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JACK REED, NOW A "ROCK STAR" TO LIBRARIANS, FORCED TO MISS A RECEPTION IN HIS HOME STATE

10/22/2012

Flight delays blamed for Reed's absence. But we wondered:
Is R.I.'s senior senator coveted by librarians in other states?

WHERE'S JACK REED? Not at this Providence reception in his honor Oct. 21 by Rhode Island library community. Reed was forced to miss the gathering at the Rhode Island School of Design library. CREDIT: Rhode Island Library Report Photos by Brian C. Jones

By Brian C. Jones
Rhode Island Library Report

PROVIDENCE – (Oct. 21, 2012) At first the story that librarians gave for the absence of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed at a reception – honoring his work as a champion of libraries and attended by about 130 members of Rhode Island’s library community – sounded plausible:

        His plane’s takeoff from Washington, D.C. was said to have been delayed for several hours.
      But as the reception got underway without Reed at the cavernous Rhode Island School of Design’s library in downtown Providence, alternative theories presented themselves.
      One possibility – that Reed faced fines for overdue books dating back to his boyhood visits to his neighborhood library in Cranston – seemed unlikely.
      A West Pointer and Harvard Law School graduate, Reed is widely regarded as one of Rhode Island’s most trusted politicians, hardly the kind of library patron to skip a fine, to say nothing of ever having returned a library book late.
      Another, more alarming, theory developed as national speakers took the podium: Could it be that Reed is so highly admired throughout the country that librarians from another state had spirited him away to claim him as one of their own?
      Far-fetched?

MAUREEN SULLIVAN, president of American Library Association, says Senator Reed makes a difference not just for Rhode Island children, but all the nation's children.

"HE IS PROBABLY one of a limited number of people in federal service who understands how libraries make a difference and will make a difference” in children’s lives, Maureen Sullivan, president of the American Library Association, told the crowd.
More ominously, Sullivan went on to say that she wished that “every single state” had a Jack Reed of its own, and that “he makes a difference not just for the people of Rhode Island, but the people of this nation.”

THE ALA'S DESIGNS on Reed were made known earlier this year, when the group made Reed an honorary member, a rare tribute acknowledging Reed’s record in sponsoring every major piece of legislation helping libraries since he was elected to the Senate in 1996.
Even more alarming was the account of a second national figure, Susan D. Ballard, president of the American Association of School Librarians, which this year awarded Reed its “Crystal Apple,” the second time that group has so honored Reed.
Ballard called Reed a “treasure,” and not just for Rhode Island or even New England, but for the nation, and she went so far as to say that Reed has achieved “rock star” status among librarians across the country.

SUSAN D. BALLARD, right, president of the American Association of School Librarians, offered to trade Senator Reed for a historic home that New Hampshire residents still resent being moved from their state to Little Compton in the 1930s. With her is Harriet LaPointe, librarian at the Colt Andrews Elementary School in the Bristol Warren Regional School District.

        HER MOST INCRIMINATING testimony took the form of a story she learned working in the Londonderry, N.H., school district.
      The New Hampshire town, Ballard said, still holds a grudge against Rhode Island because a much-prized historic building, dating back to the 1730s and known as the “Ocean Born Mary” house, was suddenly moved to Little Compton, R.I. in the 1930s.*
       “Keep the house and give us Senator Reed,” Ballard declared.
      No one in the audience – which included Howard Boksenbaum, the state’s chief library officer, plus representatives of every major state library group, including the Rhode Island Library Association, the Coalition of Library Advocates and Ocean State Libraries – seemed inclined to take up Ballard’s suggestion. After all, months of planning had gone into this reception specifically so that Reed’s home state could honor him for his long work on libraries’ behalf.

NOT IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Sen. Jack Reed had to miss the reception in his honor. Speaking here is Jenifer Bond, president-elect of Rhode Island Library Association.

