Snow and More Snow

Well, I guess we are due as we have had very light winters the last several years - but we seem to be making up for it this year. In December we had a record 18-20" which officially registered as the seventh largest storm in the Washington area. Then last Saturday we ended up with ten inches. That snow was light and rather easy to get off the car. The condo shoveled sidewalks - so it wasn't all that bad. Put on a crock pot of beef stew and just enjoyed it. Then they announced that we would get another 3-4" last night. Schools were closed but I had a delay - but still had to go in. Not too bad - just a nuisance! They say more is on the way this weekend!

ALA Midwinter in Boston

Well, this year in Boston was not nearly as cold as the last time ALA was in Boston! The schedule was shortened by a day, which made it very compressed. It was good to cut a day off, but it really did seem like things were jammed together. I was very busy with Council and BARC, along with facilitating the AASL candidates forum as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

But I really think I spent every spare moment preparing for my speech before the Council for the ALA Executive Board. I was running against three excellent candidates and then another was nominated from the floor. I was beginning to loose self-confidence! Maybe it was time to quit and let others do the work of ALA? I had lost the ALA Presidential election in 2008 - I lost the Executive Board election in 2009 - and now if I lost this that would be three in a row - and obviously someone was trying to tell me something - three strikes - and you're out. In my own defense, I did not do a good job last year - I just delivered the speech . I was not feeling well and that made all the difference. But here I was given another chance - and I rallied in the opportunity.

When I was notified in October that the Committee on Committees had nominated me again - I was shocked. I had no indication that I would be nominated. Finally, Monday arrived and speeches were after Council II So when I could, I reviewed my speech. At one point, a friend and fellow Councilor sitting next to me said "I don't care what you say - I'm going to vote for you!' That restored some self confidence! The speeches were all really good - and I felt it was a toss-up. Voted and waited - until around 8:00 for the results.

When Lois Ann Gregory called I could not believe that I was elected! Two candidates were elected - myself and Kevin Reynolds from Tennessee. Thank you to everyone who put their confidence in me! I am still so excited and looking forward to my new role in ALA with renewed energy to do the work of ALA. I've got time before my flight, so I'm going to observe the Executive Board in action. The rest of conference is a blur at the moment.

New Year's Resolutions

Obviously, I am one who helps make up the large percentage of the national average that does not keep their New Year's Resolutions - as proof from my last entry in January 2009 where I resolved to write on my blog - well, I didn't - but with this I hope to do better this year! Lets see how I do!

This time last year

This time last year I was in the middle of a very active campaign to be elected President of the American Library Association. I was flying around the country going to conferences, writing articles and fulling speaking engagements, while mailing brochures out to all the ALA Affiliates. Little did I know how sick I really was nor could I have imagined what would take place in the coming year. I think about this now as I just finished voting for this years' candidates for ALA President and hope that they are taking care of themselves and will remain healthy. Yes, I was disappointed at the loss as recorded on my Blog last May -- but I do believe that things happen for a reason -- just as it did this time. There is no telling what stage my health would be in had I kept pushing. But for now, I feel good, and can't believe I have CKD, even though my kidneys are only functioning at 18%. Good luck to everyone running for an ALA Office -- and if you haven't voted -- please vote for Roberta Stevens for ALA President

Happy New Year!!!

To all of you reading this I wish you a very Happy New Year and the best of everything to you as the year progresses. It has been far too long since I have been on my blog. But my New Year's resolution is to be more attentive to posting. It seems that the last six months have been filled with one challenge or another that left little time to post -- even though the process would have probably helped me through several incidents. Those of you that received my Christmas letter will better understand - I may decide to post that or just do a few updates. Either way - this is a new year to be greatful for! Enjoy and Celebrate!

Virtual Library Legislative Day!

Today is Virtual Library Day on the Hill! Go to www.capwiz.com/ala to write your Members of Congress about the importance of libraries. All of us at ALA conference in Anaheim have the opportunity to participate and I hope all of you will -- or have and at the break in Council today, I hope ALL Councilors will write their members of Congress.
We need librarians and library supporters from across the country to call attention to the value of today’s libraries, as well as the issues the library community is facing. This is especially important in an election year, as many of our nation’s legislators will be looking to hear from their constituents. This is our chance to make the library voice heard!
Virtual Library Day on the Hill is an amazing opportunity to showcase the value and importance of libraries to Members of Congress and let them know how important federal funding is to our nation’s libraries.

Click on the link above to go to
ALA's Legislative Action Center
See what library legislation is hot
Send a letter or fax to Congress
U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-225-3121

Thank you for your support of ALL libraries -- especially school libraries!

