{{{{bitches}}}}
GC: I haven't read the whole Marcum speech, but from what you have here, I can see where she could be right with
Marcum feels that quick results are more important to users than precise results that require some work from the user.
and at the same time you can be right that
Without having those multiple organization layers, users can’t browse collections. If users can’t browse collections, they may never discover resources that meet their needs. They may never connect with keywords that would help to refine their search results.
I think that many librarians are, by nature, more focused on getting it just right, while most users are, by nature, satisfied with just enough (note the most on both sides; there are certainly many exceptions). So, the organization layers are both very important and also a barrier. I think that this also ties in with the premise of The Long Tail, (or so I've heard from others, as I haven't actually read it), so that perhaps the Google-like search is best for the majority, but it's important to have the browse-able categorization for the long tail group. For me, a difficult and important part of my job is understanding where the patron is in terms of their information need, without my own personal bias getting in the way. I've often said that what makes librarians different from others is that we won't give up once we get started on a search. Remembering that sometimes people just want quick answers that are ok, not perfect, is very difficult, but also important.