By Jim Sterne
News Editor
Standing in Saturday’s cool sunshine outside Steppenwolf theater before a performance of “Fahrenheit 451,” Robert Rudner passed out leaflets denouncing the policies of the Chicago Public Library (CPL). He calls himself a concerned Chicago citizen who is worried about the fate of the library.
“Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’ is about burning banned books...and the policies of the CPL are making books more difficult for non-affluent and students to get,” Rudner said. “By forcing experienced union personnel to poorly stocked neighborhood branches, the CPL is hollowing out services and destroying the person-to-person relationship of librarian and patron.”
Rudner’s pamphlets called for restoring the Harold Washington Library Center (HWLC) veteran staff and increasing library staff overall. This demand is in direct conflict with Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey’s downsizing and transferring and “bumping” of personnel.
“Since 1995 CPL’s book and related collection development budget for periodicals, audiovisual, etc., has remained stagnant and even dropped,” the pamphlet states. “Exact figures on book budget expended and the number of titles and volumes acquired have not been forthcoming from CPL administration. Nor do we know exactly how many hundreds of thousands of books have been checked out and not returned or otherwise gone missing.
“What is apparent, however, is that large portions of the book budget have been taken off the top to pay for more Internet terminals and databases in the library. Veteran subject personnel are being removed from Chicago’s main research facility and the least experienced will remain in a downsized HWLC reference staff, primarily to facilitate access to more Internet terminals.”
Rudner emphasizes that this is in direct violation of the seniority clauses in the union contract between the city and American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1215.
The pamphlet cites the dispute in 2001 between the library administration and Sulzer Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave. The popular regional library director, Leah Steele, was removed from her position and Sulzer was purged of some 25,000 books in just five weeks.
“Critics of Dempsey’s Sulzer actions charged that this was part of a long-term campaign to downsize the regional libraries and large book collections and reference staffs — a charge that Dempsey has denied. But looking at what is now happening at the main library behind the glitz of Book Month, can we be so sure?” the pamphlet asks.
In an effort not to be blinded by the “glitz” pumped out by the CPL’s public relations department, Inside has taken a look at the fates of some of the experienced staff who have had to rethink their futures.
Sulzer vacancies & downgrades
As of June the following vacancies at Sulzer are:
Librarian I, Children’s Dept.; Librarian II, Newspapers and Magazines Dept.; Librarian II, Adult Reference Dept.; Librarian I, Adult Reference Dept.; Librarian I, Adult Reference Dept.; Clerk II - Circulation Dept.; Page 1 , Adult Services.
Neil O’Shea, Librarian V, Assistant Director, was downgraded to Librarian IV and transferred to Humboldt branch after 22 years as Regional Assistant Director. O’Shea was in charge of reference services, programming, materials budgeting, meetings and exhibits, and person-in-charge in the absence of the Director. He has an Master’s Business Administration in addition to an Master’s Library Science. He is being sent to the Humboldt Park area as a Librarian IV, a position he has not held in 20 years. He will also lose income which will reduce his pension.
Kathleen O’Meara, Librarian IV in charge of Sulzer’s Children’s Dept., was downgraded to Librarian III. She will remain at Sulzer but will “co-supervise” the department with Karen Mondala, a Librarian III. O’Meara also receives a pay cut.
Sukena Williams, Supervisory Clerk, Head of Circulation Desk, was downgraded to Clerk IV. She will share responsibilities with three other Clerk IVs. She also gets a pay cut.
Reyna, a Clerk II (full time) was downgraded to part time Clerk II at Circulation; Sharanda, a Clerk II (full time) moves to part time Clerk II at Media desk; Guadeloupe, Clerk III, goes to a Clerk II at Media desk.
O’Shea goes to Humboldt, even though the Assistant Director at Woodson stays at Woodson. Sharanda and Reyna will go back to full time perhaps when Budlong Woods branch opens up but there is no guarantee of replacing them at Sulzer if they go to Budlong Woods.
The “new standard” number of personnel for branches will be three Clerks and four professionals, which includes those with bachelor degrees but not Masters.
Sulzer is getting a Librarian II transfer on the 17th of October from Jefferson Park as part of the “balancing the workforce.” The administration is openly violating the AFSCME contract and moving more senior people around, such as O’Shea, the librarian in Government Documents at HWLC, and the Librarian in Interlibrary Loan in HWLC. A long term Children’s Librarian, Marcia Huddleston in the Thomas Hughes Room at HWLC decided to retire rather than be shipped to a branch after all these years at Central.
“By eliminating the Librarian V position from the budget, Dempsey removes a union position held by senior line staff with years of experience. She has purposely not filled any Librarian V positions over the years, and in fact has a great track record of downgrading librarian positions as they become vacant. So much for promoting librarianship as a profession,” said a disgruntled employee.
Through all these fast moving currents and cross currents the allocation for public relations or administrative staff has not been touched.
Rudner’s pamphlet ends with a plea: “If you share our concern that these measures amount to a de-facto anti-book campaign, contact unionneighbor@yahoo.com or call Librarians Public Alert at (773) 384-5799.” |
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