Report from the trenches (Commentary)

As a CPL employee I have been avidly following your accounts in your fine publication. I hope they continue to expose the current regime for what it is and help us unseat the tyrannical MAD (ironic initials, eh?).

I am writing to you today for numerous reasons. As I am sure you may know, “deselection” (more commonly known as “weeding) does occur in libraries all the time.

[But] the top 2 administrators [at Sulzer] are gone and they are undertaking a “project” of this magnitude? Something smells in the state of Denmark! It is a slap in the face for the librarians of Sulzer to stand hopelessly by while other people, not familiar with the needs of Sulzer or the community, make crucial decisions about their collection for them. This will create animosity in our beleaguered system for years to come.

Also, they talk about a librarian shortage, and have created the “CPL Fellows” (essentially roving librarians being sent to the trenches to go where no one wants to go). But I can almost guarantee you that qualified, competent librarians who do not have to live in Chicago for family reasons, etc. will be deserting CPL like rats deserting a sinking ship. Especially those from Sulzer. If they are young, have no family ties, and have not achieved a high rank and are not vested in the pension, they will go. The mood is infectious and more vacancies will be created—vacancies that might not be filled because of the budget, etc. Vacancies that will not be filled because we tell our colleagues elsewhere our horror stories and the word is out to not come to CPL!

We can build new branches, but we cannot find the people to run them. Nor is money allotted for this. These “McBranches” look the same, are stocked with the same materials, etc. They do not reflect the communities that they are in at all.

Have you ever noticed that the females on the 10th floor all look the same? Young, hip, cookie-cutter replicas of MAD herself? New hires in new positions brought in from the outside strangely fit the “mold,” while qualified people from within who do not fit the “mold” are overlooked.

I have forgotten the porn issue. I am normally non-judgmental and support anti-censorship. But it is astonishing the number of people who loiter at our libraries all day viewing and printing porn. On my tax dollar! Not to mention that if we are not careful, these abhorrent sites can be seen by Internet-savvy children after they have left. Or even by the public and librarians who stroll by. I am tired of defending their right to view porn in my public library. I am also discouraged because the amount of time that they spend viewing porn is time taken away from others who may have legitimate reference needs.

I have seen so many disgusting things when clearing the cache, etc. I am not a prude, but the situation is ridiculous and administration does nothing to stop it or to support us.

Oh- while printing kiddie porn is against the law, viewing it is okey-dokey. MAD and the 10th floor don’t care because they are not in the trenches dealing with these idiots, who are generally rude, drugged-up individuals who probably never frequented the library before the Information Highway! The one person in our system who has they guts to stick up for what she believes in regarding this issue, Laura Morgan, has been raked over the coals and had her job threatened because the she was brave enough to take a stand.

Oh—- The media campaign (it’s not about reading, its about publicity). “One Book, One City” is just to make MAD and Daley look good. I was never asked what book to read... Interesting to note - I was at the Barnes and Noble in Skokie at Old Orchard. They had a huge display, complete with print, audio and book bags! All the staffers were wearing the same buttons that we are forced to wear, too. I was amazed at the long reach of our marketing department...

It has been my life-long dream to be a librarian and to help people. I love to give elusive information and to match the right patron with the right book. However, in my dreams I could never have imagined dealing with porn on a daily basis, of having to watch every step in case I do something “wrong” and word reached MAD, or of having to read about what is happening in my own library system in a newspaper! I also could not have dreamed of a world where your every action is scrutinized and where you are not supported by the administration.

Thank you for listening to me and for your good work.

HWLC LIBRARIAN