tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post8912919926968706996..comments2023-09-16T04:58:07.261-04:00Comments on the Annandale Blog: Bulova calls for more public input on library changesAnnandale Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543558586252790593noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-69314855461018541142013-08-08T16:29:03.533-04:002013-08-08T16:29:03.533-04:00If the county executive told the Library Board to ...If the county executive told the Library Board to cut 5 percent of their budget, how much were other county departments asked to cut? Is the Library the ONLY department being asked to reduce budget? There is no transparency in the budget to track HOW MUCH each agency is being cut. How can we get the information? It sounds like the Parks and Library are once again being asked to make cuts that other agencies are not being asked to make. Will Schools budget be cut? Waste Water? Facilities Maintenance? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-22524484995018515252013-08-08T13:57:50.561-04:002013-08-08T13:57:50.561-04:00Please sign the petition to save Fairfax County li...Please sign the petition to save Fairfax County libraries:<br />http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-and-re-evaluate-proposed-changes-to-fairfax/ Kathy KaplanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-11836961504836323052013-08-05T15:14:38.745-04:002013-08-05T15:14:38.745-04:00There was a change and Burke Centre will now loose...There was a change and Burke Centre will now loose 2 positions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-26497439386533668012013-08-05T07:04:30.296-04:002013-08-05T07:04:30.296-04:00I think i is great that Sam Clay got in touch with...I think i is great that Sam Clay got in touch with the employees directly to further discuss their concerns. There has been a great deal of discussion over lack of communication. Clearly, he heard that and is acting on it. I hold a lower level staff position with FCPL and I have met Mr. Clay on a couple of different occasions. He is not an intimidating person. Let's stick to the issues and not issue personal attacks. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-10852720546904210912013-08-02T21:09:44.634-04:002013-08-02T21:09:44.634-04:00There may be a lot of free info on the internet bu...There may be a lot of free info on the internet but how much of that is accurate and reliable? There is A LOT of misinformation on the internet. Librarians can help people do a "reality check" to distinguish the fact from fiction. <br /><br />I am a library volunteer and shelve books so I can guarantee that plenty of people are still happily checking out books. Perhaps a portion of the population will choose to strictly read electronically but books themselves will continue to be popular for a few more generations at least. <br /><br />By the way, libraries periodically comb the shelves to get rid of unpopular titles. Even so, it's better to heat and cool a few unread titles than to not make any titles available at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-43961905669072099692013-08-01T10:58:04.064-04:002013-08-01T10:58:04.064-04:00Library staff are NOT opposed to change. They have...Library staff are NOT opposed to change. They have had to adjust to countless changes over the last few years due to relentless budget cuts and evolving technology. The issue is not the need for change. The issue is deciding WHAT CHANGE will be adopted and being sure that library users and front line library staff have a substantive role in those decisions.<br /><br />As it is now, radical changes are being railroaded through which most staff and public had NO INPUT on before decisions were already made.<br /><br />A big reason the libraries do not do better at budget cutting time is that there has been no vision and no leadership to include the public and rally that public to support their libraries. The current top-down, closed approach being pushed with these latest changes is a clear example of that lack of an inclusive vision and leadership. It has alienated staff and others like volunteers and Friends who want what is best for our libraries but feel the current path is way off course.<br /><br />This process needs to be OPENED UP! The proposals need to be DELAYED and REVISED with the active input and participation of library Friends and patrons as well as all levels of library staff who will be profoundly affected by the outcome. As Chairman Bulova suggested, you can not have a successful transition to major change without staff and public buy in. And you can not have that buy in by bulldozing and dictating from on high. Let's include all the stakeholders in this process and come up with something we can all be proud of ! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-24123761968610795222013-07-31T17:51:44.434-04:002013-07-31T17:51:44.434-04:00Fairfax County is a well educated community that n...Fairfax County is a well educated community that needs to keep a variety of services available to the many users of the library system. Surely there will always be a need for children's librarians to nurture and encourage the young listeners and reading of our community! Technology allows us to get and give information in a variety of ways and that is good but good storytellers and people filled with keys toward new reading experiences are critical. Let's continue to educate and employ outstanding librarians in Fairfax County. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-81485252296140295292013-07-31T14:07:57.433-04:002013-07-31T14:07:57.433-04:00Libraries are so inexpensive, yet they generate so...Libraries are so inexpensive, yet they generate so much value, including the most essential of all values: literacy. The decision to eliminate childrens librarians, those people who are specially trained to develop early literacy and a life long love of reading, is especially foolish. Anyone with knowledge of how children acquire reading skills understands that cutting access to books for the very young will cost millions later in remediation. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-45316481664421047052013-07-31T12:33:37.084-04:002013-07-31T12:33:37.084-04:00Clearly you have not been to a Fairfax County libr...Clearly you have not been to a Fairfax County library in quite a while. You, my friend need to take a look at the door count and ask about each branch's circulation (check-ins and checkouts). If you think people are there just to read a magazine or to get in from the heat you are sadly mistaken. With today's economy and the lack of jobs, people are there to educate themselves, and to do research, all for free. So get into a library, close your computer, or hang up your phone and look around. Maybe you can even check out a book about buggy whips? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-12839101305478138152013-07-31T11:08:19.616-04:002013-07-31T11:08:19.616-04:00I'd say that there are three major issues: the...I'd say that there are three major issues: the one-desk model, the CSS job series, and the separation of tasks (workroom, front desk, programming). Generally, staff accepts the one-desk model, though there is definitely some tweaking needed. <br /><br />The CSS job series downgrades job positions in terms of education requirements and salary. It seems especially notable at the Information Desk which takes a two or three level downgrade. This isn't a Beta plan thing - this IS the new classification. How it will be applied is what is now in question.