verbie,

as one who saw the article, and responded (via-email with june), i
appreciate the libraries desire to publicly respond to the issue. i'm
not sure how much or little you had to do with crafting the content of
the letter or whether your just circulating someone else's draft. nor
am i sure if you are circulating this for editorial comment or not, but
these are my impressions, for what it's worth...

the overall tome of the response has a very PR feel to it (these are
things that we all understand NEED to be said), but seems unconvincing
in it's lack of specificity to the points raised in the tfp article. as
a result, i find myself wondering which parts of the article are
"misinformed" and which are an accurate reporting of policy and
(perhaps more importantly) application of policy.

additionally, the response seems defensive in posture, blaming the TFP
for misrepresentation of facts, and then blaming the reader for not
having taken the initiative to contact the administration before
"blaming us for imagined faults". anyone who took  the time to respond
to the article, publicly or privately should be applauded for caring
enough about our city and our library for having done so, instead of
being reprimanded for not following up on the papers sources. in
addition, while the article may indeed have been chock full of
misinformation (we have to take the libraries word for that), it seems
safe to assume that there was some truth contained in the article as
well. ie, that there is a new policy in place, and intentionally or
not, it seems to have had a negative (if temporary and unintended)
effect on the use of the library by the homeless. this response should
be an opportunity to address, clearly and honestly, those issues,
rather than obscuring them in a haze of PR spin.

rather than shifting the blame by pointing fingers at the tfp, or the
caring public, the library should be willing to take some of the blame
for the problems (real or imagined) that the new policy has created,
and be proactive and genuine in its attempt to insure caring and
courteous service to its patrons, homeless or not.

if this article runs as is, i, for one, will remain unconvinced that
the library is committed to the goals outlined in the letter. from a PR
perspective, i think it's a step back rather than a step forward.

best regards and intentions,

matt greenwell
art

_______________________________________

ps, i am only one of many who surely responded, in some fashion, the
the tfp article. for the record, the following is a copy of the letter
that i sent to june mcewen, as chair of the board, last weekend in
response to the article. it's my understanding that this article was
circulated to the board at last tuesday's meeting (the 20th),
presumably in advance to the library's drafted response.

Mrs. June McEwen,

This note is, of course, in regards to the recent policy change at the
library as reported in the Times Free Press on this past Friday,
January 16. Specifically, I am concerned with the effect that this
policy may have on limiting access to the libraries resources to the
the city's homeless.

The catalyst for this issue, as I understand it, was the recent
installation of new software on the libraries computers which require
patrons to use their library cards to access computer terminals. This
software, given the library's policy of not issuing library cards to
patrons with no physical address, had seemingly led to a situation
where the library can no longer properly serve the city's homeless
population, and therefore (in my opinion) can no longer properly serve
the city.

Just as my tax dollars rightly help to fund the libraries services, so
too do they fund a variety of programs designed to target and assist
the homeless. Consequently, I do not see how the library's obligation
(as stated by Library Director David Clapp) to the city and it's
taxpayers precludes the rights of the city's homeless to have access
the the library's resources. The homeless (arguably more than anyone in
the city) need access to the libraries' rich resources to prepare
resume's, conduct job searches, and to simply enrich their lives. The
library is denying it's resources to the very people who stand the most
to gain. Mr. Clapps attempt to sidestep the issue of basic fairness and
right to access by couching the matter in terms of a software upgrade
is unfortunate and transparent.

First, I understand the benefits of the of software package the library
has installed, both to the library as an institution (tracking use and
patron trends) and as an individual. Second, I understand that serving
the homeless must present a unique and sometimes difficult challenge
for the library administration and staff.

Yet, while I would agree that the library is within its rights to
require an address before issuing a card, it seems strange that some
compromise cannot be worked out for patrons who are able to list a
shelter as a proven (if temporary) address. More serious is the fact
that, without a card, patrons are unable to use email, access the
internet, or (perhaps most importantly) access the libraries' catalog
of holdings. Without a card, I would be unable to simply walk into the
library, find a book, and read or work within the library...regardless
of my ability to actually check out materials.

