[Publib] My grumpy reaction to "COSWL on Alito"

[Diedre Conkling]

I am a bit surprised that no one said anything as well.  I do remember Mesa being one of the places I thought about applying to at one time because of what they were doing and the salaries.   But that has been at least 17 years ago.

The state of library funding is a constant concern on all levels of ALA all of the time.  Perhaps that is why it is not the item to pop up as quickly on a discussion list, because it is, unfortunately, the norm.  It is easier to talk about those things that fall outside of what is an everyday part of our lives.

As a matter of fact, ALA has a program in place to address exactly the type of situation that is occurring in Mesa.  The program is called "The Campaign to Save America's Libraries" and can be found at http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?section=libraryfunding&template=/cfapps/pio/state.cfm&state=az .

It is hard to keep up on all of the library funding problems in our country.  However, it might help a bit if someone from Mesa or at least Arizona reported the situation at http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?section=libraryfunding&template=/cfapps/pio/state.cfm&state=az and then directly contact :

Director
Public Information Office
American Library Association
50 E. Huron Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Tel: 800-545-2433, ext. 5042
Fax: 312-944-8520
mgould at ala.org

or ALA Executive Director Keith Fiels at kfiels at ala.org and/or the ALA President, Leslie Berger at lburger at princetonlibrary.org




--
Diedre Conkling
     
  Lincoln County Library District
  P.O. Box 2027, Newport, OR  97365
  Phone & Fax:  541-265-3066
  http://lcld.library-blogs.net/
  Work:  diedre at beachbooks.org
  Home:  diedrec at charter.net
   

---- Joe Schallan <jbsphx at cox.net> wrote: 

=============
Yesterday I posted to this list news of
the dire situation facing a public library
already deeply distressed ("The Next Salinas?"),
and it got exactly ZERO comment from the
something like 7,000 public librarians
(is that right, Karen S.?) who read Publib.

Yet the list traffic was clogged with . . .
what, 50? 100?, messages on "COSWL on Alito,"
while a once-proud public library is
drowning, with nary a single person willing
to take note.  GRRRRRRRRR!

I, for one, would like to see ALA tell
the citizens of Mesa, Arizona -- in a
very official way -- that it may be a
good idea to vote in favor of the tax
measure that will be placed before them
in May, if they value reading and
thinking.  THAT would be advocacy
I could get behind.

It seems to me that the organization
has decided not to take positions on
local tax measures that benefit
libraries, because I can't remember
instances of ALA officially backing
such measures.  I'm not a member and
not likely to ever be one, so I don't
know the reasons why ALA would be so
willing to weigh in officially on
social issues on the periphery of
library service but so dedicated to
remaining silent on local funding
decisions that deeply affect specific
public libraries.  Do correct me if
my perception is just plain wrong
(which, indeed, I hope it is).

I know that you people think Arizona
is just some fringe, Sun-Belt-wacko
nonentity, but if YOUR public library
had suffered the way Mesa's has --
with more pain possibly in the offing --
I WOULD CARE.  And I humbly put forward
the idea that when library service
for an American city of 450,000 is about
to be further skeletonized, it should be
news that people in the profession should
care about.

I feel better now.

You can all go back to hashing out "COSWL
on Alito."

(Grump, grump, and harrumph!)

Joe Schallan
--Way out west, and, apparently, way
out of the national library conssciousness.


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