Another Health Update

The last two blood tests have remained the same which is encouraging, but I still have kidneys only functioning at 20-25%. I am on my way to annual conference and know it will be difficult with hotel food, etc., but I will do it! Not only do I have to virtually eliminate all sodium from my diet -- but potassium and phosphors as well. It is just a matter of making my kidneys work overtime to eliminate these minerals from my body. So if I put fewer of those minerals in -- the less they have to work to do their job and the longer they might continue working. Anybody outthere have an extra kidney to spare?

The Devastation Continues

As if the original two position eliminations wasn't bad enough -- or the next eleven wasn't bad enough - I now find that one more key employee is being transferred. Transferred??? Why you ask? There is no answer. That leaves nine employees to do what 23 were doing -- which originally 29 were doing. Through the last five years we have worked smarter and scaled down services and looked at new ways to do things. We had done all we could and staff had taken on as many new responsibilities as they could -- which of course increased their work time and hours but without additional help or compensation. And this is how dedication is rewarded? In addition to the 60% loss of staff we now can talk about the actual budget. The funding for the integrated library system was slightly reduced as was the database budget, but that we will be able to survive. But then when you add all the other budget line items, like equipment repair, new equipment, materials of instruction, professional library resources, professional development, etc., my budget was cut 92% -- no typo here -- 92% or in other words, I have 8% of the budget I had in previous years. Can this be real? Yes, it is! Once again the message is clear -- that libraries and the instructional value they add and their contribution to student achievement is not valued.

When It Rains It POURS!!!!

Feeling very good, I went to work this morning to an office of six departments employing 24 wonderful staff members. This afternoon when I left, it was raining, I felt miserable and so helpless as I left a devastated office where on July 15 there will only be 11 staff members. My county is experiencing the same financial shortfall that is happening all over the country and to balance the budget my office was reduced by more than half. The positions have been eliminated and just a month ago during the first round of cuts I lost two staff members. Total of 13 eliminated with only 11 left. To begin with it seems unfair and lopsided for my department to take a hit of over 15% of the cuts that central office received. Secondly, it sends a message loud and clear -- the library media program is not valued. And that is the very reason I came to this county nine years ago -- because they valued the library program and saw that the program was an integral part of the instructional process and that we made a difference in student achievement. Doesn't seem to be the case any longer!
All operations of Library Media Services were together in my department. My office which housed the instructional component, the Professional Library, Review and Evaluation Center, The Production Center, Acquisitions, and Technology for the Integrated Library system. All operations need to continue, but how one person, a few with a secretary, can continue to fulfill the responsibilities I have not figured out yet. Who will do them if we can't? Will they get done? Efficiently? Effectively? There is no doubt in my mind that those who made the cuts do not know what we do -- or do not understand what we do -- or do not want to understand what we do -- or do not care what we do -- or perhaps all of the above.
I feel the need to head to The Outer Banks to sort things out. The rain only made the gloom worse - I wanted to run an errand, but with the rain and traffic and my mood, I just turn around and headed home. But as I was driving home - I saw a beautiful full rainbow - and the rainbow when I first saw it ended right at my office building. I hope that was an omen that all the staff affected, who in my mind are wonderful valued employees will find that rainbow with a "pot of gold" waiting for them. There is a reason for everything -- I really do believe that -- but in this instance I haven't accepted this devastating blow!
Score: 13 for them - 0 for school libraries and our students!

Health Update

My primary care physician adjusted my medication in the three weeks I was waiting to see the specialist and I reduced my fluid intake and virtually cut out all sodium - down to under 500 mg a day. All that drastic change in my life style resulted in my blood pressure dropping when I stood up after sitting and at times if I stood too long - like grocery shopping. Then with the constant fatigue and dizziness I returned to my PCP. It seems I was dehydrated! Once again adjusting the medication made all the difference in the world -- the next day I felt better than I had in the previous three weeks. After seeing the specialist I was informed that my kidneys are functioning at 35% - not good. A week later another blood test was taken, which shown there had been another decrease, down to 30%. I was put on iron and medication to keep my bones from becoming brittle. And being the librarian that I am -- I got my hands on every piece of information I could -- I have even thought about starting another blog just dealing with CKD, as there seems to be a lot of us out there. Kidney disease caused by diabetes is the commonest cause of kidney failure requiring treatment by dialysis or kidney transplantation. I have been diabetic for 35 years. I will have a biopsy in July to determine/verify the cause. Last Wednesday I was told by the specialist that if the decline continued as it had been, I would need a transplant in three to six months. But to hold off contacting the centers for evaluation as she wanted another blood test, which I will have tomorrow, to see if things leveled off and my body adjusts. So in the meantime I am going to live each day to the fullest doing what I enjoy and what is important in life. As I feel good, the doctor approved my going to Anaheim for conference, which I will do -- so see you there!