Thursday, April 22, 2010

It Wasn't A Day......

I worked late last night, in a library that is forty minutes from my house (which is not ordinarily a long commute, but when you've got two children to care for....well, it can seem as if it takes forever to reach them), and I had to open this morning. Now this happens every week, but ordinarily I can handle it. I work enthusiastically, try to be productive, maintain patience even with the most difficult patrons.

Not today, though. Today I was in a mood. I just did not want to be here. I didn't want to work with people. I didn't want to teach a class. I longed for the weekend, to be at home, to be with my boys, to watch "All My Children," to sleep.

As strange as it sounds, being cranky felt so good. Very rarely do I take on the characteristics of a true grouch, and this time, when I did, I somehow managed to avoid allowing it to affect my customer service skills. Although several colleagues noticed my less-than-cheerful demeanor, I managed to keep it - for the most part - a secret.

And now the day is over. I survived my class, and the hours at the reference desk, and now I get to go home. And the mood will dissipate by tomorrow.

But oh, how good it felt today.

Monday, April 12, 2010

But....

Yes, we have to give in a bit (okay, maybe a lot!). But when I wrote the last entry, I had no idea how steep the proposed budget cuts will be. It wasn't until I read the newspaper articles this weekend that the figure caught my eye - a 74% reduction in state aid to public libraries.

Eliminating duplicate databases is a reasonable course of action. Scrapping interlibrary loan - an enormously popular service - is not. Imagine telling a patron that we cannot get them a book that isn't owned by our system (and, as wonderful as our library is, there are plenty of them). That would be drastic. And that would be unacceptable.

The last governor did nothing with his position, did nothing to rectify the state's dreadful fiscal situation. I understand the current governor's desire to do something. But doing something takes considerable, careful thought. It does not involve taking a hatchet and chopping away at whatever services exist, but an examination of the consequences of the serious, drastic measures that are being proposed. And I hope, I pray, that the governor will do that. Because if he doesn't, then the people of the state are going to suffer.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Budget and Us

How nice it is to blog again. I've missed writing, and there really is no excuse for not keeping up with it for so long. I can say that I stopped before my younger son was born - but he's thirteen months old now, and although there were complications following his birth, I've been back at the library for some time. I'll have to promise myself that I'll write more often - if not every day, then at least once or twice a week.

The big issue right now is the disgraceful condition of the state's budget. Like representatives of other organizations, library advocates are fighting to maintain their share of the funds. Marketing has never been the traditional librarian's strong point, but suddenly it has become a task of utmost importance - only slightly less so than answering reference questions.

But I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about this particular campaign. Naturally, I'm a firm believer in the power of libraries, and I recognize the need to convey that message to the public. We can never stop advocating, can never stop working to disprove the theory that "everything" can be found on the Internet and that, therefore, libraries are worthless.

And yet, because of the current dire financial situation of the state, everyone is being asked to relinquish some of what they have. Teachers, public workers, and those in the private sector, too, have to sacrifice in order to rebuild the foundation from which we work. Why should librarians be spared? We don't live in a bubble; we live in a society, and we need to work together in order to improve the economy. That doesn't mean quitting, it doesn't mean ceasing to advocate, but it may mean purchasing fewer databases or even combining facilities.

Like any other reasonable person, I don't want to work with less. I don't want to have to offer my patrons a limited number of resources, don't want to cut down on the remarkable programs that we offer. But it is essential to acknowledge the reality of our situation. And so I refuse to participate in the mass hysteria that is being generated by some organizations.