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From the President
Welcome to 2008! Well, that may be a little premature, but taking the gavel (which I promptly left in the convention hall) at the end of October already has me thinking about next year. So I think I'll slow down. The week following a conference is always a busy time. Never mind that I need to catch up on my day job, but there are also details to wrap up following the conference (have you completed your evaluation yet?), and planning to begin for the upcoming year. And, there are all the great ideas that pop into my head when attending such an interesting and thought-provoking conference. This creates more work, because I want to try out new projects or services, talk about the ideas with stakeholders, and share what I've managed to remember with my staff. Whew! Inspiration can be exhausting, but I never can get enough.
I hope that if you were able to attend the conference, you've come home just as exhilarated and ready to take on something new, even if it's just one new idea. Did a speaker say something that you want to follow up on, or simply just share with a colleague? Did you pick up a new book? Were you able to see a new product that will improve staff service? Often that one idea can be the catalyst that sets something even bigger in motion. It could be your opportunity knocking!
Speaking of One New Thing, I have to mention http://nlrp.blogspot.com/, the blog for Australian librarian Lynette Reville, who has been blogging since 2004. Even though she isn't blogging daily anymore, her goal has been to learn one new thing a day, and she shares what she learns with her readers.
My goal is to write a blog entry a week. That doesn't seem like much, but I know that there will be weeks when I struggle to include anything of interest. If you are working on something for a committee, a section, or a round table, I encourage you to post your information to the blog. However, if you are shy, or have only a one-liner, please e-mail me at monique_leconge@ci.richmond.ca.us. I'll be happy to include it in the next week's blog. I wanted to be sure that I communicate as much as I can with all of you. Communication was one of the areas for improvement per last year's member survey. This is, I hope, a step in the right direction.
That said, below are sample letters to the Governor and your legislators about the cuts that were made to Public Library Foundation (PLF), which is per capita funding, and Transaction Based Reimbursement (TBR), which supports statewide resource sharing. This is just one of the ways that you can help libraries in California regain the $14 million in State funding, plus the additional $1 million that was proposed before the budget was cut.
Don't be shy - when writing, be sure to talk about how these cuts impact your library. Please ask your library friends, foundations, and other supporters to call or write, too. We need to show that libraries will not stand quietly by. I'm sure that Melinda Cervantes, CLA Legislative Chair, will have more information about these letters and phone calls in the days and months ahead.
Finally, last night (Nov. 1), I had the privilege of attending a retirement dinner for Carol Starr, the former Marin County Free Library Director. One day off the job, she led us through a delightful slide show highlighting her career - 40 years of working in libraries. One of the folks at my table commented, when Carol was done speaking, that we don't always realize how influential the people around us have been. If you asked the average person if they knew who Carol Starr was, they might not know. But her work in Marin, Benicia, Lompoc, Alameda County, and the publications she produced - Young Adult Alternative Newsletter and Women Library Workers, both of which started in the 1970's - along with her work in ALA and YASD (the young adult section which predates YALSA) and other libraries before she came to California, has inspired and mentored countless library workers. When I began to participate in YALSA, even if people didn't know where Benicia was, once I told them I worked for Carol Starr, they knew who that was! On Friday at the conference, Carol was honored with an award from the Literacy Section: Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy. Well deserved, having worked for Carol in Benicia and having observed her support for the literacy program there. Congratulations, Carol, on a fantastic career! You will continue to be a library leader, I know.
To all of you - Have a great week, thinking about your new idea and your sources of inspiration.
Monique le Conge
2008 President
monique_leconge@ci.richmond.ca.us
- Sample Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger Addressing Cuts to PLF and TBR
(31k) - Sample Letter to Send to Legislator (14k)
Posted on November 2, 2007 4:01 PM | Permalink