[Publib] children of staff

[Kevin Okelly]

This country is barbaric. That you could not find some kind of daycare or
after-school program is inexcusable. Your experiences further reinforce my
belief that all the "Family values" talk by so many in this country is at
worst hypocritical cant and at best born of complete ignorance.

Kevin O'Kelly
Reference and Cataloging Librarian
Somerville Public Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
(617)-623-5000


-----Original Message-----
From: GraceAnne Andreassi DeCandido <ladyhawk at well.com>
To: Deborah <librarydragon1 at yahoo.com>, publib at webjunction.org
Cc: 
Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:00:30 -0500
Subject: Re: [Publib] children of staff

> Wow. That one hits a nerve, even after all these years. My son is in 
> his 30s 
> now, but there were times, when he was young, when there was simply 
> nothing for it but to bring him to work with me. Various Easter week 
> holidays come to mind, when there wasn't school and there wasn't
> daycare 
> or babysitters. Or sometimes there just wasn't. I was working in an art
> school library then, and his father and another family member for a
> large 
> public library, and sometimes we just had to. He would sort papers or 
> office supplies or read. Other staff were nice to him. We were
> desperate, 
> but it worked. 
> At one point, one library decided, that because of insurance concerns,
> our 
> son couldn't be there any more. So he came with me, when that had to 
> happen. 
> By the time he was 12, he could take the NYC subway and meet one of us 
> in our offices. By the time he was 14, we could leave him on his own.
> I am still angered, after all these years, that it was so hard: hard to
> find day 
> care, hard to get time off, hard to be a parent and a professional at
> the same 
> time. We did it, though. 
> I would never have asked permission. They would have said no. But faced
> with me and a rather charming 8 year old, and my matter-of-factness 
> (hiding terror, I might add) about the situation, they let it go. 
> I worked both in public service and administration at that time, and so
> did 
> his other caregivers. It was only regular during long holidays. 
> I realize this doesn't tell you what you want to know. But I am
> surprised at 
> the depth of my anger and upset, after all this time.
> And my son turned out OK, he's an sf writer and editor.
> GraceAnne
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> The honorable Deborah noted on 3 Feb 2008 thusly:
> 
> Does anyone have a policy or procedure, written or unwritten, regarding
> staff children 
> in the workplace while the library employee is on the job? If you do
> allow staff 
> children, do you limit by the child's age, duration of time they spend
> in the library or 
> level of attention the child needs? Also, are the children allowed in
> staff areas, public 
> or private, and have other employees accepted the situation?
> I understand that emergencies do come up and that a child of a staff
> member may end 
> up at the library due to a minor illness or cancellation by a
> babysitter but has anyone 
> dealt with an employee who habitually brings their children to work? 
> Thanks!
> 
> Deb Beasley
> Blue Island PL
> 
> 
> 
> Beware the man of one book. Latin Proverb
> 
>  
> 
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try
> it now. 
> 
> GraceAnne A. DeCandido
> Reader Writer Reviewer ~ New York City
> Part-time lecturer in children's and YA literature Rutgers SCILS/PDS
> 
> Favorite titles 2007
> http://www.well.com/user/ladyhawk/books.html 
> "We should act as if the universe were listening to us and responding;
> we 
> should act as if life were going to win. ... we should act as if we
> were attending 
> the marriage of responsibility and delight."
> Philip Pullman University of East Anglia lecture 3 March 2005
> 
> 
> 
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