a Difference X-Original-To: Hasafran@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 7.1.0.9 X-Spam-Score: 0.00 () [Tag at 5.00] X-CanItPRO-Stream: lists X-Canit-Stats-ID: Bayes signature not available X-Scanned-By: CanIt (www . roaringpenguin . com) on 128.146.216.18 X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Yossi, I misspelled Edith Lubetsky's name in the first sending of this message so please delete it and post this one on HaSafran, instead. Many thanks! Linda [Sorry Linda, I sent it out without realizing that there is correction. Here is the corrected version. Sorry Edith - Yossi] -----Original Message----- From: Linda Silver [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 3:32 PM I think that cost cutting is a symptom of the problem but not the problem itself. Almost every non-profit and public organization is faced at times with cutting costs. Budgeting, after all, is a way of allocating scarce resources. The problem is why decision-makers so often choose libraries as the first place to cut costs. Why are libraries perceived as so non-essential, especially in light of all the research? Why did Cleveland's modern Orthodox day school, the largest Jewish day school in the area, go from funding a full time professional librarian, to a part time professional librarian, to a part time non-professional "librarian," to no librarian at all - all in the space of a few years? Their full-time librarian was outstanding but she left Jewish libraries altogether when her hours were cut in half. Why are school libraries, including those in synagogues, so totally ignored not only by the denominational organizations of which they are a part as well as by the major Jewish educational organizations, such as CAJE, JESNA, and PEJE? Why are Jewish libraries (and AJL) so totally ignored by the Jewish Book Council, which it would be reasonable to expect to act as the first line of support for Jewish libraries? Why does a children's book about synagogues, written recently by Hara Person, the editor-in-chief of URJ's publications, include not a word about synagogue libraries? Why does a manual for Jewish teachers, published a few years ago to great fan fare by Nechama Moskowitz of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, contain just a few passing references to school libraries in its many hundreds of pages? Why does AJL remain so passive in the midst of a clear crisis? Why has no one proposed a 2008 convention session on a topic relating to this issue? (That's a hint!) Years ago, Edith Lubetsky talked about the need for AJL and Jewish librarians to reach out to Jewish educational organizations and decision-makers. This would be the first step toward a remedy. When Jewish communal leaders and educational decision-makers are barely aware of Jewish libraries and probably totally ignorant of AJL, why would we expect them to support an educational service (libraries) that falls under their radar screens? It seems to me that a big public relations effort aimed at the Jewish educational establishment is needed, aimed at placing school libraries among the mix of educational services that are taken for granted to be non-expendable. A film about Jewish libraries, with a strong section on school library service, and their benefits should be sponsored by AJL and distributed to schools, bureaus, and federations, accompanied by a discussion manual and some prior training for the persons showing the films to groups. A second remedy is for AJL to either conduct its own research into Jewish school library effectiveness (by raising the funds that would enable it to retain a researcher recognized by the Jewish community) or to pursuade one of the above mentioned organizations to conduct, publish, and disseminate it. And to publish an article about Jewish libraries every now and then in their journals. (AJL members need to start writing, taking photos, and submitting them to Jewish journals.) A third remedy would be for AJL's leaders to step up, speaking out and being spokespersons for Jewish libraries, getting appointed to the boards of Jewish communal agencies, speaking at conferences, establishing measurable goals toward obtaining support for Jewish libraries, reporting several times a year to the membership on their activities (What ever happened to that task force on advocacy that was supposedly created earlier this year? Who are its members? What is it doing?), and developing a clear set of strategies for professors of education, school librarians, AJL's own scholars, and other members to implement as the need/opportunity arises. Like AASL, AJL can deplore the situation and wring its hands. Or it can re-invent itself as an activist organization that responds, and inspires its members to respond, to the threats and opportunities that confront Jewish libraries. For an all-volunteer group, this is a big order but I believe it can and must be done. Linda R. Silver Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org