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<div>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. <font size="2">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.
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<div><font size="2">Britney
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<br />Library Director
<br />
Alvah N. Belding Memorial Library
<br />
302 E. Main St.
<br />
Belding, MI 48809
<br />
616.794.1450
<br />
<br />
"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the
world.
<br />
This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!" - The
Doctor
<br />
<br /><b>---------- Original Message
-----------</b>
<br />
From: Paula Schaffner <paula@salinelibrary.org>
<br />
To: jbratt <jbratt@grpl.org>
<br />
Cc: lakeland youth services <llc_ys@llcoop.org>, llc all
<llc_all@llcoop.org>, michlib-l@mcls.org
<br />
Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2018 09:18:23 -0600 (MDT)
<br />
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Our Apologies
<br />
<br />> 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."
<br />>
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
<br />>
Paula Schaffner
<br />>
<br />>
<hr id="zwchr" data-marker="__DIVIDER__" />
<br />> <b>From: </b>"jbratt--- via Michlib-l"
<michlib-l@mcls.org>
<br />> <b>To: </b>"lakeland youth services"
<llc_ys@llcoop.org>, "llc all" <llc_all@llcoop.org>,
michlib-l@mcls.org
<br />> <b>Sent: </b>Thursday, July 26, 2018 3:36:52
PM
<br />> <b>Subject: </b>[Michlib-l] Our Apologies
<br />>
<br />> 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.
<br />> 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.
<br />> Finally, I would like to apologize to Mr. Rosenthal. The email was
unprofessional and should not have been sent.
<br />> I appreciate your
understanding and I am happy to speak with you further if needed.
<br />> John
McNaughton
<br />> Director
<br />> Grand Rapid Public Library
<br />> _______________________________________________
<br />> Michlib-l
mailing list
<br />> Michlib-l@mcls.org
<br />>
http://mail2.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
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