Library Journal Takes Our Story Nationwide (sort of)

The Library Journal has picked up the news about the threatened closing of the State Library of Pennsylvania. In an online story dated February 18th 2009, reporter Norman Oder writes about Rendell's having slashed the Library's budget in half.

The story is titled:"With 50% Budget Cut, Service at State Library in Pennsylvania Would Suffer." Unfortunately, Oder relied on a Dept. of Education press office spokesman for an evaluation of the news,

"“There will be an impact on service hours,” Mike Race, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, told LJ. “But we don’t know what impact it will have.”"

But, fortunately, Oder developed further information and inserted an update and correction to his original story. The final version of the story continues:

"While he said a local newspaper report that the library would lose 50 of 57 positions was not based on information from his department, the gubernatorial budget (see I-7 of this PDF) confirms that estimate."

[The PDF he links to is the governor's budget request, particularly the page from the Complement report where staff losses appear in black and white.]

But then Race races on:

"The line item, Race told LJ, does not break down costs for the library. Still, given that most items in the library are archival research materials, with newspapers representing the predominant current acquisitions, it’s a good bet much of the budget goes to staff.

“Nobody likes to see cuts in any sort of education funding,” Race said, “but we have to tighten our belts. In terms of public education, we determined the dollars we have to spend are best spent in classroom instruction.”"

Notice how he paints a rosy picture? Notice how he doesn't mention the 50 people who are heading to the bread lines, who will be collecting unemployment, who will be out on the streets? It's typical and expected that a press office spokesman supports the governor's plan. Whatever the plan is. It's required if he wants to keep his job.

Okay. Fine.

But don't also candy coat the fact that hard-working civil servants in the State Library are living in limbo now, not sure when or whether they will be forced out of work by this governor's budget.