The Gordian Knot

Hey, SirsiDynix, remember us? The people that pay maintenance? The people that use your product? The orchestra that is supposed to play your Symphony?

Recent excitement over the new “Symphony” name, which was unveiled Saturday morning at ALA and on the website as early as Saturday at 6 a.m. central time, apparently led to the failure of the company to remember that not every customer (including customers in the rest of the WORLD) attends ALA. Certainly the average director doesn’t regard Marshall Breeding’s Technology Guides as the first line of communication with SirsiDynix, however helpful they can be. Blogs, especially those by industry and private individuals, including Stephen Abram, are not, or should not be the first and ONLY line of communication with the customer. RSS feeds have their place, but I don’t think that’s what we’re after here.

We have customer records, hierarchy of contacts and responsibility, and directors and managers who, at the very least, would like an email from the company explaining the name du jour and the CEO selection. It’s called communication. It’s in rare commodity these days, apparently.

I’m sure the new CEO and the new management team would be delighted to email an appropriately formal communication to all their customers at some point. I understand the new CEO has a lot to do the first week on the job, and I wish him well, but……… press releases really lack that personal touch. So, hastily, today, six days later, customers finally received an email… that seems to resemble half press release, half functionality list, announcing the name change. Whatever happened to the good ole days of seeing the CEO’s signature at the bottom of the page, and calling you by name rather than “Dear Customer”?

Sort of like asking the percussion section of the orchestra to know what’s going on from the green room by shouting “hey, you, there, with the drumstick — we’re on measure 63!”

What happens if the percussion section goes on strike? Can the Symphony still be played?

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SirsiDynix Introduces “SirsiDynix Symphony” as New Integrated Library System

“Yet, it’s also the power of one. One library where people discover information. One information consumer reaching new heights thanks to the library. One vision for bringing together technology solutions that empower libraries and consortia to run better while undertaking exciting initiatives that address new demands for information and resources.”

On the heels of the new SirsiDynix CEO announcement, today’s riddle is as follows:

What do Franz Schubert, George Bizet and SirsiDynix all have in common?

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