There have been responses regarding convention funding that indicate seeking funding from one's institution or elsewhere. The other point is that glitzy conventions make us feel good about our professional selves. I would like to address both points.
Many libraries and librarians who work in Judaica work almost daily within tight budgets. The goal of a professional is to provide the best service they can give within budgetary constraints. Many of us work under these conditions and get the job done. Our patrons get the bibliographic help they need and they return to the library. This traffic enables us to justify our budgets and fight against reductions. If there is a choice of fighting for the maintenance of a quality library and professional service or funding to attend conventions, I believe the answer is clear. The most important people who come into the library are the patrons. If money is tight it is in service to them that there is a priority. Is it realistic to go to our respective administrations to lobby for convention money or is it more realistic and professionally responsible to fight for money needed to run the library, better salaries, new equipment etc. Conventions are important because of the exchange of ideas and support colleagues give to one another. The essence of convention is professional interaction. If we are working within professional standards and are fulfilling our professional responsibilities, then that is the mark of a successful professional. Having a meeting in a fancy hotel does not necessarily make a person feel better about themselves professionally. There was a session at the Philadelphia convention that discussed the abysmal condition of salaries. Shouldn't it be more of a priority to expend time and effort to fight for salaries indicative of our professional worth and not spend that effort to get more funding to go to overpriced conventions. What administrator of any organization would take such a request seriously? They would have to take seriously a well thought out, professionally sound effort to make salaries livable. It is time that we reflect on what is good for the profession in real terms not what type of hotel we go to. Just my two cents. Eliezer M. Wise Library Director Tuttleman Library of Gratz College 7605 Old York Road Melrose Park, Pa. 19027 215-635-7300 extension 159 Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the AJL =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
