb049577