Another Boner from West: "Hi, my first name is Joe and I'm a law librarian"

After Monday's Westlaw bonehead move where the Company first terminated its free printer services at Puerto Rican law schools and then quickly reinstated the program after the uproar that caused (see LLB's Thomson West Starts the Academic Year Off with Bonehead Move) one wouldn't expect another boner so quickly from the jokers who run West but that's exactly what happened yesterday when the Company mounted an "unfortunate" e-mail campaign directed at attorneys that insulted law librarians. The ad message:

"Are you on a first name basis with the librarian?
If so, chances are, you're spending too much time at the library. What you need is fast, reliable research you can access right in your office. And all it takes is West®."

Posted on law-lib, the ad prompted over 40 responses, the most I've seen to one list-serv message in a very long time. West called upon its official firefighter again, Anne Ellis, Senior Director, Librarian Relations, to tell us West really, really cares about the library community. Here's the law-lib message she posted yesterday:

Dear Colleagues,
 
By now I trust you’ve all seen the unfortunate e-mail from West asking “are you on a first name basis with the librarian?” and implying that such a circumstance would occur only if you weren’t getting the right information on your desktop.
 
After reading about it in this forum, I tracked down the e-mail and was very concerned, as have been all the colleagues here at West when I’ve shown it to them. It’s important that you understand that this does not reflect in any way how West feels about and values librarians.
 
I’ve talked to the people behind the e-mail and can assure you that they meant no harm. They now understand that the marketing piece was in poor taste and I have been assured that this will not happen again.
 
I appreciate the conversation that happens within this professional forum, even when it’s taking my company to task. We care about the librarian community. We listen. And, as the conversation relates to this poorly conceived marketing piece, we’re very sorry.
 
Finally, my answer to this e-mail would be that I’m on a first-name basis with more librarians that I can count, and I’m proud to know every one of them.
 
Anne

"Meant No Harm." The damage has been done Anne. The e-mail went out and an apology to law librarians won't change that. Only a retraction by the Company sent to all recipients of West's librarian-denigrating ad will. Any plans for that? Any plans to mount a marketing campaign to practitioners that emphasizes the importance of being on a first name basis with their librarians?

There once was a time when Westlaw reps were welcome in law firms by librarians. Of course that was a quarter of a century ago when Westlaw would train lawyers to use their online service in concert with print resources. It was a welcome respite from Lexis reps whose training mission was to show lawyers how to rack up huge Lexis search charges by teaching them to perform all their research online. No longer. This asinine marketing stunt is yet another example of West working against, not with, the law library community. The Company has let loose the dogs of marketing war in this economy to do whatever it can to protect its revenue stream. 

West's Librarian Relations Program. Whatever West's Librarian Relations Program may once have been, it's clear it is now the mouthpiece of official apologies for corporate actions and policies. The Librarian Relations Program's mission appears to be nothing more than to insult our collective intelligence. Remember Anne's recent listserv explanation for the Company's refusal to participate in AALL's price index? See Message from West on AALL Sponsorship Policy.

On law-lib, one commentator suggested that Anne and other Librarian Relations Program staffers resign in protest if the Program is nothing more than a marketing tool. At this moment in economic history, the only way to prove that the Program isn't is to see some results law librarians need right now, such as the Company agreeing to (1) moderating its historical price increases for print continuations for the next year or two by cutting them in half to an average 6-7%; (2) fully disclosing pricing information for the AALL Price Index; and (3) committing to freezing its annual price increases when multi-year Westlaw contracts come up for renegotiation during each law library's forthcoming round of Westlaw bargaining. Of course, this is going to have a negative impact on Thomson West's bottom line but with profit margins in the 30-plus percent range as reported here and here, the Company can afford it. Besides, we're only asking for short-term relief.

It looks to me like West's Librarian Relations Program staffers have been bought and paid for by the Company. But if not or if they have had enough (because I doubt we will see the above corporate actions), I suggest staffers send their resumes to legal publishers who are actually interested in maintaining good relations with the law librarians who pay their invoices. Try BNA and Hein & Company for starters. [JH]

Charles A. Pipins, Law Library Fellow at the University of Arizona, deserves the last word on West's latest bonehead move and here it is: