WV Librarian…She Works Hard For the Money

The budget for the Piedmont West Virginia library where Paula Boggs has worked for 32 years (which topped out at an annual $25,000) has now been slashed so severely that Ms. Boggs works with only half the salary she used to have. Story from the News Daily .

February 3, 2006 by birdie Uncategorized 10

GregS* says:

February 3, 2006 at 1:22 am

Piedmont population
According to Wikipedia its 1,014. I’m impressed they have as much as they do.

Reply
mdoneil says:

February 3, 2006 at 5:02 am

Noble but alas not wise
I applaud her for working to support her community, but working for 1/2 of what you are worth (if not less) does a grave disservice to the profession.

You are worth exactly what you are paid, just like a used car. If you can get reliable transportation for half price why would you want to upgrade? Similarly if you can get a librarian at half price why would you ever pay full price.

Working for 1/2 devalues the profession as a whole.

Reply
GregS* says:

February 3, 2006 at 5:42 am

Re:Noble but alas not wise
I doubt she has much formal education and considering the size of the town everyone there, including her, is lucky to have what they got. I think you have to chalk this one up to volunteerism.

Reply
birdie says:

February 3, 2006 at 5:52 am

Harrumph
It doesn’t seem right for the two of you to speculate about Piedmont’s population, Ms. Boggs education, or her value to the community. No matter what amount of money she makes or doesn’t make, her contribution is invaluable and will only serve to benefit the town’s residents, educated or illiterate, who all deserve the best possible services they can get. Here’s something I found on the web about the services the Piedmont Library/librarian Paula Boggs provides.

Reply
GregS* says:

February 3, 2006 at 7:17 am

Re:Harrumph
I come from a small town of 4,000 in Northern Maine. Until I started going to library school in CT the only view I had of libraries was what was essentially a Piedmont type library, small and limited. Much like the town it was in. So I’m a bit of a realist in terms of what can be made available to keep the library running.

No one is questioning her value. If anything I applaud her energy, and believe me its all energy. I couldn’t care less if she has an MLS or not. Nothing in that list of services you linked to would require one and nothing in the MLS would help her do what’s she doing anyway. Its generally why I think the MLS is TP on a good day. She doing what’s she doing because she wants to do it, more power to her.

Reply
leeb says:

February 3, 2006 at 9:34 am

You get what you pay for
If the budget is small to begin with and on top of that it is slashed, then you can’t expect a quality service. You get what you pay for.

Reply
Lee Hadden says:

February 3, 2006 at 7:56 pm

Education in Piedmont, WV
In Piedmont, WV, the education accomplishments are not high. High school or higher: 73.3%; Bachelor’s degree or higher: 3.1%; Graduate or professional degree: 0.4%.
Keeping education and library costs low will prevent anyone from aspiring to rise above their station, and will help keep peace in the community by making sure that no one else gets ahead. If anyone does leave the community, they will fail and probably have to come back.
This way, no one is ever surprised by anything new.

Reply
birdie says:

February 3, 2006 at 8:30 pm

Re:Education in Piedmont, WV
And if nothing else, they can always go back into the coal mines.

Reply
GregS* says:

February 3, 2006 at 8:41 pm

Re:Education in Piedmont, WV
In a town of a 1,000 how many jobs are there that would require a professional degree? You get mad at mdoneil and me for talking about the value of a librarian and then you and Lee devalue the whole town because they don’t meet your personal education standards.

Yes, people work in coal mines, yes people work on farms, yes people actually get their hands dirty. Someone has to do it and they don’t have to waste time and money to get pretentious degrees in order to do it. Their life and their work is no less valuable *or any less fulfilling* then any degreed professional.

Reply
kylere says:

February 3, 2006 at 11:55 pm

You know…
Okay I am an 80’s geek, and I was watching the original Dukes of Hazzard the other night, and the bumbling Sheriff Rosco was a good law man, until the town voted against him getting a pension following 30 years of service. That was when he turned to being a dirty cop.

I think i would forgive her doing the same 🙂

Reply