LISNews: Librarian News

Librarian Refuses to Sign "Lifestyle Statement"

During his 14 years at Shorter University, Michael Wilson, a librarian, built a library collection for the college’s satellite campus in Atlanta. He shaped his post as the first full-time librarian for adult and professional students. Then he won tenure, and planned to stay at the Baptist college in Rome, Ga., until retirement.

Instead, last week, he effectively handed in his resignation.

[Thanks Charley!]

From CBC News: The federal government is eliminating a series of libraries and archives throughout different departments as part of the latest budget cuts.

Library and Archives Canada alone has received or will still receive more than 500 surplus notices and the department announced 20 per cent of its workforce would be let go.

The cuts to the government's archival collections stretch beyond just one department, though. Libraries at the transport, immigration and public works departments will be eliminated.

That is a scary prospect, according to researchers, genealogists and academics that often rely on such libraries and history to develop their work.

"Professionals and scientists who work in those departments need access to those specialized libraries to develop policy," said James Turk, president of the Canadian Association of University Professors.

"As well, other Canadians rely on those specialized libraries and there aren't other libraries that have those people and can make up for that."

All 98 branch libraries in Toronto are closed as negotiations have broken down between librarians and the city.

Toronto’s public libraries, one of the early areas of friction in Rob Ford’s drive to cut public spending, are now the scene of the first strike of the mayor’s 15-month-old administration.

The library walkout may not be the only labour disruption the city faces this month. The union that represents inside workers has scheduled a strike vote for Tuesday. City-run swimming pools, recreation centres, daycares and other municipal services could be affected as early as Saturday.

The library strike is the first since the amalgamation of the old Metro Toronto municipalities into a single city.

On his way to a meeting Sunday, the mayor was terse in comments to reporters about either labour development, saying only that he hoped for a settlement.

Mr. Ford was able last month to clinch a deal, that included a rollback on some job-security provisions, from the city’s outside workers. They were not in a position to command much public sympathy so soon after an unpopular 2009 strike that affected garbage pickups and parks maintenance. -- Read More

Occupy Lamont’s rhetoric distracts from the issue of layoffs
"Again, we welcome Occupy Lamont to go about their business. But a discussion of the kind that they claim to be interested in having ought not distract from the issue at hand. As a community, we do not need to re-imagine the fundamental properties of the library. There is no impetus to do so, and Harvard’s librarians, led by University Librarian Robert C. Darnton ’60, have been working not only on modernizing our system but also making Harvard’s material accessible for free online. Occupy Lamont distracts and potentially impinges on this real progress, and stands in the way of a frank discussion about layoffs."