[SFFLibraries-L] What question would YOU like to ask scholars?

[Leslie Kay Swigart]

Hello SF&F Libraries-L and PopCulture-L People:

Do you have a burning question you'd like to ask Popular Culture, 
Science Fiction, and Fantasy scholars, but never have? I have a bunch, 
but would like to try out one on all of you:

Dear Popular Culture (or Science Fiction or Fantasy) Scholar: If the 
copyright issues could be dealt with, what is THE publication or 
publications [book(s), run of magazine or pulp mag or comic book] you 
would find MOST useful to have in digital form and made available for 
public use? Would you use materials that had been digitized? Or does the 
particular way in which you conduct your scholarly research require that 
you make use of the original, paper, materials? Do you like/dislike 
using digitized materials? Why or why not.

Well, that's more than ONE question, but you could look at them as ONE 
CLUSTER.

What is YOUR question?


I have two ulterior motives in asking:

1) For a research methods class (UCLA Info St doctoral program): I'm 
drafting a proposal for a survey of popular culture scholars, using as 
guides and inspiration, in addition to my own knowledge, a number of 
previous surveys of humanities scholars that asked about the materials 
they use (both traditional format and, more recently, 
digital/digitized/born-digital) in their scholarship and teaching. I 
want to make sure I have all the interesting/useful questions librarians 
might like to know the answers to re: this group of scholars. This 
survey might even happen for real if I survive the class (and the IRB 
process).

2. For a roundtable discussion at the SF Research Ass'n Conference 
(22-25 June, White Plains, NY), overlapping with ALA's annual 
conference, unfortunately. Andy Sawyer (librarian of the SF Foundation 
Library, University of Liverpool) and I will be discussing "Libraries, 
Archives, and YOU!" with interested attendees, and (again) I'd like to 
make sure we have questions the answers to which other librarians than 
ourselves would like to have. So, here's your chance (via surrogates) to 
ask them.

Thanks!

Leslie, moderator of SF&F Libraries-L, who daily fights, not BEMs from 
outer space, but the BEMS of Sp*m Space, on behalf of the members of 
SFFLibraries-L ;-)

-- 

Leslie Kay Swigart <http://www.csulb.edu/%7Elswigart/>, Librarian
University Library <http://www.csulb.edu/library/>, California State 
University, Long Beach <http://www.csulb.edu/>
1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California, USA 90840-1901
Voice: 562-985-8327 FAX: 562-985-1703 Email: lswigart at csulb.edu 
<mailto:lswigart at csulb.edu>
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