"Each and every library worker needs to be an agent for change."-- Diane Faye, Chair of the Union Subcommittee of ALA-APA

Diane Faye, chair of the Union Subcommittee of the ALA-APA responds to M. McGrorty about the wages of library workers.

MM:
“"Well, there you have it, folks. Who is better off, the homeless lady or the library assistant? And we wonder why it is difficult to attract people to this work? Apart from the irony of the situation, the Times story raises the question: What are we doing that will solve our own problem? What, for instance, has the library world accomplished over the past generation to genuinely improve salaries for library workers— not planned, not intended, but accomplished?”"

DF
Yes, Michael, what are “we” doing? The reality is if everyone is looking at “we” as being the “library world” then we most likely won'’t see a hell of a lot. The issue is the “we” -- just who is “we”? Each and every library worker needs to be an agent for change. This will not take place unless the “we” is every library worker and “we” all work at making a change. That means stepping up and taking an active role in the process. And that means more than being critical of what hasn’'t taken place. It is a lot easier to be “paper tigers” than it is to step up and do something positive to facilitate change.
---------- Diane Fay
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From: Backwage@aol.com
If you find yourself being too cheerful this Sunday morning, here's something for you to ponder: Hand to Mouth in the Library.
M. McGrorty