Library Worklife

Volume 3, No. 7 • July 2006

ALA-APA News

SirsiDynix Award Networking Breakfast – Winners Use “Horse Sense”

The annual SirsiDynix-ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Salaries and Status of Library Workers was presented to Jim Fish, Director of Baltimore County Public Library; AFSCME Local 1526 of the Boston Public Library; and Eileen Muller, president of the Brooklyn Library Guild, Local 1482 (honorable mention) on June 25th. This annual award for $5000 is sponsored by the SirsiDynix Corporation for an individual, group of individuals or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to improving the salary and status of library workers in a local, regional or national setting.

Jim Fish was “embarrassed” by being recognized for raising librarians' salaries by 7.34%; he said that it's his job to advocate for his staff. He is donating the $2000 in the name of the Baltimore County Public Library Staff to the library's foundation for a project for children called Storyville.

The Boston Public Library AFSCME Local 1526 was able to raise support staff salaries by 10% through a lengthy effort. Elissa Cadillic, President, was pleased to announce that the $3000 award will be used to send library workers to conferences and training.

Eileen Muller was represented by Alison Hendon. Muller worked to increase wages of more than 950 workers from Brooklyn Library Guild, Local 1482, including librarians.

The Awards Jury commented that they enjoyed reading the submissions. Although the honorees were all from large public library systems, they encourage the library community to apply because they review the submissions mindful of balance: rural/urban, academic/public; and levels of staff initiating and benefiting from the salary improvement effort.

Ron Stoch, Jury member, said, “higher salaries benefit the entire community,”

The breakfast ended on a high note from Jim Wilson, VP and Senior Library Advisor for SirsiDynix. Wilson, a librarian and founder of the Dynix Corporation, recited one of his cowboy poems that captured the spirit of the morning – he told about a “right smart” horse that realized his tail was too short to wave off flies from his face so he and another horse decided to flip their tails for one another to keep flies away. He suggested that we “use horse sense and cooperate” to raise salaries for all.

Watch the ALA-APA Web site (www.ala-apa.org) for the invitation to submit for the SirsiDynix-ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Salaries and Status for Library Workers in the fall.

Library Director Calls It Quits, Cites Labor Friction; Griffin, Called 'A Joy To Work With' By Berkeley Library Foundation President, Clashed With Union Over Staff Cuts

By Martin Snapp, Contra Costa Times, June 16, 2006

Berkeley [CA] Public Library Director Jackie Griffin resigned last week, ending a tumultuous five years of highs and lows.

The highs included balancing the library's budget, renovating the central library branch and successfully suing the contractor for cost overruns. The lows included claims of unfair treatment by library workers, staff reductions caused by budget cuts, and the controversy surrounding radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs), which some say invade patrons' privacy and pose health risks… Read the full article - fee based

Budget Plan Cuts Librarians

By Steve Maynard, The News Tribune, May 10, 2006

The superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools [WA] on Tuesday night recommended eliminating 27 of 34 librarian jobs as part of a $4 million budget cut.

Under Superintendent Tom Murphy's plan, there would be one librarian for every five schools starting in September. While library hours wouldn't change, each school would have a librarian just one day a week. Nearly every school in the Federal Way district currently has its own librarian… Read the full article - fee based

County Budget May Add 39 Workers

By Bob Cuddy, The San Luis Obispo Tribune [CA], May 22, 2006

The county Board of Supervisors will introduce a budget Tuesday that restores money to parks, roads and libraries and provides for hiring 39 new employees…County Administrative Officer David Edge, who prepared the $434.6 million fiscal year 2006-07 budget, said "this is more new positions than I've ever recommended" in his 24-year career as an administrator.

Libraries

The library system, which has seen budget cuts and bond measures fail in recent years, would receive enough money for nine full-time positions and one half-time employee. But that does not mean library hours will increase, according to Brian Reynolds, the county's library director. Read the full article – fee based

Pearl River Library Budget Approved

By Gerald McKinstry, The Journal News (Westchester County, NY), June 7, 2006

Voters yesterday approved a $1.87 million library budget and re-elected an unopposed trustee. The budget passed by 55 votes, 193 to 138, said Carolyn Johnson, the library's director. "Our programs have been immensely popular, and we offer a wide variety of materials so a person trying to economize at home can use the library resources…” Read the full article – fee based

Tomkins Cove OKs Budget for Library, Manager's Pay

By Akiko Matsuda, The Journal News (Westchester County, NY), June 8, 2006

Voters approved a $187,687 budget last night for the public library.. Seven people cast ballots for the 2006-07 budget during the annual meeting at the library at 419 Liberty Drive, and the budget was unanimously approved. Library manager Janet Lukas said yesterday that she was happy about the outcome. "I'm very pleased that the budget passed,

The $187,687 budget includes a salary increase for Lukas, who recently received a master's degree in library science from the University of Southern Mississippi's online program. Her new salary would be $28,000, up $8,000 from this year's $20,000. The increase was proposed partly because of her new degree and partly because of additional hours the library board asked her to work, Lukas said. Read the full article – fee based

Library Budget to Rise

Fort Wayne News Sentinel [IN], June 6, 2006

The Allen County Public Library's budget should increase slightly next year, when revenues are expected to increase by 1.8 percent and spending by 2.7 percent.

Finance staff released the projections at Monday's library board of trustees meeting. The increase in spending is due in part to about $461,000 in utility costs the library expects to incur once the new building on Webster Street opens. Salary and hourly wages, which typically comprise the largest percentage of the budget, will increase by 8.85 percent or $841,000. Read the full article – fee based

Howland Library To Present Same Budget

By David Paulsen, Poughkeepsie Journal [NY], June 26, 2006 Tuesday

Howland Public Library will likely reduce its hours as a way to trim costs following the defeat last week of its budget referendum. Cuts in hours and other services will depend partly on the results of a survey the library is conducting to determine patrons' priorities. Library Director Phyllis Keaton said she hopes Howland can reduce employees' hours without eliminating positions as the library attempts to reduce personnel costs. Read the full article – fee based