Have any synagogue libraries moved to ebooks and if so, what has been the response?
Emily Goldberg [email protected] On Monday, June 1, 2015, Ann Abrams <[email protected]> wrote: > Thank you, Lisa, for this very thoughtful and insightful post. The > sentence I find the most thought provoking is: > > > > > > *FROM LISA:* > > *Synagogues clearly need to save money and move forward with the things > that engage the most members and cut funding from things that don’t. > Period. Sentiment is not a reason to pour money into old models of > synagogue engagement. The problem for libraries is that the decision-makers > are not seeing beyond the old model and are not offering funding for > librarians to create new models.* > > > > > > FROM ANN: > > I’m wondering if there are synagogue librarians who have created new > models, that are doing WELL, and that have the enthusiastic support of your > institutions; and, that you’d be willing to share with the rest of us? > I’d be happy to serve as central station to collect your narratives, as > perhaps it’s not necessary to inform all of AJL/Hasafran about what > synagogue libraries are doing, but I would share them with all SSC members, > or anyone else who’s interested. > > > > But, my main point is, are there any GOOD stories out there? > > > > > > Maybe we can cause something constructive to come out of these terrible > occurrences. > > > > > > > > > > *From:* Hasafran [mailto:hasafran-bounces+aabrams > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','hasafran-bounces%2Baabrams');>= > [email protected] > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>] *On Behalf > Of *Lisa Silverman > *Sent:* Wednesday, May 27, 2015 7:58 PM > *To:* [email protected] > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');> > *Subject:* Re: [ha-Safran] Library position eliminated > > > > > > Excuse the long post, but I would like to weigh in to this discussion > because of the similar changes going on here at Sinai Temple, which mirror > what is happening everywhere. In our case, 100 letters from people outside > our organization, especially if they had come from different cities, would > have been an interesting social experiment, but would not have changed a > thing. > > > > A year ago, our temple board decided that due to economic reasons beyond > their control, they decided to remove all funding for the library. It was > explained to me that due to the recession there had been a severe downturn > in donations, and, along with our major building upgrade and renovations, > the temple was in the fiscal red. Our professional staff of 4.5 employees > was cut to…zero. The library and its needs, budget, and staffing, was > handed over to the Pre-K-8 day school, because it was common knowledge that > the majority of patrons were day school students, staff, and parents. The > day school had only enough money to offer two positions to librarians and I > was retained as the day school librarian and another school librarian was > hired as associate. With my knowledge of adult sources, I was encouraged to > still help the synagogue patrons, when or if they continued to come in. > > > > All adult programming was cut because I am now working for the school and > do programming solely related to school needs, which are considerable. (I > made the personal choice to continue with my evening adult book group > because this group has been meeting regularly for 15 years, even though the > temple did not pay me for it. It was suggested that I charge for > attendance at this group, which I rejected as absurd.) We are now in the > process of reducing our adult collection considerably, and moving these > items to the soon-to-open Sperber Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles, > which is now part of American Jewish University. I have been serving as > consultant for them, and will begin working there next year as the > community librarian. Our adult collection here will still be accessible to > all patrons, although it will be run by the school librarian and not kept > up by a professional Judaic librarian. > > > > Since working as Sinai Akiba Academy school librarian this year, no longer > as the temple librarian, I have come away with some observations I would > like to share: > > > > 1. Synagogues clearly need to save money and move forward with the > things that engage the most members and cut funding from things that don’t. > Period. Sentiment is not a reason to pour money into old models of > synagogue engagement. The problem for libraries is that the decision-makers > are not seeing beyond the old model and are not offering funding for > librarians to create new models. > > 2. Protesting to the powers that be does not work when boards have > already made difficult decisions. If a library is a beloved part of an > institution, board members do not make these decisions lightly, but when > they do, they are rarely swayed to change their minds because by that time > they have heard all the sides they are going to hear and have thought it > all through. (We had many letters written in opposition, and members spoke > their minds at meetings—the decision to close library funding stuck.) > > 3. Our school/student/parent engagement has gone up this year and > we keep quite busy. These people are also members of our temple, which > should be noted. The authors/literary and film programming is now the > responsibility of the programming department. Those people who are missing > out on what used to be are the mostly older, retired, literary minded folk > who liked to come into the library for such things. Hopefully, they have > been absorbed by other programming of the temple, but if not, it seems > their numbers are not significant for the board to reinstate funding. > > > > This library will still be run well after I leave next year, but it will > no longer be a leader among synagogue libraries and the go-to catalog for > Elazar system users. Adult patrons will still be served, but eventually it > will turn into a fine school library, and the people of Los Angeles will > turn to the Jewish Community Library at AJU for Jewish-themed books, book > and film clubs, literary events and programs. > > > > > > *Lisa Silverman* Library Director, Sinai Temple Blumenthal Library > > 10400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90024 > > *310-481-3215 (direct) 310-481-3218 (main) **library.sinaitemple.org* > <http://library.sinaitemple.org/> > > > > >
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
