ABSTRACT
This is an exciting time for library management, as is often said. Insights from a variety of disciplines-business, psychology, and philosophy are perhaps most prominent-are being brought to bear as we examine our roles in a rapidly evolving documents universe. We worry about being replaced by the Internet, replaced by superstores, replaced by MIS departments, and though none of these outcomes is likely on a broad scale, the self-reflection this induces has its place. There’s hardly a branch of librarianship that hasn’t at least accepted, if not embraced headlong, the state of constant change in which we find ourselves. There are some real concerns, however, about a couple of metaphors that are often used to describe aspects of library organizations. In ruthlessly downsized times, the uncritical repetition of dualistic metaphors such as “core/noncore” and “front line/back room” may actually endanger the health of libraries as organisms. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678, E-mail address: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com <Website: https://www.haworthpres-sinc.com>]
