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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] electronic and membership discussion

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  • From: Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] electronic and membership discussion
  • Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:29:26 -0500

I'm sorry that my perhaps too carelessly selected words should have been misunderstood. What I was trying to get across is that as I see it NAFEX is a relationship - between (oversimplified) repositories and suppliers of knowledge, and those who use and supply the knowledge (and acquire it, deepen it over the years and eventually become repositories and suppliers themselves, some of them). The two sides are both indispensable.

However, the possessors of the deep knowledge are harder to come by, there are fewer of them, and their time of greatest value occurs toward the end of their lives, so doesn't last long. And, their specialty is the knowledge, not the ability to transmit it. So the rest of us have to be careful to not let the IT (and the writing) get in the way of the knowledge, and its transmission, and working with plants.

Of course, to speak of two sides is an oversimplification, since there is a continuum here. Two functions would be better.

I joined in 1976 and have seen people like Fred Ashworth, Milo Gibson, Fred Janson, Robert Erskine, Percy Wright, and others flourish, contribute...and die. I have a strong feeling that we have to make the most of them while they are with us, and grow their replacements.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada


L. Watson wrote:


It's distressing to see people who love plants *and* technology scorned. I'd also hope for a more welcoming term for new members who want to learn from the core members than "parasites." I hope in a few years to have enough experience to add to the discussion.




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