[Publib] Stimulus Two

[Backwage at aol.com]

When you look at the stimulus bill, or the spending as it occurs, remember  
that the spending for facilities, construction, renovation and the like is  
prioritized for projects which are, or can be ready within 120 days.
 
Taking a look at the list of major construction categories, we find that  
most of these were the sort of thing that had been planned for quite some  time:  
military and government facilities; local city building and road  projects, 
and of course, highway and transportation funding.
 
What this means is that contractor associations, industry groups and often  
trade unions have put forth plans developed over time and held for just such  
occasions.  There is nothing "overnight" in this stimulus bill.   Almost 
everything goes through ordinary channels; only the amounts and time of  release are 
in doubt until the end.  It must be emphasized that you get  your money years 
after you begin asking and planning for it.  Library  districts are familiar 
with this sort of thing; they know the budget cycle as  well as any other 
agencies of government.
 
So, what does it say about the library as an industry, that it can't plan  
ahead enough to cash in when money is made available?  The most likely  excuse 
will be that libraries are small units of individual governments, but  that is 
ridiculous.  You will note that the stimulus bill will provide  great gobs of 
millions in grants to local government agencies.  If  libraries don't have 
plans, it is because they can't plan.  Mind  you, there are organizations such as 
the League of Cities which offer  guidance to municipalities in getting their 
share of government monies, and  state business associations and other 
entities, too.  But there is no  national library organization to do the same thing i
n our industry.    
 
The library doesn't have a national advocate.  It doesn't have an  
organization to put together and promote plans for getting federal money.   Worse if it 
does, because, if it is assumed that ALA did actually work toward  that end 
through its lobbying arm, then the results are simply terrible,  practically 
nothing.  
 
Tell me, while I was out, letting my ALA membership lapse, did some current  
or past ALA official make a valiant effort to reserve at least a few million 
for  the library--either for structure or content?  Please disabuse me of the  
notion that ALA is merely an organization which works to hold two conventions 
a  year, whose purpose is to raise enough money to staff a national office 
whose  purpose is to hold two conventions a year.
 
In fact, if ALA is held to any sort of standard of accountability, the  
organization fails except in the area of intellectual freedom issues.  Some  
discussion of why is in order.
 
By the way, today I've received a dozen emails of support for these views  
from librarians who do not wish to post publicly.  More on that  later.
 
M. McGrorty
 
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