Minding the Deficit

According to the 2009-2010 Executive Budget Briefing Book, Governor Paterson has proposed a $13 million reduction in aid to New York State's public libraries, bringing total State-funded library aid to $80.5 million. (I'm not sure how the math works, exactly, as the 2008-2009 libraries budget was $99 million after a mid-year cut of $1 million.) This budget is very similar to the one proposed back in November that provoked anger, frustration, and a rally at the Capitol.

If Paterson's plan passes, deep cuts in staffing and services would necessarily follow. The Mayor of Philadelphia is threatening to close 11 of 54 public libraries in his city. Are New Yorkers doomed to an equally dire future? We'll know for certain when the Legislature votes in February or March. In the meantime, I expect the hearty outcry to begin right...about...now.

Tis the Season...

...of frantic students, scaled-down holiday parties, and snow! There will be few library-related events to report on until January, so you won't see any "week of" posts until then. If your library is lacking in holiday cheer -- or if you're just plain in the mood to meet some friendly folks over a beer -- head to the Librarians without Boundaries happy hour this Thursday at Slainte. And if you're looking for a little biblio-activity to fill the time, check out Shelf Life: Works in Brass by Christopher Hewat at the New York Society Library. The book-as-object never shined so bright!

Librarians as "wee timerous beasties"

As a follow-up to my post of 9 Dec., Dr. LeClerc's three sets of responses to NY Times readers are available here. LeClerc did answer a significant number of reader queries and for that, I commend him. He even tackled a couple questions regarding the now-defunct Donnell Library Center, a library whose loss has engendered a significant public outcry. [Update: Check out some amazing pics of Donnell deconstructed at Driven By Boredom.]

On the whole, however, LeClerc's responses fit the smooth, benign style of a typical bureaucrat. No surprise there! He did not reply to the vitriolic scree I quoted in my earlier post, nor to this lament from a retired librarian and current NYPL volunteer. I know I'm focusing on the negative here, but these are valid questions that deserve a response. And then there's this:

Is it correct that libraries are no longer headed by librarians but by “site managers” without library degrees? What’s wrong with librarians with degrees? Site manager sounds like someone who can handle a computer crash and crowd control better than knowing what books are on the shelves. It seems to me you’ve put in charge a new breed of librarian, wee timerous beasties, who can be cowed by your administrators.

Is it correct? According to the Library Site Manager job description available on the New York Public Library Guild's website, the answer is yes. The position requires a B.A. "or an equivalent combination of education and experience". Current Branch Managers get "first crack" at these lower-qualification positions which are, at least, unionized (more details here). Some Local 1930 members "feel [this] will enable the Library to reduce the ranks of librarians and 'de-professionalize' the job by piling on administrative duties that don’t require the knowledge they gained in graduate school." No kidding! Considering the current economic climate, does NYPL have the funds for 80 new positions? What do branch librarians really think about this development? So many questions....

Another update: Nate Hill created a neat Wordle cloud composed of words from the NY Times article's comments. Check it out here and on the PLA Blog:

On Exhibit: Happy 125th to the Grolier Club!

'For Jean Grolier & His Friends': 125 Years of Grolier Club Exhibitions & Publications, 1884-2009 has just opened at the venerable East Side institution. It runs through Feb. 14, 2009 and admission is free. From the Club's press release:

'For Jean Grolier & His Friends' is much more than a piece of Grolier Club history, it is a survey covering 125 years of American trends in the book arts, as well as the steady growth of interest by Americans in political, literary and art historical topics, as embodied either in Grolier Club publications, or Grolier Club exhibitions. The show will be accompanied by a monumental 500-page illustrated history and comprehensive checklist of over 1000 Grolier Club exhibitions and publications produced since 1884.

Artists in the Library: Design by the Book

The second episode in the Design by the Book video series (click here for the high-res versions), a co-production of Design*Sponge and the New York Public Library, was released yesterday. If you missed it, episode one introduces us to five NYC artists in their homes or studios:

In episode two, the artists travel to the Humanities and Social Sciences Library where they enjoy some top-notch reference service and peruse print-based fodder for inspiration:

I'm excited to see the results from this collaboration in episode three. But how will they top the Isaac Mizrahi cameo?