<br /><br />The third issue is the assumption that dividing tasks by workroom, front desk, and programming will allow for less staffing while maintaining quality customer service. This assumption is intensely questioned by staff actually working in the branches with current, daily experience. It's true that the beta projects may actually TEST these assumptions, but here it is notable that Burke Centre lost one position, but larger branches like Reston would lose five positions - including a separate and active youth services division. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-37185073608536555422013-07-31T11:06:27.269-04:002013-07-31T11:06:27.269-04:00Ms. Allard is incorrect when she states that the l...Ms. Allard is incorrect when she states that the library board and library administration have not clearly identified other options.<br /><br />The Library Board of Trustees was instructed to cut 5 percent from the budget by County Executive Ed Long. FCPL Administration presented two alternatives to the Board: cut back the hours that had recently been restored or substantially cut the collections budget ("substantial" as in something like 80%--don't have figures with me right now). The Board didn't want to do either. They managed a deal for a smaller budget cut with the understanding that the library would save money by restructuring staff over time.<br /><br />Put simply, you get what you pay for. Budget cuts reduce the quality of the library, whether by reducing hours, the collection, or overall quality of services. Some hold the opinion that the Board and FCPL Administration have chosen the third option.<br /><br />They do not control how much money the library receives. The County Executive and the Board of Supervisors do. They merely make the decisions about how that meager pot will be distributed. <br /><br />I hope someone from Administration and/or the Trustees will clarify this.<br /><br />I am a librarian with FCPL. There are aspects of the workforce plan I do not agree with, but it does not serve staff or the public to have discussions in a public forum without a clear understanding of who is responsible for what. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-22092386662956242022013-07-31T00:47:12.096-04:002013-07-31T00:47:12.096-04:00To what disinformation do you refer?
There are t...To what disinformation do you refer? <br /><br />There are two separate issues to consider in terms of the beta project: the one-desk model and the customer service specialist (CSS) job series. I am not opposed to the one-desk model. It has clearly been piloted at Burke with some success. However, they have not been using the new job series to staff it. The CSS positions are effectively a done deal. DHR has signed off on it, and my understanding is that it will move forward barring action from the Board. I don't think the CSS job series will adequately serve our communities or staff.. for more reasons than I have space to enumerate here. <br /><br />Technically, the proposed beta projects at Burke Center and Reston are meant to test assumptions made by those who developed the reorganization plan. However, none of the information provided by said administrators has given any indication that there is room for a major overhaul of the plan based on the results of the beta project. Rather, it seems that they are prepared to tweak it. Consequently, it is rather disingenuous to suggest that this is merely a test.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-8342361116523597352013-07-30T23:40:32.007-04:002013-07-30T23:40:32.007-04:00Do you people truly not understand that the change...Do you people truly not understand that the changes addressed are simply part of a test in two libraries--one community and one regional--that is supposed to, over a several month test period, figure out which IF ANY of the proposed changes in staffing work, and which do not? From what I've seen at the test community library as the changes are being, gradually and with considerable care, put into place--they take some getting used to but really aren't especially draconian, and they go a long way towards improving customer service at the single service desk and in terms of increased children and adult programming. Wait and see the complete test results, participate in evaluating pros and cons, and then engage in constructive dialog--don't just listen to the disinformation being spread by some individuals for whom every change seems to forebode doom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-57853671467553438792013-07-30T22:01:27.915-04:002013-07-30T22:01:27.915-04:00The library does headcounts but they are called st...The library does headcounts but they are called statistics and the ones available for Fiscal Year 2012 show a great deal of library use, including 13 MILLION loans of books. Also:<br />495,831 registered customers.<br />5,246,854 visits to library branches.<br />13,034,816 items loaned.<br />4,162,599 visits to the library's Internet website.<br />172,630 people attended 8,934 events. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-9790057352701180612013-07-30T21:16:04.504-04:002013-07-30T21:16:04.504-04:00Try coming in on a Saturday or late in the afterno...Try coming in on a Saturday or late in the afternoon on a weekday and watch people checking out books. I think you would be surprised at the numbers.<br /><br />Our Fairfax County libraries are treasures. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-59798727623346203482013-07-30T19:02:35.602-04:002013-07-30T19:02:35.602-04:00Fairfax County is one of the most educated in the ...Fairfax County is one of the most educated in the country too - and almost all have internet access. Is Fairfax ahead of its time here also? How many of these books are ever checked out, and the power to heat and cool the space for all these unread books? I'm nostalgic but practical, books are going the way of the buggy whip, and the info on the internet for free makes it hard to imagine ever going back, as sad as that sounds. Most people in there are there for the internet or just a quiet place to study - do a headcount next time you are there. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-3234804331218341812013-07-30T17:01:52.976-04:002013-07-30T17:01:52.976-04:00Fairfax County has a population that is among the ...Fairfax County has a population that is among the wealthiest and most well-educated in America - if any county should have fully staffed libraries it is this one! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-78610592071237354062013-07-30T16:41:44.005-04:002013-07-30T16:41:44.005-04:00I agree! Thank you for recognizing the importance...I agree! Thank you for recognizing the importance of this topic. I am heartened by the fact that these proposed changes are being taken very seriously and that all sides seem to be open to thoughtful consideration of changes and the implications of these changes. We love our libraries! {And librarians!}.Amy B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-52703557710603959852013-07-30T15:16:06.182-04:002013-07-30T15:16:06.182-04:00Thank you for another outstanding article. You ar...Thank you for another outstanding article. You are helping to bring the impending threat to our libraries out into the light of public scrutiny. That is exactly what needs to happen ! Everyone please share these articles widely...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com