[Publib] The Annoyed Librarian blogs on Wausau

Sun Mar 9 10:31:48 EDT 2008

Greetings,

Libraries are knowledge enabled and knowledge enabling organizations.
They are not fulfilling their missions when they are 'dumbed down'.
The real value of their output, if we apply a business model, is
reduced.  Nothing is 'saved'.  It is just reallocated to other things
of lesser value.

I think one of the major problems that has been touched on a few times
in this discussion is the composition of library boards. In the past,
library boards have typically attracted people interested in libraries,
people who are interested in demonstrating community service, and often
very successful people who are interested in giving back to their 
communities.  In aggregate, those sorts of interests lead to
great support systems for libraries.  When great support systems are in
place, great libraries can be nurtured and the public interest is 
served.

On the other hand, unlike professional librarians, there are generally
no requirements other than residency necessary to serve on a library
board.  The selection process is essentially political, partisan, and
not subject to elections.  I do not know of very many bylaws that have
recall provisions. The only safeguard is the tradition of service by
boards established by the boards themselves.  Where that tradition has
been broken is where you see the 'trend' of dumbing down and devaluing
the staff.

With costs of state and local government continuing to rise and other
classes of workers protected by contracts, library board members may
be appointed who's idea of public service is to save the taxpayers
money. As stewards, they are in the position to 'cut costs'.  By 
cutting costs and reorganizing it creates the appearance of fulfilling
community service.  However, by decreasing value and devaluing the
staff, they are actually increasing the costs to the community. Libraries
are already the most efficient models of government.

The money will just go somewhere else to another group with more
power - there are no librarians on this list:

http://www.projo.com/extra/2008/municipal_workers_pay/100_highest_paid.html

*************************************************
Robert L. Balliot
1-401-441-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
*************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Stipek [mailto:kstipek at aclib.us] 
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 3:37 PM
To: Patty Dwyer Wanninger; rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com
Cc: Publib; Joe Schallan
Subject: RE: [Publib] The Annoyed Librarian blogs on Wausau

This is a classic example of the application of the business model to a
public service.  Costs, especially personnel costs, must be kept down.
Job descriptions are redefined to require the fewest possible skills and
hire those at the lowest possible cost.  Tried to get fitted for a pair
of shoes in a department store lately?  The clerk might wave one of
those metal foot-measuring things around, but doesn't have a clue about
how to use it.  Somewhere the decision was made that librarians are
essentially the clerks in a big-box store who just have to know where to
point and how to run the cash register.  No wonder the jobs were dumbed
down with prices to match. The business model is everywhere, and this is
going to keep happening until the profession--especially academia and
the library schools that turn out our administrators--turns against it.

Kathleen Stipek
Alachua County Library District
401 East University Avenue
Gainesville, Florida 32601
352-334-3931  (fax) 352-334-3948

     --Non, merci.
       Cyrano de Bergerac

-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Patty Dwyer
Wanninger
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 11:25 AM
To: rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com
Cc: 'Publib'; 'Joe Schallan'
Subject: Re: [Publib] The Annoyed Librarian blogs on Wausau

I have actually spoken with Phyllis Christensen, the director of the
Marathon County Public Library, about this reorganization, and we have
agreed to disagree.

I think it's up to the organization to define requirements for
professional positions and to provide adequate training and leadership
so these professionals can meet the challenges of the very complex world
of the public library in the age of the Internet. To define the job of
reference librarian the same as it was in 1992 -  have them sitting by
the phone waiting for someone to call and ask for a recipe for guacamole
- and then say that job is now worth $10,000 less to the organization,
but it's still the same job, still requires a Master's Degree, is
disingenuous at best and I think a very poor decision. I believe this
decision has or will cost the Marathon County Public Library far more
than the $30,000 they've saved in public good will, staff morale,
reputation in the library community.

Marathon County Library could certainly make the argument  that they
don't need Master's Degreed librarians in their organization any more,
and both the director and the board president have expressed this
thought that their customers are different now and that other staff who
don't have Master's Degrees are just as good at some of this 2.0 stuff
as the MLS staff are. This argument, while no comfort to the ill-used
librarians in Wausau, at least has the merit of honesty. Certainly you
can run a pretty good library without an MLS in sight.

And in fact, the job description linked below is striking for its lack
of any specific library-related job knowledge. The job description is
full of TQM-based jargon - continuous improvement, teams all over the
place, advocate for customer service, etc. etc. Though stated, this job
does not require a master's degree in library science. Considering the
inevitable cost in staff morale of the board decision to demote the
staff people this person would have the responsibility of "bringing
alive," I am trying to imagine what qualifications the job does require.

Perhaps the best qualification for the job would be ignorance,
preferably of the blissful variety, of how a library can effectively use
professional staff (whether degreed or not) and what a real team
environment means.  And all for $17.26/hr.

Robert L. Balliot wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> I think that blog entry was great and to the point.  The Wisconsin 
> archive has a link to Marathon's customer services position here:
>
> http://www.mcpl.lib.wi.us/about/employment.html
> Marathon County Public Library
> Betty Tellekson
> 300 N. 1st Street, Wausau, WI  54403
> Phone: 715-261-7215  
> betty.tellekson at mail.co.marathon.wi.us   
>   
>

--
Patty Dwyer Wanninger
Library Director
Manitowoc Public Library
707 Quay Street
Manitowoc, WI 54220
P - 920-683-4863 ext. 337
F - 920-683-4873
The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely
those of the author. The message contents have not been reviewed or
approved by the City of Manitowoc.

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