Where’s the Love?
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6657608.html
President Obama Freezes School Library Funding in 2010
By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 5/12/2009
Should we fight for more money for the public libraries of this nation? According to this article, the “Improving Literacy Through School Libraries” program funding levels have remained unchanged since 2008. President elect Obama had promised to reward federal programs that succeed. Is keeping funding at the same level a reward? As a current employee of a public school, I daily see time and resources used ineffectively and wastefully as teachers struggle to balance the actual educational needs of their students with the seemingly arbitrary and sometimes conflicting federal standards of the “No Child Left Behind” act. Certainly a well-intentioned act, but as the saying goes the road to not such a pleasant place is paved with them.
What should we do to attain the promised levels of $250 million in 2001 that have never been reached? The 2008 level was $19.1 million.
Should we march on Washington and demand our fair share? In this current economy many would argue that is a futile idea. But is it? Libraries are already inundated with requests from the unemployed for help in their job searches. Youth are hanging out on our porches more frequently with the cancellations of summer schools and programs they used to rely on for downtime education, entertainment, and enlightenment. The under-employed have more time on their hands to take courses. Surely we can use more resources to find resources for them, teach classes on how to find financial aid, how to research colleges and training programs. People need answers, and our public libraries are the places that the populace already knows to go to for answers. Our librarians are trained and ready to assist, sadly they are hampered by shorter hours, budget freezes, and hiring freezes. If we are to get this economy moving again, we need jobs. What better place to throw stimulus funds into than the public library which uses resources far more effectively and to a wider audience at a lower cost than any historical institution.
We have until the end of July, when Congress supposedly will finish up the budget and take their August recess.
11 comments:
Well...a government has promised and then failed to deliver funding, to a worthwhile program, which works with needy individuals. Surprised? Y'all should have voted for a more progressive government. Perhaps things would have been different. I guess this kind of apathetic maintenance of current funding levels (or perhaps maintenance of the status quo) is acceptable. Perhaps it's a moot point, because if it's not acceptable, what is anyone going to do about it?
I can't oppose Jackie's argument about why libraries need money.But 20 million versus 250 million? One might ask where else this money is being allocated. Perhaps it's something more important. Like government bailouts. Ha! Er...like improving infrastructure?
I'm going to choose to see Jackie's vaguely rhetorical question as non-rhetorical and say, yes! March on Washington! And while you're there march about your education system, health care reform, electoral college reform and demand that they finally put financial institutions on a leash, as promised. Your government is there to represent YOU and it is borrowing money from China to spend it where YOU need it most. Besides, can you imagine the fear in the politicians' eyes when they see librarians coming?
Our economy is in one of the worst stages it's ever been. Most of us are struggling with our finances, just as the government is. I realized that President Obama promised to reward federal programs that succeeded. We all know politicians make promises that they can't keep.
I definitely think that libraries need more funding. Just as Jackie said, libraries all across the country are having their resources stretched thin, and librarians are over their heads in extra work, trying to help those who turned to the library for support. At the same time, I realize why this is a hard promise for the government to keep. They are dealing with massive budget problems and this issue is probably not at the top of most of the congressmens list.(although it should be up there!)I believe that it's important that the government knows that libraries are important institutions, and that we are not going to push for the money we need, but I also believe we should be patient. We are all waiting for the economy to pick up, and I think we need to give the new administration a little time to get things running, and then hopefully we will be granted the money and help we deserve.
The hardest part about a democracy is that everyone has their say. Unfortunately, it seems like our profession is never loud enough to be heard over the likes of agricultural interests, automakers, defense industry insiders, and others who have literally billions to spend in lobbying. Granted, President Obama has stated that he wants "[t]o give our children a fair shot to thrive in a global, information-age economy, we will equip thousands of schools, community colleges, and universities with 21st Century classrooms, labs, and libraries[.]" The problem that seemingly always crops up with good intentions is that others make it impossible to follow through.