FINALLY, JACK CASEY, a member of Reed’s staff, set matters straight.
Indeed, mechanical problems on the airliner the senator was about to board had kept him and other passengers at the gate area for hours, Casey said. By the time the plane left the capital about 5 p.m., the reception was halfway over.
Casey, who diplomatically declined to name the airline, said that Reed was sorry to have missed the reception, and was “humbled” by the gathering in Rhode Island.

* Footnote: The historic “Ocean Born Mary” house referred to by Susan Ballard traces to this story: Mary Wilson is said to have been born on a Boston-bound ship in 1720 just as it was boarded by pirates. The lead pirate heard the infant’s cry, and he said if the baby were named for his mother, Mary, he would spare the ship’s occupants. Mary’s parents settled in Londonderry, N.H., and constructed the house, which was relocated in 1937 to South of Commons Road, Little Compton, where it is privately owned and known as the “Sea Bourne Mary” house).

Academic, research librarians reach new heights on rare State House tour

10/13/2012

VIEW FROM THE TOP - Members of the Consortium of Rhode Island Academic & Research Libraries got a rare tour of the State House dome recently. Tom Evans, state librarian, right, led the climb up a 200-tread spiral staircase. Next to him in print dress is Rosie Hopper, president of the group and librarian at Johnson & Wales University. PHOTOS: Brian C. Jones, R.I. Library Report

By Brian C. Jones
Rhode Island Library Report

           PROVIDENCE – Librarians, who guide the rest of us to literary heights, were themselves recently led on a daunting climb – to the lofty lair of no less a legend than the Independent Man.
      In other words, they climbed up the Rhode Island State House dome, a height – measured in Ocean State terms - of 235 feet above sea level.
      It’s a trip that few Rhode Islanders get to make. Unlike regular State House tours, this one is infrequent and involves special advance arrangements.
      Fortunately for members of the Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries, their numbers include Tom Evans, the state librarian.

After a CRIARL meeting Sept. 28, held in the cavernous Senate Lounge, Evans donned a New England Patriots baseball cap, grabbed a powerful flashlight, and with an assistant, took the librarians to the third floor of the State House to start the tour.

UP THERE - Tom Evans points tour destination.

SPIRAL STAIRWAY in the State House dome.

        Evans unlocked a hidden-in-plain-sight doorway, revealing a stairway that might give even Jack-of-the-Beanstalk second thoughts.
      It’s the spiral kind, with metal treads winding around and around and around a central pole. It has 200 steps and is mischievously steep, rising 173 feet through a dimly-lighted brick-walled chamber that serves as the backstage for the Capitol dome.
      The stairway has a practical purpose, to provide access for maintenance workers, including those who operate a winch that lowers the huge rotunda chandelier. (The librarians were too polite – or perhaps too winded – to ask Evans how many state workers it takes to change a chandelier light bulb).

LOOKING DOWN at the chandelier and the State House rotunda.

      The trip was not made in one continuous climb, but stopped at several levels, each of which featured a doorway leading to outside walkways, and offering panoramas viewed normally only by seagulls, hawks and downtown window washers.
      The view improved at each stop, and the librarians were treated to new perspectives, for example, of the roof of the Providence Place mall, and to west, the glory of another famous Rhode Island landmark, the mountainous Central Landfill in Johnston.

STOP at first level on dome tour.

SEAGULL'S VIEW of Providence Place roof. Click to enlarge.

CENTRAL LANDFILL is said to be on horizon. Click to enlarge.

STILL SOME more climbing to do. A lower level view of the dome structure.

The climb concluded when Evans opened a large circular hatch, which opens into the mini-dome that is the perch of the Independent Man, the 11-foot-high gold leaf statue that embodies the ornery spirit of residents of the first colony to declare independence and the last to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
      But even at this level, the visitors still weren’t on an even footing with the Big Guy who was actually perched above them, atop the mini-dome and giving the State House its final measurement – 313 feet above mean high water.
      Also, the statue was largely out of view - only the tip of its spear could be seen from the walkway.

ALMOST THERE - Reaching final level. Click to enlarge.

