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Charleston Library Conference

Tangled Up in Books: Using the Lyrics of to Understand the Changing Times of Collection Development

Thomas A. Karel Franklin and Marshall College, [email protected]

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Thomas A. Karel, "Tangled Up in Books: Using the Lyrics of Bob Dylan to Understand the Changing Times of Collection Development" (2019). Proceedings of the Charleston Library Conference. http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284317158

This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Tangled Up in Books: Using the Lyrics of Bob Dylan to Understand the Changing Times of Collecton Development

Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall College, [email protected]

In 1965, Bob Dylan famously “went electric” at the But then more and more changes came down Newport Folk Festval. Folk purists were outraged, the line. Librarians, and faculty, were confronted but that was a defning moment for folk music, folk‐ with approval plans, demand‐ driven acquisitons, rock, and everything that came aferward. Twenty or e‐ books, streaming video, open access publicatons, so years later, libraries had their own “going electric” and more. moments and things have never been the same. The folk purists booed Dylan back then; libraries also got There’s too much confusion a lot of fack from the changes they implemented. So I can’t get no relief. this got me thinking about Bob Dylan’s (2016) lyrics —“” and how some of them can perfectly, and beautfully, relate to the changes I’ve seen in libraries over the Bob Dylan is quoted frequently in law review artcles past 40 years. and even in Supreme Court cases. Here’s what he might say about libraries and copyright and fair use. Let’s start with this line. Here’s Bob Dylan comment- ing on library budgets. But to live outside the law you must be honest. —“” Money doesn’t talk, it swears. —“It’s All Right, Ma, I’m Only Bleeding” And how about those problematc license agree- ments we all sign (and sometmes even read)? I use this lyric on library guides for economics courses and the students chuckle. Some of them But to live outside the law you must be honest. even know who Bob Dylan is. —“Absolutely Sweet Marie”

Academic librarians have to work with faculty, for I don’t mind using a good lyric twice! beter or worse. Mr. Dylan could have been writng about the librarian’s liaison role with the faculty in Mr. Dylan has also refected on libraries’ weeding these lyrics. and deselecton practces.

You’ve been with the professors I must have been mad, And they’ve all liked your looks. I never knew what I had With great lawyers and scholars Untl I threw it all away. You have discussed lepers and crooks. —“I Threw It All Away” You’ve been through all of F. Scot Fitzgerald’s books. You’re very well read, it’s well known. Bob Dylan isn’t known to be an especially warm and —“” fuzzy guy, even though he has writen some beautful love songs. He can be quite brutal in his put‐ downs And speaking of faculty, do you remember how hard of other people. He certainly pulls no punches with it was to persuade them to give up their treasured these lines that could be about the relatonship of print journals and embrace online access to artcles? libraries to publishers and vendors. From the same song: You got a lot of nerve Something is happening here To say you are my friend. And you don’t know what it is, —“Positvely Fourth Street” Do you, Mr. Jones? —“Ballad of a Thin Man” Or these sentments:

Copyright of this contributon remains in the name of the author(s) Charleston Conference Proceedings 2019 179 htps://doi.org/10.5703/1288284317158 But power and greed Although I’ve had a great career in academic librar- And corruptble seed, ies, I can’t help thinking of these lines as my retre- Seem to be all that there is. ment gets closer. —“Blind Willie McTell” An’ here I sit so patently, But, happily, things are getng beter in this area. Today Waitng to fnd out what price this is what the publishers’ reps are saying to libraries: You have to pay to get out of Going through all these things twice. Do you want to make a deeeeeeal? —“Stuck Inside of Mobile with “” the Memphis Blues Again”

Finally, what does the future hold for libraries?

The answer, my friend, Is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind. —“Blowin’ in the Wind”

References Dylan, B. (2016). The Lyrics: 1961–2012. New York: Simon & Schuster. htp://www.bobdylan.com/songs/

180 Collecton Development