Feedback | Letters to LJ, March 1, 2011
"[I]t is easy to get caught up in a multitude of responsibilities—division, liaison, instruction, reference, collection development, project management... I appreciated the reminder to focus on the heart." Mar 1, 2011Focus on the heart
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading “Heretical Thoughts” by Michael Stephens (Office Hours, LJ 12/10, p. 72). As an academic librarian, it is easy to get caught up in a multitude of responsibilities—division, liaison, instruction, reference, collection development, project management, outreach, etc.—and I appreciated the reminder to focus on the heart. The message is clear and simple, and yet this facet of our profession is easily lost to more pressing urgencies. I wish I had been one of Stephens’s LIS students; I’m quite certain he is making a difference in their lives as well. —Shelley Aronoff, Collection Development Libn., Glendale Coll., CA
No free electricity
A digital generation scours the library for electrical outlets? You have to be kidding, right (Michael Kelley, “The Quiet Plug Crisis,” LJ 2/1/11, p. 24–25)! Now we are supposed to provide free electricity to anyone who is too cheap to use their own electricity at home? We are supposed to act like a Starbucks or Borders (which, by the way, is going into bankruptcy because its “bookstore model,” which some librarians want to emulate, failed) and provide not only free Wi-Fi but now free electricity?
In Pennsylvania, the state library budget was slashed by 50 percent, our funding from the county was cut by ten percent, and our local funding by five percent. In addition to this, our utility company had its rate caps taken off this year, and we estimate that our electricity bill will increase anywhere from five to 15 percent. Free electricity to all? I don’t think so.
We have an example of this “service” in our library. A user comes into the library with her power strip, plugs it in, and sits for six or seven hours using her laptop. Then she leaves the building. All we are to this person is a free source of electricity and Wi-Fi.... Of course, I can’t blame her. Maybe I should bring in my “digital” devices like my cellphone and GPS and charge them up on the taxpayers’ dime!
This is another example of libraries pandering to the public in exchange for ever-decreasing amounts of revenue. —Harold N. Boyer, Pub. Svcs. Mgr., Springfield Twp. Lib., PA
Share the spotlight
Nancy Pearl as Librarian of the Year (John Berry, “Nancy Pearl,” LJ 1/11, p. 25-26)? Really? Look, I love Nancy Pearl. She’s the closest librarianship has to a real-live rock star. She’s smart and witty, enthusiastic about her profession, and Book Lust is a very entertaining read.
But come on, LJ, I think you’re being a little lazy. How about some love for the salt-of-the-earth librarian, working day to day (most days with a great feeling of accomplishment and contentment) but worrying if the next fiscal year’s budget is going to be enough to keep him or her on the payroll. Those librarians would love a share of the spotlight.
Nancy Pearl well deserves to be Librarian of the Year. But perhaps next year you might widen your scope a bit. —Garin Gonzales, Ref. Libn., Madera Cty. Lib., CA
Gratuitous violence
An LJ review strongly recommends Kurt Timmermeister’s Growing a Farmer, which includes instructions for slaughtering animals (LJ 12/10, p. 131). It has been proven again and again (The China Study by T. Colin Campbell et al. [www.pcrm.org]) that meat is harmful to the human body. The only reason for eating other animals is that some people enjoy the taste. Does this justify horrific cruelty? What are we going to recommend next, raping and killing women because we like the feel of their flesh? Please, as librarians, can we exercise some discernment in evaluating materials that actively promote gratuitous violence? —Irwin Feldman, MLS, Redbud Lib., Clearlake, CA
I love our library!
As a Naturita, CO, resident, I feel that Naturita Community Library (NCL) is a large part of our community (John Berry, “Labor of Love: Best Small Library in America,” LJ 2/1/11, p. 18–21). It provides so many services, and its employees are so friendly and helpful. We have many people out of work or working only part-time. The library helps the community with schooling, résumés, and even job-hunting. This honor that you have bestowed on NCL is so impressive and deserving; thank you from one who loves our library. —Donna Perry, Naturita, CO
Salary realities
In response to issues raised in Stephanie L. Maatta’s “Stagnant Salaries, Rising Unemployment” (LJ 10/15/10, p. 22–29), I believe one of the big reasons librarians who work in public libraries stay on so long is that their salaries are much lower in comparison to those of professionals in other fields. Working as a public librarian myself, I know that I cannot afford to retire until 66, when I am eligible for my full monthly Social Security payments. I am not alone.... The reality of low salaries is a major problem...in public libraries, at least in the New York Metropolitan Area. —Mark Donnelly, Outreach Libn., Queens Lib., Jamaica, NY
