In any event, the submitted name and telephone number would be sent to ready and waiting reference librarians who are charged with making these telephone calls. Sure, it sounds a bit hokey, but it sure would be a bit of proactive service and it might very well come in handy when the user can't articulate their reference question in writing and your phone is busy. In general, we treat our patrons as if they are all the same. There aren't enough of me. Despite the high numbers of consumers compared to the low number of individual manufacturers, manufacturers are still creating customized output for individuals.
Libraries can do the same things.
The problem, in the columnist's opinion, is a lack of motivation on the part of the profession. In special libraries the motivation is obvious and high. Academic libraries believe they have a captive audience. The history of libraries shows that libraries were traditionally storehouses for books and records. This idea has not only been ingrained in the public perception of libraries, but seems to still be the mainstay of practicing librarians.