About thirty years ago I got hired by Brooklyn Public Library, possibly since I was very overqualified and they needed window dressing to avoid an anti-discrimination suit. When I left a few years later I had been about to sue for employment discrimination. While I didn't have the "protecksia" to get the frum legal aid groups to help, I did have a law degree, and besides a well documented case I had the testimony from several people who were told by a senior manager that the library policy was not to hire sabbath oberservers but that occasionally someone slipped up (the manager placed too much reliance in "last names" in deciding whom they could discuss this with). Mind you this was at a time before there were any openly orthodox (meaning with a yarmulke in public) Jews in the legislature or city council. Interestingly, as a new employee I met some "old hands" (retirees working as volunteers or part timers) who remember when the idea of any Jew working for the library was considered a scandal (this goes back 60+ years). In Brooklyn, the absence of Orthodox Jews on the staff, and the discrepency in offering service to neighborhoods with many Sabbath observers, probably could be shown to be proof of deliberate discrimination, if someone tries to sue (and remember, to a certain extent it would be suing secular Jews which poses political problems).
As for me, the Library of Congress offered me a job with flexible hours at twice the pay, so, as lawyers would say, I met my obligation to mitigate damages, and decided to be a well paid cataloger instead of an underpaid reference librarian (which had been, and probably would still be, my preference, though my family would disagree). To a large extent, I still miss the idea of working in a place where the patrons "look like me", at least in some cases, on the other hand, the first few years of my career were spent with a copy of the state and federal anti-discrimination laws always kept at my desk, and I haven't needed to consult them for the last 25 years. Aaron This is OBVIOUSLY not an official statement from my employer. On Fri, 11 May 2012, Basya Karp wrote: > Almost six years ago, I applied for a position (at the urging of one of my > adult children)?in the Brooklyn Public Library system.? I was invited for an > interview, at which time?I informed the panel of librarians conducting it > that I am shomer Shabbos.? They assured me it was not a problem, and I was > offered a job (which I did not accept for reasons that seemed good at the > time, even though I am since semi-regretting the decision).? Now that my > position is being cut (and?I might be kept on for one day a week at a?very > tiny salary) I wouldn't mind another chance. > ? > Mrs. Basya Karp, AMLS, Librarian > Shulamith High School and Shulamith School For Girls of Brooklyn > http://bookandagarden.com > http://booklovinggrandma.wordpress.com > ? Aaron Wolfe Kuperman Library of Congress, ABA USPL, Law Cataloging Section This is NOT an official communication from the Library of Congress.
__ 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: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
