On Friday, May 27, 2005, at 02:33 PM, Dorie Rae Gallagher wrote:
So those of us who complained... need to volunteer more time, give
more money??
Perhaps...but I really don't think so...what we need to do is change
policy...a policy that is not set by
the Minneapolis Public Library. Public opinion can do just that and
create a positive solution instead
of foible banter from and for the unknown!
Changing policy on the basis of a television story and a web page of
images of books in a dumpster would result in bad policy. We don't know
at this point whether the policy should be amended or not or whether
the law can be changed. Both of those are being examined and will be
again in the future. But this has to come from some rational starting
place.
I agree that creating a positive solution is what we should be seeking,
but that positive direction does not necessarily mean keeping every
piece of material or giving it away. It could mean keeping the policy
as it is. That will not please everyone, public policy almost never
does please everyone.
It may seem simple to assign library staff to handle the materials in
such a way that none ever wind up in the dumpsters but the cost of
doing that is enormous. The library system is short of cash and short
of personnel. The focus of what we have to do is serve the public
coming in the front doors and through the web site. That is where the
resources must be dedicated.
To swerve away from that to what a television report is wagging its
finger over would be a neglect of duty, in my opinion.
I sincerely hope that we can begin to see that this is not about books
in the dumpster. It is about serving the public with the highest
quality of services the system can offer given its severely limited
resources. We are in a very serious revenue crunch in the Minneapolis
library system. We need every person to help us get those revenues back.
Please spend your energies by calling and writing the state legislature
and governor and telling them we need our Local Government Aid restored.
Laura Waterman Wittstock
Candidate for Minneapolis Library Board of Trustees
DFL and Labor endorsed
Minneapolis, MN
612-387-4915
www.laurawatermanwittstock.com
http://laurawatermanwittstock.blogspot.com/
Wittstock for Library Committee
913 19th Avenue SE, Mpls, 55414
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