Staff Events

The Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association and the Northeast Pennsylvania Bibliographic Center jointly sponsored a one-day workshop on May 18 at King's College. Various members of the Public Services staff of the Library attended. Nancy Hammeke, director of the Morristown, N.J., Public Library delivered the keynote address. Ms. Hammeke told of two painful years of administering a public library undergoing litigation. The case, based on library policies against hygiene, dress and behavior, revolved around Richard Kreimer, a homeless man who was asked to leave the library. Mr. Kreimer contacted the ACLU and eventually filed a $1 million suit. Although the case was ultimately resolved in favor of the library, five staff members resigned during the litigation process, and Ms. Hammeke detailed the fear and loss of morale her staff suffered during this unfortunate ordeal. A panel discussion featuring personnel from five different institutions followed. Jim DePuy, U. of S. director of public safety, told of experiences at his previous institution (East Carolina University) where crime and concern for personal safety made policing the library a major focus. He emphasized that policies be in place that are firm and fair. During the afternoon session, PLA's new legal counsel spoke about the actual process of writing policies on patron behavior that can stand up in court.

 

The Northeast Pennsylvania Bibliographic Center held its annual meeting on June 3 on our campus. Over 25 representatives from public, academic and special libraries in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties met to discuss common concerns and problems ranging from continuing education needs to computer access to collections. Betsey Moylan was elected to serve as vice chair of the board; Joe Fennewald was elected as secretary.

 

The support staff of the Library sponsored two well-attended and informative workshops this past spring. At one workshop Kathleen Kopcik of the Counseling Center spoke on dealing with difficult people. At the second, Shirley Adams, Ph.D., dean of Dexter Hanley College, and Tom Smith, also of the Counseling Center, addressed the issue of sexual harassment; Rosemary Sylvester of Affirmative Action was on hand to answer questions. Both sessions provided staff members with insights into improving problem behavior in the workplace.

 

Bonnie Strohl facilitated a round table discussion on fundraising for academic libraries at the Fund Fare workshop sponsored by Library Administration & Management Association Fund Raising & Financial Development Section at the American Library Association in Miami, Ha. She is also a member of the Fund Fare Committee. Ms. Strohl is a member of the Reference & Adult Services Division Collection Development and Evaluation Committee which presented a program in Miami called "It's Not the Same Library Anymore: Electronic Access and Collection Evaluation," The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Collection Management & Development Section Collection Development Policy and Planning Committee, of which she is a member, is issuing a series of "Provocations" intended to stimulate discussion of collection development trends and issues.

 

Joe Fennewald attended the American Library Association Teleconference "Achieving Breakthrough Service in Libraries" at Scranton Public Library on May 12. The teleconference addressed the issues of increasing sensitivity in public service. Joe also attended the workshop at SUNY-Albany on May 20, "Forum for Library Instruction," which concentrated on how libraries teach Internet.