[Publib] WI Librarians Demoted: "Librarians today do less complex work"

[James Casey]

The problems of downward pressure on budgets and rising health care
costs affect practically every corner of the public and private sectors.
We need to choose our battles wisely and fight for better funding on
behalf of the services we provide to the taxpayers.  If we argue only
for our own pay, job security, benefits, etc., the plea might ring
hollow for many voters for whom the same problems and pressures exist.
Librarians have neither the numbers, dollars (for campaign
contributions) nor the leverage wielded by teacher unions to strike and
lock thousands of kids out of school and on the streets.  What we do
have is direct access to the taxpaying voters and the ability to
convince them that the services that we provide 7 days per week are
worth their support.  We need to focus on fighting for our budgets
rather than personal compensation.  Hopefully, the compensation and
benefits will come if we are successful.

James B. Casey  -- My own views
Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
ALA Council Member



-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of
mklibrarian at gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:02 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] WI Librarians Demoted: "Librarians today do less
complex work"


So, all we do is roll over and wait for the guillotine to fall?

We don't respond? Lots of library advocacy, but little - if any -
librarian advocacy??



James wrote:
> Sue Kamm is right.  With health insurance premiums increasing rapidly,
> the budgetary pressures are intense.  Using various expedients and
> dressing them up to look like service improvements is not a new
tactic.
> Universities have been doing this kind of thing for years by using
> Adjunct Faculty to teach numerous classes at ridiculously low rates of
> compensation and zero benefits.  For many decades we have seen legions
> of Ph.D.s and MAs in various liberal arts fields piecing together
three
> or four adjunct positions in order to make ends meet while hoping that
> their spouses have some kind of medical insurance.  Back in the 1970s,
> Cleveland Public Library stopped hiring MLS librarians and decided to
> use the MLS degree only for department head and assistant department
> head positions.  The positions that had previously been held by MLS
> librarians were filled by para-professionals without the MLS.  The
> department I worked in went from 8 MLS Librarians down to 2 via
> attrition.   That was some 30 years ago.
>
>
>
> I don't see things getting worse, but continuation of a situation that
> is already pretty bad.   Michael Moore talks about 47 million
Americans
> without health insurance and librarians/academics make up a portion of
> that figure.
>
>
>
> James B. Casey --- My own views.
>
> Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
>
> ALA Council Member