InfoSciPhi

Pondering What It Means to be a Librarian in the Information Age Of Aquarius

InfoSciPhi header image 2
← Unofficial Bio meme The Library’s Website needs change! Say it with me, “Yes We Can!” →

Apparently Annoyed Anonymous Bloggers can get Published in Peer Reviewed Journals

November 17th, 2008 · 5 Comments

Journal of Access ServicesI’m sure you already know about this, but in case you missed it, the most anticipated issue in the history of the Journal of Access Services has finally hit the shelves. On the morning it went to press, Librarians were lined up around the block at Haworth Press in Philadelphia waiting for the hottest dish from the Annoyed Librarian to hit the street. Some of them had even been there since 4 AM with thermos’ of hot tea and reading lights.*

Head of Access Services for Pickadilly Technical College, Sally Readsalot, was gushing, “OMG, I can’t wait to see what AL has to say about remote storage. It’s not often that we get a celebrity blogger, with such a sterling reputation for quality content, to write an ENTIRE issue of a peer reviewed journal.”*

On it’s website, the Journal of Access Services describes itself as “the forum where seasoned access services practitioners share their expertise and hard-earned knowledge about this fundamental concern of librarianship”.

So, it totally makes sense that the editors and referees at Haworth have now published ten chapters of featured articles by the anonymous blogger The Annoyed Librarian in the 2008, Volume 5, Issue 4 edition of JAS.

In fact, the vetting process for article submissions includes the following requirement for consideration of submissions”:

“an introductory footnote with authors’ academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations, mailing and e-mail addresses, and any desired acknowledgment of research support or other credit;”

This has led some library paparazzi to speculate that either the AL has revealed his/her place of employment and job title or the Journal of Access Services will now accept fake credentials from anonymous bloggers and not only publish them, but give them an ENTIRE issue. Where is Michael Gorman when you need him? Isn’t this exactly what the Annoyed Librarian is railing about when “she” complains about the degradation of the profession?

Ponder this. This Journal now gives legitimacy to an anonymous writer, in a professionally sanctioned and sponsored serial, for saying things that would have likely gotten him/her fired had they been written under a real name. How do you cite an AL article from this Journal? You could just as easily cite “RonaldMcDonald_1967″ and get away with it.

You know, you come to expect some level of authority from peer reviewed journals. Does this mean I can submit articles under my own pseudonyms and be potentially accepted for publication in the Journal of Access Services? Apparently it does. For someone who complains so much about the degradation of the profession, what does this say about AL? HACK.

Since this follows the recent relocation of AL’s muckraking blog to an official Library Journal site, it means that AL has finally hit the “big time”. I’m sure she was promised that there would be no censorship and ramifications if she did her thing there. Plus, it makes all the folks she has been complaining about look like that are open to constructive criticism. But, in the end, it just makes AL a HACK. Give it up girl - you have lost what little credibility you had.

This is all just some performance art piece right? Eventually you will tell us that it’s a joke that has somehow gone to far and you are afraid to tell us?

* note: Parts of the back story have been made up for fun, but it shouldn’t matter - the beginning of the end of the authority of peer review is now here)

Tags: LIS News · blogging

5 responses so far ↓

Leave a Comment