The library can (and states that it does) provide temporary cards to
patrons (homeless, or out of town guests) who need the use the library
without a card of their own. My concern here, having read the TFP
article (and based on some of my own library experiences) is that the
library is not forthcoming with this option. That such temporary cards
are available should be clearly posted, and the library staff should be
instructed to offer these cards without hesitation to patrons who need
them.

The American Library Association highlights, at various points in its
mission, the importance of access and information to all. TO ALL. I
would hold our library to that standard as well. The library must
strive to develop and enforce policy which, at it's core, values
compassion, humanitarianism, and generosity of spirit.

Thank you for taking the time to take up this issue at you next board
meeting. Please feel free to call or respond to this email if you would
like to get back into contact. I would greatly appreciate a short note
regarding any decision made or action taken by the library board with
regard to this matter.



On Jan 26, 2004, at 8:41 AM, Verbie Prevost wrote:

> Many of you probably noted the article in the paper several days ago
> regarding the homeless and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial
> Library.  Unfortunately, it contained a great deal of misinformation.
> At
> the request of June McEwen who is chair of the Library Board, I have
> attached below a response which is to be printed in next Sunday's
> paper.
> Verbie Prevost
>
>
> OP-ED ARTICLE FOR TFP FOR FEB.1 PERSPECTIVES
>
> The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library has not changed
> its
> long-standing policy towards library patrons without permanent
> addresses.
> It is completely in line with library policies across the country.
> These
> facts were presented to the newspaper reporter writing Friday's
> article.
> Why then was one of the few downtown locations welcoming the homeless
> accused of singling them out for reduced privileges?
>
> The only change to our policy is that we have added a new way for those
> without library cards to print from our computers. Visitors and others
> without library cards were unable to print from our regular computers
> in
> the past, but can now obtain guest cards and arrange to make copies
> while
> they are doing research online. No individuals are excluded from
> having the
> new card because they are homeless.
>
> The real story at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library
> is
> that we have been expanding access to our materials and services to the
> community, not cutting back. Libraries have always been the one place
> in
> the community where the American dream is honored with local tax
> money. It
> expresses faith in individuals helping themselves find a job, learn a
> trade, progress in school, start a business, or simply learn to read
> and
> explore their place in the larger community. In the past year we have
> worked with local community groups to better advertise their services,
> cut
> the costs for groups wishing to use our meeting space, offered library
> services to outside groups, and improved the ability to find and
> reserve
> materials on our website. Our new computers and print software was
> another
> method of expanding services.
>
> As First Lady Laura Bush has noted: "I have found the most valuable
> thing
> in my wallet is my library card." Over 94,000 citizens in our area have
> cards. It offers a tremendous savings over buying periodicals and
> books.
> The poorest citizen here can use resources only the richest could
> afford to
> buy. No bookstore children's department comes close to the tens of
> thousands of children's books available in our libraries. These
> resources
> are not cheap, however, and we cannot afford to buy all the new works
> we
> need much less replace items that never come back.
>
> A permanent library card is like a credit card enabling the holder to
> take
> home as many as thirty items at a time. The average cost of an item in
> our
> collection is $38.50, so a card enables a patron to take City and
> County
> property valued at over a thousand dollars. No business or social
> service
> can afford to give out thousand dollar loans with no guarantees or
> consequences. Temporary residents and guests have always been blocked
> from
> checking out materials because a permanent address is our only
> security and
> we have no way to recover the items if they leave. A homeless person is
> treated the same as the wealthiest visitor or temporary resident. All
> are
> welcome to use our libraries anytime we are open for service and we are
> open 66-70 hours per week so there are few limitations.
>
> We serve everyone in the community from toddlers to our oldest
> citizens and
> are looking for ways to open up mini-libraries in schools, businesses,
> and
> community centers. Invest in Children, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County
> Bicentennial Library, and the Chattanooga Parks, Recreation, Arts and
> Culture Department are in the process of setting up a new reading
> center
> library in the Shepherd Recreational Complex, thanks to a grant from
> the
> Community Foundation. We encourage those looking for improvements to
> talk
> with the administration before attacking us for imagined faults.
>
>
>
>
> Verbie Lovorn Prevost
> Katharine Pryor Professor of English
> Director of English Graduate Studies
> University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
> 615 McCallie Ave
> Chattanooga, TN  37403
> Phone: 423-425-4627
> Fax: 423-425-2282
> email: [log in to unmask]
>