Library Worklife

Spotlight

Balancing Acts

By Dr. Carla Hayden, President, ALA and Executive Director, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD

Library Worklife represents a significant contribution from ALA-APA to support everyone’s development and retention of library workers in any library setting. The groundswell of enthusiasm for these efforts is truly inspiring. The positive responses will be demonstrated in another first on Tuesday, April 20, for National Library Workers Day, during this year’s National Library Week celebrations and activities. The day will emphasize the important role that all library workers play in bringing information and resources to our public and the need to make sure they are compensated fairly and competitively. Although the major focus of the entire week will be on libraries, the National Workers Day gives us an opportunity to single out what is often overlooked in the public’s awareness of the value of libraries—the people who make it happen. As a library director who regularly speaks to groups, defends and advocates for better budgets, I am often surprised by the lack of awareness regarding the work of the staff and even a sense that it all appears somewhat by magic. Few people are fully aware of the intricacies of library work or the level of expertise and dedication that is exhibited everyday throughout the country. This lack of awareness manifests itself in all types of library settings and among all types of people. Yet the same people can easily understand the need for better funding for libraries in order to ensure equitable access for all to live their best lives.

During National Library Week, and beyond, we will be advocating for better funding for libraries in the midst of one of the worst economic climates for the nation’s libraries in recent memory. The Campaign for American’s Libraries seek to bring attention to the fact that more than 30 states have experienced severe budget shortfalls that have led to closings, reduction of hours, layoffs, and other cost savings measures. How can we advocate for better salaries when we are facing such measures? How can we convince the public that library staff members need more when other people in our communities are losing their jobs and facing the same or worse economic conditions in their personal lives? We can and we must perform what can be termed a balancing act—combining discussions of what the values of libraries are with the need for better compensation for library workers. As we know, the majority of most library budgets fund staff salaries and benefits. When budgets are decreased many of the cuts directly affect staff. The public needs to know that we cannot provide the services they need and deserve if we cannot attract and retain the people who will deliver those services. They need to know that every worker in the library contributes to the safe, clean, and efficient environment of the library as well as the increasingly important technological connections to information. We have to let people know that the most important resource in the library is the staff.

As I have traveled this year talking about the need for equity of access to information and library services for all people I have also emphasized the need to have the staff that will reflect the communities they serve. A large part of that equation relates to compensation. If we don’t work for our staff, we are not really working for our publics. Yes, libraries change lives and build communities but people make it happen. Let’s make National Workers Day our time to showcase the people who truly put the value in our libraries. We can perform this balancing act just as well as we have performed many others over the years.