QUESTION
Can you tell us about the staff behind the anti-book banning initiatives?
0:42:08
·
3 min
Council Member Crystal Hudson inquires about the team staffing the anti-book banning programs, emphasizing the curiosity over staff retention amid budget cuts. Linda E. Johnson, President of the Brooklyn Public Library, responds by introducing her team and highlighting their diverse roles - from outreach to collections, even including their podcast team. She describes the anti-book banning initiatives as a comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck effort that builds upon their existing library services.
Crystal Hudson
0:42:08
Can you just tell us about the people who staff, the anti banning initiatives?
0:42:13
I know you you said you all use private funding, for the book banning programs, right, or anti book banning programs.
0:42:22
But I'm just curious to know about staff specifically and where they may fall in terms of being able to keep them in the face of budget cuts.
Linda E. Johnson
0:42:33
Thank you for that question.
0:42:34
A lot of them on my team are here if they would like to stand.
0:42:39
Come on, guys.
Crystal Hudson
0:42:40
Don't be shy.
Linda E. Johnson
0:42:40
Don't be shy.
0:42:41
I know Amy's here, Virginia, Connecticut.
0:42:48
Many of these FOCOLINS
Crystal Hudson
0:42:50
IN THE HOUSE.
Linda E. Johnson
0:42:50
Reporter: BROOKLAND IS IN THE HOUSE, BROOKLAND, YOU KNOW.
0:42:55
MANY OF THEM WORK IN OUR OUTREACH DEPARTMENT, SOME OF them in our collections departments on our podcast.
0:43:01
It's a it's a it's an all hands on deck effort, and it's something that kind of got layered on top of everything else we were already doing.
Anthony W. Marx
0:43:09
I'll just add to that.
0:43:10
Yes.
0:43:10
It all depends on our amazing colleagues.
0:43:12
Many of mine are here, Siva who leads.
0:43:15
Our team effort
Crystal Hudson
0:43:16
Yours yours can stand too.
Anthony W. Marx
0:43:24
And and they are, for instance, the folks we depend upon for judging.
0:43:27
They are the experts.
Linda E. Johnson
0:43:28
Mhmm.
Anthony W. Marx
0:43:29
They are unbiased, and they are committed, and they are, for instance, the judges for our contest, for the essay writing, and so much more.
0:43:37
Let me just be clear.
0:43:38
We are under grave threat in terms of budgets.
0:43:42
We have always resisted layoffs, we will continue to resist layoffs.
0:43:49
It is the last thing we wanna see because we know how essential these colleagues are.
0:43:53
They are the ones doing the real work.
0:43:56
We have to ensure that they have enough funding and bandwidth to do this increasing work?
Linda E. Johnson
0:44:03
I just wanna add I just lost my train of thought, but
Carlina Rivera
0:44:11
I can just mention that I know you also had librarians, acknowledged as library journal 2023 librarians.
0:44:19
Exactly.
Linda E. Johnson
0:44:21
But what I was gonna say about the librarians who are are doing this work.
0:44:27
They are, in fact, the experts.
0:44:30
They are the people who are deciding what books to buy for our collections.
0:44:34
Right.
0:44:34
It is not up to legislators or school administrators or, you know, moms against moms for liberty or whatever.
0:44:43
You know?
0:44:43
I mean, the people who stood here in this room are the people who have gone to school and who have dedicated their lives to making sure that their communities are getting the books that they would like to read and deserve to read.
0:44:55
And that's who we should be paying attention.
Dennis Walcott
0:44:58
And knowing the communities that they're part of and so bringing that diversity to the table as far as the types of books and materials that they order and have available for the community.