[Michlib-l] Our Apologies

[BEL Britney Dillon]

I think this is a valid question. Appropriate in method or not, the concerns raised by this children's librarian are good ones. My guess is this was not a cheap program. Many of us have to be very choosy about which programs we invest our dollars in. I would DEFINITELY want to know if one or more libraries had had a poor experience with a presenter. As a steward of my community's tax dollars, I feel like it is my responsibility to spend our money on the best programs possible; and as a director, I feel like it is my responsibility to make sure the presenters that come into my library aren't going to alienate patrons. As libraries, we have enough going against us right now; the instinct to look out for one another is a must. Just my two cents.

Britney

Library Director 
Alvah N. Belding Memorial Library 
302 E. Main St. 
Belding, MI 48809 
616.794.1450

"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world. 
This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!" - The Doctor

---------- Original Message -----------
From: Paula Schaffner <paula at salinelibrary.org> 
To: jbratt <jbratt at grpl.org> 
Cc: lakeland youth services <llc_ys at llcoop.org>, llc all <llc_all at llcoop.org>, michlib-l at mcls.org 
Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2018 09:18:23 -0600 (MDT) 
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Our Apologies

> This raises an interesting question for all of us:  how can we share negative information/impressions/opinions with our peers?  I would not share patron comments word-for-word, but I certainly think it's helpful to know that a performer spent more time talking about himself than about the animals, and that his sense of humor did not translate well to a family audience.  I suppose one could say,  "We had very mixed reactions to So-and-So's performance.  What was your experience?  Please reply privately."  That could be code for "Watch out.  This one might not work for your library."  
> 
> Paula Schaffner
> 
> 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

> From: "jbratt--- via Michlib-l" <michlib-l at mcls.org>
> To: "lakeland youth services" <llc_ys at llcoop.org>, "llc all" <llc_all at llcoop.org>, michlib-l at mcls.org
> Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2018 3:36:52 PM
> Subject: [Michlib-l] Our Apologies
> 
> I would like to apologize for the email that one of my staff members sent out earlier this week about the Animal Magic performer Mark Rosenthal. The comments in that email were neither condoned by or representative of the viewpoint of the Grand Rapids Public Library. [UTF-8?]Everyone’s experience with a performer can be different and we do not want the opinion of one person to distort the experience of others. 
> The email contained inflammatory opinions and I apologize. It should not have been sent out. [UTF-8?]I’ve also heard that Animal Magic has received positive feedback from patrons in other library systems. We as an organization will learn from this mistake and make sure it does not happen again. This situation has illuminated the need for better staff training. 
> Finally, I would like to apologize to Mr. Rosenthal. The email was unprofessional and should not have been sent. 
> I appreciate your understanding and I am happy to speak with you further if needed. 
> John McNaughton 
> Director 
> Grand Rapid Public Library 
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------- End of Original Message -------
 
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