Library Worklife

Volume 4, No. 3 • March 2007

ALA-APA News

National Library Workers Day Is April 17!

Start the celebration early for National Library Workers Day (NLWD) by submitting information about your favorite worker and what makes him or her special to the NLWD Stars Web site—http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstarsform.html. NLWD is celebrated on Tuesday, April 17, during the American Library Association (ALA)-sponsored National Library Week.

NLWD is sponsored by ALA-APA: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees, which advocates for improving the salaries and status of librarians and support staff. NLWD Stars will be featured on the National Library Workers Day site for one year. Stars will also be honored at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Download the free NLWD poster from http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd_poster.pdf, which tells patrons, trustees, and colleagues how to submit a Star. Self-nominations are accepted.

The deadline for submission is April 17.

NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. Ideas for how to celebrate in your library are here: http://www.ala-apa.org/about/ideas.html and http://www.ala-apa.org/about/NLWDflyer07.pdf (large file).

Proud of the work you do? Shop at the ALA-APA NLWD Online Store—http://www.cafepress.com/ala_apa—for t-shirts, buttons, mugs and posters that proclaim “Libraries Work Because We Do.”

Libraries are encouraged to use National Library Workers Day to focus on the value of their staff: individuals or units responsible for the number of materials selected, acquired, cataloged, checked out and back in, and shelved; for handling requests and sending them to other libraries; for answering reference questions; for planning, publicizing and presenting programs; for developing and maintaining the library's Web site; and for managing the library and for other elements of library service.

Customizable tools and materials in English and Spanish to help libraries promote National Library Workers Day in their local media are available on the ALA-APA Web site at http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd. The list of NLWD Stars will be updated weekly. Contact the ALA-APA Office to tell us how you will be celebrating—800-545-2433, x2424 or jgrady@ala.org.

Equal Pay Day, on April 24, 2007, is closely related to NLWD because libraries are staffed predominately by women, and library workers tend to be underpaid. Equal Pay Day highlights the gap between the wages of men and women. For more information, see the NCPE website at http://www.pay-equity.org.

National Library Week (April 15-21) press materials, programming suggestions and display ideas can be found on the ALA Web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/natlibraryweek/nlw.htm in both English and Spanish. The theme for 2007 is “Come Together @ your library®.” The site includes a link to National Library Week products available from ALA Graphics, including posters, bookmarks and key chains.

Let’s celebrate the wonderful work of library employees on that day because, after all, Libraries Work Because We Do.

Chilean Library Celebrates Worker Contributions Every July 10

Chilean celebration Last month Library Worklife reported on Australia’s celebrations of library workers, Library Lovers’ Day and National Library Technicians’ Day. In our March issue we would like to feature the Severin Public Library of Valparaíso in Santiago, Chile. According to librarian Marta Moenen Barahona, every July 10 this library celebrates the contributions of professional librarians, administrators and auxiliary personnel.

Severin Public Library is affiliated with Anfudibam: the Museum, Archives, and Libraries Union of Chile. On that same date, July 10, the library’s Anfudibam Association rewards the efforts of one library worker by organizing a tea party in his or her honor. Felicitaciones to Severin Public Library and its staff!

Salinas Strives to Fund Library Worker Salaries, Benefits

Original article by Robert Salonga, The Californian (Salinas, CA), February 27, 2007

Salinas, California, has valiantly rallied from its recent budget crisis. Yet the city struggles to fund the salaries and benefits of many city positions, including those of library workers.

Tax revenues and grants have restored $10 million of the $15 million cut from the budget during the lean years. And over the last year, the libraries, once in jeopardy, have steadily increased their operating hours. Yet the full restoration of some key services—including the libraries—has not yet arrived, and city officials face difficult decisions: $1.6 million that would have been allocated to salaries and benefits is now funding much-needed sidewalk repairs.

Furthermore, Measure V, the half-cent sales tax that has raised millions of dollars for city services, will terminate in 9 years. It remains to be seen whether the city’s budget will be restored and stabilized before these guaranteed funds are exhausted.

Three years ago a budget crisis forced Salinas to slash public services. The city board faced excruciating choices. “Two years ago, we were making choices on whether to cut 30 police officers or cut the libraries,” said Councilwoman Janet Barnes, who has served on the board for nearly a decade. Though the board never cut the city’s three libraries, those libraries were stripped of resources and operating hours.

In 2005, the library system was rescued when its plight made international headlines. Then-Mayor Anna Caballero initiated the $800,000 Rally Salinas! campaign, a grassroots effort to raise both funds and awareness about the potential closure. The read-in attracted citizens, authors, and the national press; the overwhelming media coverage, as well as private funding, saved the libraries. As a result, the libraries kept their doors open for a hard-won—if meager—33 hours per week. The push to restore library services fueled much of the Measure V tax campaign, passed in 2005. Measure V, along with high property tax revenues and a bevy of one-time state reimbursements and grants, has restored 2/3 of the original budget cuts.

Salinas’ three libraries—El Gabilan, César Chàvez and John Steinbeck—hope to soon be open a combined 117 total hours per week, more than they had prior to the budget crisis. Starting March 13, libraries will be open for a combined 101 hours.

Library Board OKs Budget Draft; Preliminary Budget Set at $7.56 Million

Original Article by Harry Franklin, State Editor, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), February 23, 2007

The Muscogee County Library Board allotted almost 70% of its preliminary 2007–2008 budget to salaries, benefits, and a 3% across-the-board raise.

The county’s School Board must also approve this budget, currently set at $7.56 million. The board will review the draft at its March meeting.

Twelve percent of the budget will fund books and other library materials. Library Board CFO Lyn Anderson notes that the state has not yet notified the board how much state money will be approved, so those amounts will change before a final budget is adopted.

We would love to have your feedback on these articles!