The ALA is one of our best tools in helping to ensure that President Obama follows through on his campaign and presidential promises, but it is not our only. Sometimes what is required is to pester our local representatives. When my wife lost her leg in a work related auto accident, we learned a lot about how local lobbying works. One of the biggest keys is to tell your congressman or senator what is most important about your concern. While I think it will be nigh impossible to reach the $250 million mark, constant and consistent reminders aimed at congressional leaders from around the country would go a long way in helping Obama realize the importance of keeping his promises.
I agree with Ian on this one. It seems that politicians and government only react and gets off their hineys when pestered until they can be pestered no more. The thing with the American education system is that it is not about education at all. "Why are you going to college?" people would ask. The get that darn piece of paper, that's why! I think a majority of students would say the same thing. The true question is, How can we as future librarians make enough people care about actual education? Why don't people want to learn anymore? Because it's all about the bucks. We need to make people see how imprtant it is to be a well rounded individual. It's called Liberal Arts. So go and walk on Washington, they won't care unless we do it everyday. People need to get involved in their local politics involved in education on a daily basis. If we can make people see how important it is to learn people will WANT to give such a large amount of money.
I am not surprised by this article. I am not apathetic to the situation and funding of libraries (and education) in the US, and the ALA *may* have had "high hopes" for funding, but given the recent attention to bank bailouts in light of the economic crises facing us, was there a real expectation that education and libraries were going to benefit this year or next year?
There were huge promises made to all sectors when Pres. Obama took office: some are being kept; some are being compromised. I am optimistic that the situation of education and of libraries will improve, but there will always be a disconnect between policy talk and policy action. It's very nice to point out that literacy on state reading exams improved for those institutions participating in the"Improving Literacy Through School Libraries" program, but it should be an indicator to us all that if such a study even needs to be undertaken what kind of battle lies ahead. If it is not already obvious to folks that if there are school libraries hence student/child literacy may actually improve, we need to be re-thinking strategies to improve funding.
I agree with Jackie that libraries and education should benefit from the stimulus package; I even think we should march, but other economic sectors seem to have better luck catching the eye of the government. How can libraries compete? Why do libraries only get 2 official days and banks, insurance, and car companies get months of government attention? There are obvious answers to my questions, I know. I think this article points out an important issue facing public and school libraries nationwide.
I agree with what everyone else is saying about needing to take action and "march on Washington" even if not literally. To use a bad, old cliché, the squeaky wheel gets the oil and I think librarians need to start practicing their squeak!
As far as local government goes, I think that ALA does a good job making it easy to contact your local government with pages such as this: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/home/ This site will help you find your State Officials. A lot can be done on a local level, but to someone who does not know the process, I think getting involved can be daunting. Speaking of daunting, I'll be the first to admit that the ALA's Web site can be a real pain, BUT the resources very often are there, they just need to be unearthed.
Although I think that librarians and library advocates should put up a fight for more money, I don't know that efforts will be fruitful. I would love to see libraries get more money, but in this day and age, with money so tight, I don't know that will happen. Regardless of the monetary outcome, I think librarians taking action will put libraries in the public eye, hopefully securing our place as an important institution in the minds of all and, in the long run, increasing the funding that libraries will receive.
As much as I hate to say this, *at least it didn't get reduced*, and there was a slight increase in funding for future librarian education. Anyone who has been in academia in recent years knows that no cuts are a huge relief...no cuts means schools and such can at least afford to replace the people who just left and/or maintain their current "standard of living." Not the best situation, but enough to allow TPTB breathe a sigh of relief.
Like Jen, I'm optimistic that things will improve. As I sit here as a librarian-in-progress in Detroit, I have to say, Michigan has many, many more pressing issues right now than increased funding for libraries. I'm hopeful that when the auto industry issues settle down that there will be more money for libraries and education. Let's face it: If the extra money in Michigan goes to libraries instead of its bread and butter, more and more people will leave. The more people who leave the state, the fewer students will be in our schools and fewer people will be using the library.
