Anonymous Sex in the Library

Just as the original "Sex in the Library" was not about sex, this one isn't, too. This post is about having bloggers' ideas used, sentences quoted as is, and yet not being given any credit. Oh, there was a part about "Said the blogger," and "One blogger said..." but that's when the speaker, a priest, put my sentences in quotes.

I suppose I should be flattered—he did the same thing to Ambeth Ocampo—but I think it's about time bloggers got cited properly. And no, I don't mean APA- or MLA-style. A simple acknowledgment that "these ideas were suggested by the blogger Filipino Librarian" or "the blogger Filipino Librarian wrote..." would have been enough. Anyway, here are the relevant parts from my original post:

It is necessary that librarians acknowledge that an image problem exists, that it's not just a budget problem. Is it really just because libraries have no budget that nobody uses libraries? I don't think so.

And then there are the four Ps:

Product - What exactly is it that libraries are "selling"? Is it books, information, research assistance? Librarians need to decide what exactly their product is.

Price - It's all supposed to be free (except for a few things like photocopying), but why don't users flock to the library the way customers spend money at the bookstore? This will need a separate post, but please leave a comment if you have an answer.

Place - Are libraries situated strategically? Or are they up in the fifth floor where there's no elevator? The environment counts, too. Is it dark, cramped, dusty?

Promotions - No one will buy something if they don't know it exists. But how can people not know that the library exists? Well, they know about it, but why is it that some students are proud of the fact that they graduated from school without ever setting foot in the library?

Finally, the so-called fifth P: Positioning. This is really about image and encompasses all of the four Ps. Think about what would have happened to the image of librarians if one of the four leads in Sex and the City had been a librarian. Or what if the women in Desperate Housewives were having affairs not with plumbers and gardeners, but librarians?

And here's the paraphrased-in-parts and quoted-in-full-in-other-parts keynote address:

The image problem has to be recognized and solved in order to enhance marketability. The matter of marketability can also be conveniently addressed if we consider the 5 P's of marketing. let's take a look at the Product libraries are selling. Are libraries "selling" books, information, research assistance? Librarians need to decide what exactly their product is.

The next P would be Price. The products are supposed to be free yet why do users instead go to the bookstores? Has this anything to do with the Dewey Decimal System? Or the "Silence" signs? Or, how about the next P, the Place? Is the library strategically located? Is it dark, dusty, cramped, poorly ventilated? Does it exude a welcoming ambiance?

There is the matter of Promotions too. These days we cannot do away with promotions if we want to sell. No one will buy something if the public does not know it exists. But how can people not know that the library exists? Have you not heard of some students proudly declaring that they graduated from school without having gone to the library?

The last P would be Positioning. Now, this is about image. We have to project an image different from that which librarians and libraries are usually portrayed. I don't know how you would do that. In Wisconsin, USA, the Associated Press reported about how librarians posed for a sexy calendar not only to position their libraries but also to raise funds for their libraries. One blogger said, "Think what would have happened to the image of librarians if one of the four leads in Sex and the City had been a librarian. Or what if the women in Desperate Housewives were having affairs not with plumbers and gardeners, but librarians."

Coming on top of the C.S. Canonigo affair and minor cases of plagiarism—not to mention the higher-profile cases of Market Manila and Pinoy Cook—it seems that bloggers need to assert their rights to what they write. Hey, we may be blogging for free, but whether we're anonymous or not, we deserve credit, too!