Patience, Fortitude, Vicious Infighting

This week in the NY Times' City Room blog, New York Public Library President Paul LeClerc will be answering readers' questions about, presumably, the NYPL. (The article itself is a bio of Dr. LeClerc, but no one seems to be interpreting this as an invitation to inquire about his "contributions to French culture".)

As of 8:30 PM Tuesday, the post has logged 79 comments, with queries ranging from the prosaic to the insightful to the truly bizarre. As expected, there are plenty of complaints about limited hours, inequality of resources/services allotted to certain branches, fines (too low!), and overzealous security. Then there's this scathing indictment:

There seems to be a huge upheaval in your research libraries with vicious infighting for turf supremacy and wholesale transfers of staff from one supervisor to another (outside of their core competency) by mid-managers in each respective institution. It seems like a wholesale slaughter with morale at an all time low. How is this supposed to improve the research libraries internal and external relationships?

Sacre bleu! I presume this was written by an insider. We can only hope Monsieur le Président chooses to respond to this and other serious and/or critical questions posed by his constituency.

Some librarians are, of course, contributing to the commentary, even responding to some of the more mundane questions that surely don't warrant Dr. LeClerc's attention. We just can't help ourselves!

For Your Consideration: Field Trips, Week of Dec. 8, 2008

Busy, busy! There is much to see and do this week as the library world makes its final push of fall activities. Highlights:

• METRO programs, including a networking opportunity for all you new and/or job-seeking librarians out there, MyMETRO and Your Career (Dec. 11).
• Dec. 9: A lecture by Don Carli, "The Carbon Footprint of Print and Digital Media".
• Dec. 10-11: Open houses at Pratt and the Palmer School. Get yer Ph.D here!
• Dec. 12: A free program on publishing in librarianship, hosted by ACRL/NY.
  
• Dec. 13: Shop local and pretty at the Center for Book Arts Holiday Gift Fair.

...and more! Check out the complete listing in the right-hand calendar.

In Vino Veritas

Short on holiday gift ideas? From now through December 31, Oriel Wines will donate 40% of all profits to Live from the NYPL. They've even created a special 6-bottle deal for the occasion. Make certain you enter LIVE08 in the Promotion Code box when you check out, or NYPL gets diddly squat.

On Exhibit: Bookbindings at the Morgan Library & Museum

Holy goatskin appliqué! Protecting the Word: Bookbindings at the Morgan opens today and runs through March 29. The exhibition includes a superb selection of bound treasures dating from the 7th through 20th centuries. Be sure to check out the full panoply of exhibitions currently on display at the Morgan before you go and plan accordingly; you might be there a while.

New York Heritage: 3,016 Newly Digitized Items

From techMETRO: "The Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) recently added 14 digital collections to the New York 3Rs collaborative digital heritage website, www.NewYorkHeritage.org." The contributions came from eight NYC institutions and are also available via the Digital Metro New York site.

Update on "Michelangelo: La Dotta Mano"

From the NY Times: "Can the cost of the book be justified? 'Such a beautiful book has relevance in a time of economic hardship,' said Ms. Ferrari, a businesswoman who is not related to the automobile family." Hmm...so the recession does have a silver lining!

NYPL's copy is a donation and will migrate to the Rare Books Division after the one week viewing opportunity ends.

Get Out of the Library! Field Trips, Week of Dec. 1, 2008

First and foremost, the weekend: Saturday night brings this season's premier philanthropic shindig, Be Still My Frosty Heart : The Desk Set Presents The Biblioball at the GlassLands Gallery in Williamsburg. All proceeds will go toward books for Passages Academy, serving incarcerated and detained youth in NYC. Plus, dancing, dress-up, fantastic raffle prizes...it's win-win-win!

Also on tap:

• Throughout the week: Various METRO workshops.
• Dec. 5: ACRL/NY Annual Symposium. Registration is closed.
  
• Dec. 6-7: The 21st Annual Indie & Small Press Book Fair. Discover new publishers and attend a variety of fun and informative events. It all culminates in Literary Trivia Smackdown 2.0. Really.