Conversation at a recent Friends meeting was still animated after nearly 3 hours. Someone asked if we felt our town selectmen really “got it”. This ignited a short recitation of the material losses we’d suffer from a library closure. Then one person raised her voice slightly above the conversation to say “Hey, hey – it’s
◊ Advocacy ◊
MBLC also behind the curve
Just checked into the website of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Information on its strategic planning process is from May 2005. The Board appears to have kicked off a marketing campaign in 2007, however there is little information available except an outline of weak bullet points such as “parents need to recognize the value
The ALA needs an advocacy injection
The risk to the Beaman Public Library piqued my interest in public libraries about a month ago and I’ve been checking out what other people and organizations have to say. The ALA has been a big disappointment. Its Library Advocate’s Handbook is buried deep within the ALA website. This handbook is barely worth searching for
NO spaces and YES spaces
In far too many public and private spaces, I am compelled to close my mind and say no. Tune out commercial messages designed to make me feel bad and buy stuff. Close my ears to voices telling me that illegal immigrants, welfare mothers and people-not-like-me are trying to steal my money. Ignore banner ads and
We can’t race to the bottom
Responding to pressure from beleagured public libraries, Massachusetts legislators have proposed temporarily waiving certification requirements. Mass Library Commissioner George Comeau reportedly does not support this measure, stating that it would “result in an ‘open season’ on cutting library budgets“. I couldn’t agree more. This would sanction a variant of the “race to the bottom” we’ve
Clueless about the crisis
I’ve been in “all hands on deck” mode for the past month, since learning of the pronouncement that West Boylston has no money for our public library. I’ve attended meetings and been in daily contact with library staff, Friends and a newly formed Advocates Group. One of the many things I’ve learned is that this
More than a lack of funds
As reported in the Boston Globe, the public libraries in Freetown, Norton, Hubbardston and Wareham have lost their certification “because, in the state’s view, the communities went too far in slashing their budgets.” The coastal community of Rockport also faced budgetary pressures and received the funding necessary to maintain certification without applying for a waiver.
U.S. libraries on borrowed time?
A recent article in USA Today briefly describes the funding challenge faced by communities all across America. The article closes with a quote from Chris Hoene, director of policy and research at the National League of Cities, as follows: “As people lose income or curb spending, income tax and sales tax revenue falls. Local officials
Voluntary Limits, Part 2
Even at the end of my year-long volunteer tenure, there were many people I was unable to help from the front desk. Of those, roughly 50% asked straightforward questions and I simply did not have the specific knowledge to help them. Adult Patron1: Do you have the latest book by [insert popular author name here]?
Voluntary Limits, Part 1
In 2007, I volunteered at the Beaman Library every week. The permanent staff invested a lot of training in me that year and I was able to do a lot for them; I shelved books, weeded the collection, fulfilled ILL requests, recorded stats for the state government, processed new weekly material acquisitions, entered holdings into
