Chapter 8

Library Meetings

Friday, 2:00 p.m.

So David did want a favor and he had some good news to share for it. He keeps up with things and often surprises me. I’ll definitely look forward to teaching again next semester.

Excited to think of the intense analysis that would follow those translations, I realized other ancient writings might be re-examined and compared. It will foster a great deal of scholarly publication. I looked forward to hearing more from David as it progressed. Support from a benefactor for the entire project seems to be a step in the right direction as long as it doesn’t turn out he has some weird personal agenda.

I relaxed, and let budget concerns and Digital World fade to background so I could imagine how inspired I’ll be by new knowledge about those times from ancient hard copies. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in those old papyrus scrolls; their condition, language and style requires so much concentration; and Alexi had already sent me that little codex translation. I only have access by email; but maybe I’ll see them for real someday.

Gathered for our full staff meeting, everyone wants to hear about President’s Council first. They love to be in the know about what’s going on across campus at the same time their faculty colleagues know, or even before if possible: a little privileged information is good for morale. That’s one reason we have these staff meetings on Friday afternoons. I didn’t bring up Digital World, that’s not real yet. So far it’s just hanging in midair in front of my face like a bad fart.

The matter of our budget cut would be unwelcome news, the most troublesome issue today. But when everyone finds out about it at the same time and begins to talk about how to deal with it, solutions come quicker and are good ones. I learned this way back in a grad-level class on participatory management.

The meeting went pretty long, as you can imagine. But we made progress. Thank goodness the department heads are all competent and caring and treat their departmental staffs with equanimity. No one felt threatened and everyone had ideas worth considering. Some employees may be beginners, but that doesn’t preclude them from coming up with a perfect solution for a big problem. Our ability to work together paid off today.

If only state legislators could keep their minds a bit more open, they might better understand each other and better serve their constituents. I wonder if there was any way those budget cuts could have been avoided.

For me, one more meeting today with the faculty representative for the sciences who sits on the library committee and her department chair. They chose to meet here.

I have to tell them that in the currant budget cycle we’ll purchase an expensive microform collection of original resources related to the nineteenth century westward expansion in the United States that was requested by humanities. I based this decision on their higher enrollment numbers and the fact that they have more doctoral programs. Humanities also had to take a cut last year in their journal holdings, as science journals were given priority.

I will also tell them we plan to purchase their request, ‘History of Science, Ancient to Twentieth Century,’ as soon as possible. I don’t know how soon that will be; but sciences is next in line and we’ll try to work it into the library budget for next year.

Both collections are needed, so this was a tough decision. I hope it will be accepted as logical and fair based on my history of even-handed decisions. Decisions are never satisfactory for everyone. But I remain optimistic for the future. Between now and next year, a private donor could come forward with the needed funding. It’s happened before.

Like those early librarians at the normal school, we continue to build the collection; and though it goes rather slow right now, I feel we’re headed in the right direction. It’s unfortunate huge potholes appeared in the whole process this morning; we’ll just have to figure out a way to navigate around them.

I relaxed a little; fifteen minutes until sciences meeting.

 NEXT.....Chapter 9
Friday Night Movie