[Publib] Re: VIP Privileges

[Chris Albertson]

Well, isn't it Plato who said that on the same amount of income the just man will pay more than his share of the tax and unjust man less than his share??

So what would Plato say about where staff and volunteers (and FOL and Board members) should fall on reserve lists? BEFORE any of the public gets to see the latest book (after all...readers advisors need to be prepared), AFTER everyone in town has read it or somewhere in-between?

Reminds me as well of the legendary company commanders in the field who never ate until ALL the troops had received their chow! (Rank may have its privileges but do they include insensitivity??)

I too can understand why some librarians include perks to reward volunteers and perhaps even themselves but agree with those who have raised a secondary PR angle...compare this to Employee of the Month programs...what do they gain you but one mildly happy (or less unhappy) employee and 49 less happy (or more unhappy) staffers, month after month (B.F. Skinner, anyone?). To trot out even more old sayings "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion" and likewise it may be better for the general public not to suspect staff and friends are getting away without paying fines and are skimming the reserve lists.

We don't ask for martyrdom/masochism at our library by requiring the staff and volunteers to come last in everything as the servants of the public...but we do want to give the public a "fighting chance" so staff and volunteers are expected to wait just like everyone else, in the same queue, and to pay the same fines everyone else pays. To do less sets us above the law (even if by some calculus [low salary, poor benefits] we may feel "entitled" to what amounts to better service than the public gets). How do YOU feel when you are at the grocery store and witness an off duty checker still in uniform waved into the line ahead of you and given a discount on top of that when they pay their bill. Well, that's the private sector; we try to act like we have a higher calling in the public sector (even if we may be called foolish and naïve on the one hand or arrogant and condescending on the other)

Chris Albertson
Tyler Public Library
Tyler, Texas