No library has a 1997 copy of Chase's Calendar of Events. Try answering date-related questions with last year's calendar!
Now there are serious problems with this cost-cutting system and the quality of Hawaii's libraries is endangered. The public needs to pay close attention and decide if the money - $11.2 million for the next five years - is being wisely spent.
State librarian Bart Kane last month stated that Baker & Taylor "has to perform better," and he promised the company is "being closely monitored."
Let's take a close look at its performance.
It's time to start on income taxes and the public libraries have received only one of the many 1997 tax guides.
Taxpayers will be interested to note that Publisher's Weekly rated five line-by-line tax guides and gave the highest rating - five stars - to both "Taxes for Dummies 1997" and "Ernst & Young Tax Guide 1997." Yet our libraries offer "J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 1997," which earned the lowest rating, one star.
Until now Baker & Taylor representatives have always complained that they couldn't do a good job because they didn't know Hawaii's needs. Surely they could have anticipated the early demand for tax guides, and surely someone in the selection section would have seen the Dec. 30 issue of Publishers Weekly, a well-known book industry magazine.
This, of course, is the tip of the iceberg.
No library has a 1997 copy of Chase's Calendar of Events. Try answering date-related questions with last year's calendar!
There are no current almanacs unless one is "donated" or bought with the library's "nickle and dime'' fund.
Recently the company mailed out the index to the "PDR," the much-used Physician's Desk Reference, but not the book.
Part of a recent shipment of the video "Toy Story" was dubbed in Spanish.
These omissions and mistakes mean librarians have less time to help library customers because of all the time needed for damage control. The company apparently has very little exprience with selecting books for a large public library system, but it hopes to learn at Hawaii's expense.
How can we get this madness stopped? Will there be any change for the better? Will the librarians once again be allowed to select what is best for their libraries? Will small book companies in Hawaii be able to end run the Booklines Co. distribution monopoly and sell directly to the libraries? Or will it be "political business as usual?"
Once in 1977 forces of skulduggery were actually defeated by an outpouring of public opinion. There was a plan to divide the Hawaii State Library into "upstairs and downstairs" sections. Part would be reference only and part would become the "Hawaii State Library Branch," a small public service library for the downtown community with a "small branch" budget.
One of the outcomes that wasn't considered was the destruction of the children's room as a core collection and training unit for teachers, librarians, parents and children. Librarians asked for public support from the community they served and they got it. Protest mail came in by the bags full and the project was quietly dropped.
We have a more serious challenge this time. Kane has said he is not about to make changes in his new book-buying plan. The only hope of keeping the public library at the current level of strength and quality is pressure from angry citizens who see the dangers of downgrading based on false economy.
Call your legislators to support Senate Bill 1370. This bill stops the state librarian from contracting out library support services and book purchases from mainland conglomerates. The original purpose of the effort was to save time and money but the savings generated are worthless when so many inappropriate choices are made. This is a now-or-never effort to save the public library as you know it and can only happen through broad public support.