Yay! It’s National Library Week! It’s the week libraries remind their patrons they should love a librarian. We make buttons. We remind people that a community thrives when they have a good library. We ask people to tell us their stories. We bake cakes.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with National Library Week. It gets press. It gets us librarians organized a bit for at least one week during the year. And it can be a lot of fun, too.
But I get a little miffed during this week. Some libraries pour a lot of money and planning and time and festivities into a week … that no one else really cares about. It’s just a made-up week sponsored by ALA. Sorta like National Health IT Week (ooh! That one’s coming up on September 12-16, 2011. Be there or be square!).
As I was writing this post, I received a canned email from Michael dowling, Director, Chapter Relations Office at ALA, that starts like this: “Thank you for supporting your state’s libraries during National Library Week, the perfect week to let your state legislators and governor know how important libraries are to you!”
Why is this week the perfect week? Why don’t we do this stuff the OTHER 51 weeks of the year?
What would happen if we very actively pushed the idea of libraries, of loving your librarian, of reminding our community that libraries thrive with a good library (and then backing up that claim with proof) ALL YEAR LONG?
Something to think about…
pic by vanhookc
LitLinx says
Yes, yes and yes! If you don’t support your library all year, its staff and resources will continue to dwindle. In Fairfax County, more than 600 library staff have been laid off in the past 2.5 years. Virtual reference was eliminated. Internet Services department cut from staff of 14 to three. No raises for the last three years, with none expected until MAYBE 2013. And the demands of customers are sometimes distressing. (See my post “Why Your Librarian Doesn’t Like You” http://litlinx.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-your-librarian-doesnt-like-you.html)
LitLinx says
Yes, yes and yes! If you don’t support your library all year, its staff and resources will continue to dwindle. In Fairfax County, more than 600 library staff have been laid off in the past 2.5 years. Virtual reference was eliminated. Internet Services department cut from staff of 14 to three. No raises for the last three years, with none expected until MAYBE 2013. And the demands of customers are sometimes distressing. (See my post “Why Your Librarian Doesn’t Like You” http://litlinx.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-your-librarian-doesnt-like-you.html)
Andy Woodworth says
I didn’t know it would be National Library week till this coming Sunday. I don’t live under a rock either, so it’s a matter of awareness and action. A press release and an email do not make an awareness campaign. Perhaps this is a sacrifice of budgets in favor of other awareness weeks, but come on! They should be asking in January about plans! This crap takes time to plan!
David says
Just an excuse to go on vacation, we should be happy about that 🙂
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