Furthermore, I do not believe that it is an issue of who is president. Bush was married to a librarian for Pete's sake and look how far THAT got us!
I do agree that we need to lobby for our cause, but that's real hard to do when I look around and every day another one of my friends or family members loses his/her job and/or home. How do I argue to them that giving more money to libraries is a good thing when they need their automotive-related industry job to continue to take care of their family?
I guess it all comes down to the old saying that beggars can't be choosers, and that's exactly where libraries are today.
I almost feel bad for President Obama. We are in the midst of such a bad economy. Everyone wants a little more money sent to them, and at the same time people are advocating for spending freezes so we don’t increase our deficit further. As much as I think libraries are essential to the economy, I also think we need to be patient with with the new administration in Washington and give them some time.
Leanna mentioned that as Librarians we need to make people “care about education.” I’m not sure that will happen until our country reevaluates its priorities. My husband got laid off two weeks ago and has been trying to wade through the unemployment system. I thought it was very ironic that even though our government says it values education, my husband was told that his unemployment would not be reviewed for 6-8 weeks because he happened to be an employee who was also a student!! He might even be denied his unemployment because he was and is a student. He had to agree and sign that he would drop out of school if he was offered another job. As librarians, we are going to have a tough time trying to convince people that education is important when our own government does not think so!
We all know nothing is going to get libraries more money anytime soon. We can march all we want. The feds are too busy paying the bills of Wall Street idiots and people who thought they could and should live beyond their means without consequence. Screw the rest of us who balanced our budgets and paid our bills!
Like Monica said, in MI it would be a pretty tough sell to divert funds currently being used to clog the dam that seems to be staving off total economic collapse in this state. When every third or fourth home in my subdivision is in foreclosure and businesses are closing in droves, we should be grateful, I guess, that budgets aren't being slashed.
While I think it's shortsighted to maintain levels where they are, I guess we should be glad. Libraries today are providing more valuable services than ever before - entertaining families, teaching courses, helping with job searches, +++. These services (even the free entertainment)are going to help our economy survive and eventually grow. People need job search facilities and resume help. They need courses such as Computers 101. We need to be able to take our families somewhere where we don't have to spend $80 on movie passes and popcorn for an evening.
Libraries are the few places that seem to offer hope and fun lately and they deserve every penny they get and more. But really, nothing more is going to come. We have to make due, unfortunately.
Even though we think libraries are worthy of the funding, I think it is important that we all recognize that not everyone does. Paying the mortgage is more pressing to most people than libraries being strapped for resources. I can almost guarantee that the tens of thousands of recently unemployed people would be more than a bit angry if they found out that the government was increasing library funding which probably will not yield overall results for them directly. And I cannot say I blame them. They elected the a President who they felt would help them and if the focus falls on programs that are not going to directly benefit the general populous, people would likely lose more faith in the system that they already have.
I think that it is important to know that the President recognizes the value in libraries and is not going to take funding away. It may not sound like a reward but, in these hard economic times, it is definitely a starting point. Yes, we need to press the government for the funding we’ve been promised but we need to have realistic expectations of what we can accomplish. We have to dedicate ourselves to becoming and remaining active in the change but change is a process and it takes time.
I agree that libraries deserve more funding then they currently receive but at the same time it is just not feasible right now. As Monica, Lynn and Beth (sorry if I missed anyone) pointed out; the American people have bigger concerns that directly impact their families right now. Providing the promised funds for libraries will also have an impact eventually but it is not the immediate change everyone so desperately wants.
I think now, more than ever, it is important for libraries to continue to support their communities with programs such as unemployment workshops and technology seminars. There will be a time and a place for libraries to have their say and actually be heard, but this is not it.
President Obama has let his belief in the library system be known. I honestly doubt he will forget the importance of libraries and education especially since he has two young daughters. As others said in previous posts we just need to give the new administration a chance. I could understand if two maybe three years into the President's term if libraries still had the same budget that a march would be necessary but as for now, I think that it would be wasted energy that could have been put to good use elsewhere.
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