Interesting article

Here's an article by Brett McCracken at Relevant Magazine, titled "Are Critics Relevant?" http://www.relevantmagazine.com/pc_article.php?id=7549 He's talking about movie critics, but his analysis could be applied to book critics as well, that is to those of us who make book recommendations and award prizes for literature. He sees the role of professional critics in this "Recommendation Age" as finding the good that might otherwise be ignored in our consumer culture, helping people sort through the "massive cacophony of chaff to find the wheat" as advisors rather than elitist gatekeepers. It makes sense to me, and gives me a sense of belonging as a librarian in this world of recommendation by tagging.