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https://theconversation.com/the-abcs-plan-to-axe-its-librarians-will-damage-its-journalism-heres-why-184733>
"When the war broke out in the Ukraine early this year, journalists scrambled
to gather stories and images from the archives to supplement information and
images gathered on the ground. A similar scramble occurred when floods struck
Queensland, as it often does when big stories break.
We saw the results on our screens, but what we didn’t see was the invisible yet
critical work of librarians and archivists – the people who design, manage and
facilitate access to the archival systems that house vital news resources.
This makes all the more surprising the news that the ABC plans to eliminate
librarian and archivist positions and require its journalists to fill the gap.
Journalists are expert investigators and storytellers, but their success in
reporting stories rests on their ability to find source material quickly and
effortlessly – a process in which librarians and archivists play a key role.
Timely access to source material is critical. Extra time spent looking for
resources – not to mention uploading and describing new material – is time
taken away from journalists’ other work.
The ABC’s information professionals are trained according to the requirements
of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). They are
experienced in helping journalists access resources easily and quickly. They
digitise and store resources methodically and apply the “metadata” – the
detailed descriptive tags – necessary for efficient retrieval. This archival
work is especially important at the ABC, a vital repository of Australian
history and culture.
When information professionals do their jobs well, journalists and other
researchers can readily find what they need and download material seamlessly."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