THE TOUR reaches its final stage.

THE TOP HATCH is pushed open.

ONLY THE TIP of I-Man's spear visible at climb's end.

        By now, rain had settled in, and the librarians were ready to return to their own ivy towers – CRIARL members include college and university libraries, along with institutions such as the Providence Athenaeum and the Newport Historical Society.
      The descent proved no less daunting, with the group’s members carefully picking their way down, single-file, one step at a time, flashlights still needed in darker spots, until they reached the secret door and the safety of the polished marble of the third floor.

GOING DOWN is daunting,too.

BACK where tour started.

        Hikers seemed generally pleased with the tour, although a few, who said they bicycle or otherwise faithfully exercise, were chagrined at feeling a little wobbly, due to little-used muscles suddenly having been pressed into service.
      Most elected to take the elevator the rest of the way down to the State House’s ground floor (78 feet above sea level).

GROUND VIEW of State House after librarians' dome tour.

'WHAT WOULD YOU SAVE?' Experts advise planning to protect library, other collections

10/10/2012

DISASTER FORUM on protecting library and other collections held at Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum. CREDIT: Jody McPhillips

Librarians, archivists warned that steps to protect their collections should be taken well before hurricanes and other disasters strike

By Jody McPhillips
Rhode Island Library Report

      PROVIDENCE – (Oct. 10, 2012) – In June of 2008, the Iowa River overflowed its banks and damaged a number of buildings on the University of Iowa campus, including the school’s Museum of Art.
      Since rivers usually rise slowly, Iowans had some time to act. Working feverishly for a week, they managed to move 124,000 items out of harm’s way—including a massive Jackson Pollock mural valued at $140 million.
      In April of 2010, the Essex Public Library in Tiverton wasn’t so lucky. When weeks of wet weather culminated in three days of historic downpours, the library was flooded and more than 4,000 books were destroyed.
      Joe Arsenault, president of the Rhode Island Association of Emergency Managers, said successful emergency management boils down to planning. “You have to ask yourself: what if you only had a couple days? What would you save?”
      He was speaking to more than 40 librarians, curators, archivists, and historic preservationists about how to develop a good emergency plan for their collections.
      The audience at the Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum in Providence also included fire and security officials and maintenance personnel. The event was organized by the state Office of Library and Information Services.
      Arsenault said close communication between the two groups is essential.
      He said the culinary museum is a case in point: its extensive collection is housed in a World War II-era building on low-lying land very close to Narragansett Bay and well outside the Providence hurricane barrier.
      If another 1938 hurricane comes roaring up the bay, he said, Johnson & Wales had better have a good emergency plan.
      “How vulnerable are you? Where can you take your stuff? Can you reduce your vulnerability?” he said. “You need to know what hazards threaten your community.”
Arsenault suggested that librarians and other keepers of cultural heritage should:

Draw up emergency plans and train staff on how to implement them.

Invite first responders and emergency management officials to visit their facilities to see what’s inside and how the buildings are laid out.
Make a list of what they have and prioritize what must be saved.
Establish where collections can be taken for safety, and set up clear lines of communication with staff so they can find people in a crisis.

Lori Foley of the non-profit Heritage Preservation organization said only 20 percent of US cultural heritage organizations have emergency plans and trained staff to implement them. An old plan sitting on a shelf, she said, will not be much use if nobody knows how to implement it.
She offered a number of online tools to help organizations design good plans, including:

Foley also noted that not all disaster recovery companies have the skills needed to restore damaged library collections, and that for a small state like Rhode Island, there may be a lot of competition for the few who do in a widespread disaster like a hurricane.
“Try to line one up early,” she said.

JACK REED, NOW A "ROCK STAR" TO LIBRARIANS, FORCED TO MISS A RECEPTION IN HIS HOME STATE

Academic, research librarians reach new heights on rare State House tour

'WHAT WOULD YOU SAVE?' Experts advise planning to protect library, other collections

The LIBRARY LINE

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