THE USE OF STATE AND FEDERAL LIBRARY FUNDS
THE ELIMINATION OF QandANJ
NJLA believes the library community must have a voice in determining the programs and services provided by state and federal dollars to the residents of New Jersey. Currently, the NJ State Librarian has two committees with statutory responsibilities in providing direction for the use of state/or federal funds. These committees are the LSTA Advisory Committee and the Library Network Review Board. In order to provide transparency to the library community, the New Jersey State Library must consult with its proper advisory board when budgetary or programmatic changes are to be made. This will give the library community the opportunity to provide input to these critical decisions.
NJLA believes that the decision to eliminate QandANJ should have been presented to the proper advisory board for discussion and input by the library community. The loss of this service has serious implications for the residents of New Jersey and a thoughtful deliberative discussion by the library community would have been beneficial to the library community and the state library. In these days of declining resources NJLA understands that the State Library has the difficult task of balancing the needs of the New Jersey library community and determining how best to utilize these scarce resources. But we also believe the library community’s representatives to the LSTA Advisory Committee and the Library Network Review Board have much to contribute. As the voice of the library community, their advice should be sought and carefully considered.
The recently posted QandANJ fact sheet references an NJLA survey conducted last year. The NJLA Public Policy Committee did do a survey that identified Databases, ILL/Delivery and State Aid as top priorities among statewide services but that survey was conducted in December 2008, not last year. The survey was discussed extensively during the forums NJLA conducted in early 2009 but it has not been updated since that time and NJLA does not know if this is an accurate representation of how the library community would prioritize services today. Again, NJLA believes the advice and counsel of the LSTA Advisory Committee and the Library Network Review Board as well as the QandANJ providers should have been sought in this matter prior to announcement of a final decision on de-funding this service.
The NJLA Reference Section will be holding a discussion on May 13 regarding the options for QandANJ. Everyone is welcome.
The New Jersey Library Association expects the NJ State Library to hold an open meeting with the entire library community as soon possible to discuss the allocation of all state and federal funding. Transparency in the use of library funding is critical for all.
Issued by the New Jersey Library Association April 29, 2011
Yeah!!!
ReplyDeleteI just want to add my own note of thanks to Pat Tumulty and the entire NJLA Executive Board for this statement and for their emphasis on the need for transparency when we are discussing federally funded projects that serve the entire library community. I am hopeful that this entire experience, no matter how painful and divisive it is at the moment, will in the long term have a positive outcome that future decisions will be made with proper consultation and complete information being shared with all stakeholders. The library community in NJ can look upon this a learning experience and hopefully come to a mutual decision in a respectful and professional manner once all the cards are laid on the table. Having NJLA take a leadership role in the call for transparency is crucial and I am grateful to see this statement emerge at this point.
ReplyDeleteJanie, I agree. The NJLA Executive Board and Pat Tumulty really stepped up here. There is a real opportunity to change the professional climate in our state which has been problematic for too long. There is still so much fear of speaking out, but I hope that this statement from NJLA will help people feel a little safer in speaking their minds and realizing that power has its limits.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I did ask a few librarians why they were not joining in the conversation and it seems that there is a fear in the NJ library community that we can not speak openly about our concerns. That to me is upsetting. Healthy debate and even sometimes tense disagreement is the only way for a large group to grow and move in the same direction. I feel fortunate that I am at a place in my career where I feel confident that I can speak out with minimal or no repercussions and I hope others will evaluate if they too are at that point where they can take the risk.
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