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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Deborah Allman, President of the New York Public Library Guild
3:59:56
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118 sec
Deborah Allman, President of the New York Public Library Guild and a children's librarian, testified about the vital role library workers play in their communities beyond their official job descriptions. She shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the long-lasting positive impact libraries and their staff have on patrons.
- Emphasized that library workers often serve as mentors, caregivers, and counselors to community members
- Stressed the importance of fully staffed library locations to provide essential services
- Called for adequate funding for libraries to support the dedicated work of library staff
Deborah Allman
3:59:56
Good afternoon.
3:59:58
I'm Deborah Allman, president of the New York Public Library Guild and also a children's librarian.
4:00:07
Yesterday, I worked out of a library in which I was a children's librarian for many years.
4:00:15
A young man who regularly attended my programs and visited the library as a child was sick sitting at the circulation desk.
4:00:25
I knew this child well, and I would give his friends assignments to keep them busy and out of trouble.
4:00:36
And he would tell the other children in the library that he worked for the New York Public Library.
Vipassana Vijayarangan
4:00:44
This
Deborah Allman
4:00:47
young man is now a union member and he has a job.
4:00:54
And he had nothing but praise for the library workers and the work that we do.
4:01:03
It is not in our job to be a mentor, but we are.
4:01:11
It's not in our job to be a caregiver, but we are.
4:01:17
It's not in our job to be a counselor, but we are.
4:01:23
It must be acknowledged that without the dedication of library workers and fully staffed locations that the library could not provide these vital services to the community.
4:01:37
You cannot work in a library and not have a love for the community.
4:01:44
Please show us by funding libraries and making sure that we get what we deserve in this funding.
4:01:54
Thank you.