On Jul 29, 2011, at 7:48 PM, john g marr wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Jul 2011, James Weinheimer wrote:
>
>> ... she was terrified, but had no idea what to do except--sweep her patio.
>
> This image also chracterized around half of the electorate (pretty important people who run all of our lives and budgets), who simply do not understand the issues or the complexities of political rhetoricbeyoind sound-bites.
Um ... electorate == people who can vote.
Most of 'em don't vote, and most of them don't consider library funding to
be the main issue when electing delegates.
As for those who have to make the funding decisions, there's a lot of
issues involved, but the two main deciding factors are:
1. benefits for the cost
2. which groups complain the most / loudest.
(I could be more cynical, and say 'political posturing' and the like,
but I'm actually an elected official)
>> Librarians have to show that they are relevant and they have to do it soon
>
> In order to be relevant, Librarians have to become proactive. If they cannot be proactive, then they need to research why and publish on that.
I assume you mean 'outreach' ... when I think 'research and publish', I think
academic journals, which the majority of the public will never see, and
especially the elected officials won't.
> No one else, particularly no one outside of commercial venues (think: the media) has the insight, opportunity, or resources to organize workshops and prepare hand-outs explaining the details behind specific issues, sound-bites, and rhetorical practices in the media nad elsewhere. At the very least, simple directions to factual Web sites could be prominently advertised (although this practice only reaches people with access to computers).
Not true. There are plenty of grassroots movements out there to get out
info about topics. So, here's what you do:
Look for any relevant meetings that the officials who have the budget
authority might attend. You ask them uncomfortable questions, and
make sure they look like the enemy.
For instance, between our local primary and final election, there was
the presumptive county executive had a 'listening session' on various
topics. I went to the one on education, and asked if they were planning
on continuing the previous administration's claims of being strong on
education, but then keep cutting the funding to the libraries, as they
think they education only means schools.
(I was met with stunned silence; I guess they were expecting a bunch
of easy questions and general praise from the audience). So, I took
the rest of my time to comment on how education doesn't stop when
you leave school, and then went on to list some of the other services
that libraries provide.
(oh ... one other trick ... you always get more time to talk if you're first.
Unless you're in the council chambers where they have a timer on
you, they seem to forget every month that they need to control the mike,
so at least one person gets to take way longer than they should've.
>> the economic/information environment is changing very, very quickly.
>
> Yes, Virginia, there are people out there would would like to remove government funding from libraries. In particular, until proven impossible, there are people out there who would either like to turn libraries into profit-making corporate entities responsible only to major investors, or close them to limit the dissimenation of information altogether.
>
>> Our relevance is no longer taken as a given.
>
> We have always been the ones to assume our own relevance. We have not always (if ever) show a willingness to defend or develop and increase our relevance. Assuming that others will take our relevance as a given is impractical, since there are "others" who will more vocally argue the opposite.
The only ones you have to convince are those who affect the budget.
And for that, it's not even an issue with direct relevance, but the number
of people that you affect, and the liklihood that they'd be vote against
the person for having made the decision to cut funding.
Yes, it's a cynical view ... and luckily, not one I have to worry too
much about personally (as I don't care if I get re-elected for the most
part), but most of the others are career politicians, and you have to
show them that it doesn't just affect the librarians, but also all of
people who use the libraries.
... and as part of that, getting more people to use the libraries is in
your best interest.
-Joe
Received on Sat Jul 30 2011 - 08:47:55 EDT