I took the larger point to be one that I have made myself (in fact, I wrote an article about public libraries entitled "Selling Off the Public Good"): for too long all government service, not just libraries, has prostrated itself at the feet of business. Some damage has been done to the service ethic with the business approach. There is not a straight like for like in terms of function, and business is not always so good at business. I believe I once read in a book, 'Reason not need.' (yes, I do know which one).
However, my point is that there are some lessons to be learned from commerce: we no longer have the luxury in the public sector (did we ever?) of not needing to prove our worth, value to our masters, whether they be local councillors or citizens at large. More than an increased accoutability, though, we need some of these business tools to unlock the potential of our collections and expertise in order to act as a counterweight for public good in what is becoming a very commercialised web environment.
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