Page 4 - 45The Paranormal

Charles H. Smith 13

from a position somewhat prior to the usual “users’ needs” kind of con-
ceptualization. Specifically, even though we cannot yet agree as to what
exactly these studies mean, we can organize all aspects of what various
interests are setting out as relevant into a framework which encourages
publicity and dialogue. In short, we can design services which are more
concerned with information-building than with information-retrieving.
This is all the more necessary because of the experiential nature of
much of the subject. A very large proportion of those who have more than
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a passing interest in the paranormal are amateurs in every sense of the
word-ordinarily, they have had little or no training in how to go about
objectively studying any subject, much less this most difficult of all chal-
lenges to empirical methodology. Indeed, many of those who have become
involved have done so only semi-willingly, as the result of unsettling
personal experiences. There is thus a constant battle going on between
those who feel they already “know” merely because they are the leading
expert on their own experiences, and those who are reserving judgment, or
are entirely skeptical apriori.
With so much fundamental disagreement in evidence, it seems of cen-
tral import to become more sensitive to the possible corroding effect of
disinformation; specifically, of inadvertently promoting the position of
any particular special interest over another. Clearly, there are substantial
axes to grind in all directions, whether they be those of the scientific
community (members of which may be attempting to apply study method-
ologies inappropriate to the conditions of the subject), the occult “indus-
try” (including significant numbers of unscrupulous hucksters), conven-
tional religious organizations (which may feel threatened by “New Age”
thinking), or the ordinary individual (who may have difficulty coping with
the ramifications of a particular experience). The librarian must be sensi-
tive to the needs of all such populations, and this often means-in contra-
distinction to other matters, which commonly involve dealing with simple
“pro” and “con” positionsa whole array of different kinds of views on a
given subject.
HOW are today’s libraries dealing with such considerations? Based on
the available literature, one really cannot say. Most all-purpose collections
contain at least some related materials, of course, but from an examination
of electronic holdings records it appears that the focus is usually primarily
on fiction. There are few purpose-specific parapsychology libraries, and
even fewer that have a broadly-oriented service function. Among those
that do seem to recognize a more general mission are the libraries of the
Societies (British and American) for Psychical Research (in London and
New York, respectively). In a brief note concerning the ASPR library