Acceso usuarios
Ian Watt
Parliamentary libraries� founding ideal is of unbounded rationality: Members making decisions using full information, aided by the library. This is assessed as a necessary myth projecting the modernity of the parliament and the value of the library. The standard narrative of parliamentary library history � that changing visions are responses to the needs of Members � is questioned. In reality, the library may not fulfil its idealized role and in any case it no longer signifies modernity. The myth has become a liability. An alternative paradigm of Members� information work is proposed based on the concept of bounded rationality and, in particular, the work of Gigerenzer on �fast and frugal� decision-making. Rather than focusing on quality of information produced/ delivered, parliamentary libraries should focus on quality of information actually used. Improving ease of access to information and focusing on specialist Members may have more impact than incremental improvements of product quality. Parliamentary libraries must also consider the growth in Members� support staff and adapt their marketing to a business-to-business model. A focus on core competences and their deployment in new areas of parliamentary information work is one vision for the future. The paper represents the personal views of the author and does not reflect the views of the European Parliament.
