Saturday, October 31, 2009

Sad Librarians

When I blogged about the few programs actually done by librarians, I left out some important information. I didn't mean to imply that the librarians don't enjoy doing programs; the contrary is true. They like the children's story hours and they wish that they could have done the book talks at the elementary schools last June. They have great ideas for programs for pre-teens, teens, and adults but they just don't have the resources to implement their ideas.

It takes time to prepare and conduct programs. The staff has been reduced to such a level that it is harder for them to cover their regular duties, like the information desk, and to do the jobs in the back room that need to be done. There are simply not enough staff hours to do everything.

I know staff members who are frustrated, disappointed, and saddened that they can no longer share their knowledge and passions with the public in the ways we have come to expect.

The Friends began their operations with enrichment projects. We would like to be the icing on the cake at the library. We don't want to replace the county and state government in their roles in providing for libraries.

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