Not a rant (I hope :), but I will admit I agree with Patricia.   Sending responses off list not only puts the burden on someone to then do a summary, but the remarks tend to lose in the translation.   We also lose the give and take as the discussion progresses.

Look at the richness of the discussion on the slowness of the Haworth site - we're getting the different responses the various libraries have gotten from T & F, along with varying methods of dealing with the problem and those responses.

Yes, some of the discussion is continued or added to offlist, as Patricia said, when sensitive comments are being made, or there is a more personally-targeted followup question.

As far as I'm concerned, Serialst isn't just a discussion list, it's a community.  I am enriched by belonging to it.

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept., Cofrin Library
University of WI-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI  54311-7003

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."
                              Anne Herbert, The Whole Earth Catalog

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Patricia Thompson
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:23 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Replying to a "Discussion" list [RANT]

At 09:12 AM 7/16/2008, Yacobucci, Karen wrote:
>Could everyone respond to this e-mail by replying to SERIALST.  I am
>interested too.  Thanks!!

I do not understand why people have to ASK to have responses posted
to the list. Isn't that what a discussion list is for? The name of
this list is: "SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum." The
word "discussion" has two meanings in the online Merriam Webster Dictionary:
1 : consideration of a question in open and usually informal debate 2
: a formal treatment of a topic in speech or writing

I would venture to suggest that an email-based discussion list fits
into the first definition.

There are a few times when there may be identities or sensitive
information involved that people are reluctant to post to a public
list, but most often that is not the case.

When I subscribe to a list, I expect to see both questions AND
answers, not just questions with no answers because the answers have
all been sent privately. Also, when I post a question to a list, I do
not want to have to "summarize" all the private responses I have
gotten to report back to the list. I do not have time for that.

I understand that some people are "shy" or are afraid to "flood the
list" with their posts, but in my opinion this private messaging
thing just dilutes the usefulness and efficiency of having a
discussion list, because a discussion requires participation.

This is just my opinion. Thank you for reading.

Pat Thompson

Patricia R. Thompson
Assistant University Librarian for Resource Management Services
Jessie Ball duPont Library
The University of the South
Sewanee, TN 37383
Phone: 931-598-1657
Email: pthompso@sewanee.edu