[Publib] No Stimulus

[Backwage at aol.com]

Good morning.  Over the past few weeks I have been doing research on  the 
recently-passed stimulus bill for my employer.  This is the sort of  thing I do.  
As a sidelight, I might add that the construction industry, of  which my 
employer is part, will receive just about 80 billion dollars in  stimulus 
funds--directly.  There will be a lot of additional discretionary  spending that will 
end up going to construction and renovation, too.
 
Along the way, I kept a weather eye out for library funding in the  bill.  
Mind you, every lobbying association and group on earth managed to  get 
something into that legislation; at least in the House version, if not in  the final 
text.  
 
There was nothing in the bill, really nothing at all, about  libraries.  Now, 
if you go to the ALA site, you will see that ALA is  congratulating itself 
about money for broadband and money that could conceivably  filter down for 
library construction.  Broadband is a very good thing, but  the bill only provides 
200 million in competitive grants for installation in  public and community 
college libraries.  That's for an entire nation, and  all that is, is 
broadband.  Merely that.  As for the construction,  nothing is specific to libraries; 
they are actually little or no better than  before.  
 
This is not only a disappointment, it is a tragedy.  The reasons for  this 
are too plain:  the diminished stature of the library as an  institution worthy 
of respect among legislators, and incapacity in our governing  association.  
Our story is not being heard.  
 
[One of the clients my people represent is a small firm that manufactures a  
particular item--a certain water-conserving plumbing appliance.  That tiny  
firm managed to get specifications inserted--at least into the initial  
legislation.  I know because my office did the small amount of work it took  to 
accomplish that task.  On the other hand, the entire ALA could not get a  
library-specific construction provision into a bill that had, almost literally,  
something for everybody.  Wait a while:  you will hear and read that  ALA supported 
some provision that will end up getting money for construction,  but that is 
very weak argument.  And not really true.]
 
I believe that our profession suffers from a failure of leadership, not  from 
the lack of persons to do the job, but in terms of the structures that we  
rely upon to satisfy our needs and desires.  Come along and let's talk  about 
it.  The subject has been under the bushel too long.
 
M. McGrorty
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