ALA Freaks Out Over Budget

Here\’s a Story someone passed along on the ALA reaction to the latest US budget.


They say President Bush proposed cutting federal spending on libraries by $39 million.


There\’s a rather odd quote in this story:

\”Mrs. Bush understands very well how libraries are serving this nation\’s communities,\” says Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the Washington office of the American Library Association. \”Certainly, the budget doesn\’t reflect that.\”

Did I miss something here? Is Laura now making budget recommendations?

Anywhooo… They say the funding cut could underwrite the cost of 867 librarians at an average salary of $46,000. Or it could buy nearly 1.1 million hardcover books or 161,463 magazine subscriptions.