Newspaper clippings · October 8, 1987
Easy Reader — Librarians babysit, fight book theft
Gillian Pengelly feature on library work, funding and technology includes Ron Schneider and Hermosa LePac.
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Easy Reader
Volume XVIII, Number 10 | FREE | Reflections from the South Bay | 60,000 Circulation | October 8, 1987
Librarians babysit, fight book theft
by Gillian Pengelly
Oh, the stories they could tell.
Tales of suspense, terror, crime and romance. These people are endless sources of information and spend their entire days answering questions, yet often people do not even know their names.
Who are these knowledgable yet mysterious persons? Teachers? Mothers? Scolars? Try all of the above — your local librarian fits these criteria and more. In the 1980s, librarians have assumed duties beyond the stereotypical duties we assign them.
This year the Los Angeles County Library system celebrates 75 years of service to us. Us being the losers of books, the delinquent borrowers, the constantly clueless in the library. A librarian's job takes a certain patience — dealing with an inarticulate public which expects them to deliver assistance on any subject from the sex habits of the North American cupid eye moth to the various ways to knot a tie.
"I had a lady come in and tell me she needed to talk to me... privately," said Julie Fu, managing librarian at the Manhattan Heights library in Manhattan Beach, "I thought 'uh oh' but when we sat down in my office what she wanted was some books on erotica. She wanted my recommendation."
Los Angeles County librarians found time to answer 11,189,314 recorded reference questions in 1986 as well as perform their other duties. Librarians today not only catalogue books, they order them and order furniture, and audio-visual equipment, they are responsible for co-ordinating the other staff and volunteers and for all the paperwork associated with the library. Perhaps the latest and most difficult duty to deal with is the addition of a modern day phenomenon, latch-key children.
"In other words, librarians became babysitters," said Fu. With more mothers working and children coming back from school to an empty home many parents have instructed their children to go to the library. Libraries, these parents reason, are safe places where their children will be watched over. Well yes, but overseeing unsupervised children who are not at the library to read but merely to pass time is now another part of a librarian's day.
"People drop their kids off and tell them not to leave the library," said Ann Bradley, public information officer for the County library system. The librarians stress that while they don't mind if the children are reading, restless children with plenty of energy do not warrant free child care from library employees.
Already there is a problem finding librarians to staff libraries. "For a long time there were more librarians than there were jobs. Then in the '70s some schools closed and more dropped library sciences from their programs. Now we're feeling the crunch," said Lila Held, managing librarian at the Manhattan Beach library.
Held, who has been a librarian with the County system for 27 years, added that it is especially difficult to find children's librarians. "A lot of librarians don't want to deal with children," said Held. To become a librarian one must hold a master's degree in library science but to specialize, it takes more. A children's librarian must not only want to deal with children, they must read all the new children's books, order them, polish their public relations skills and go from school to school speaking and promoting using the libraries. They hold story-time hours where stories are read aloud to youngsters and, when story-time is over, sometimes they have to clean up the residue. "The wet spot every once in a while that we have to clean up after the children get up," said Fu.
Libraries used to have custodians on the premises but in a cost-cutting move janitorial services were contracted to private operators, a move which unwittingly added yet another chore to librarians' duties. Most of these cleaning operators come only at night and are not on the premises
Lila Held, head librarian at the Manhattan Beach library started her career as a children's librarian. During her 27 years with the Los Angeles County Library system Held has watched the modernization of the library services. Photo by Dwight Ueda.
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during the hours the library is operating. If a toilet gets backed up, someone spills a drink, or a toddler has an accident, the librarian finds himself or herself having to clean up or solve the problem, be it literary or otherwise.
Most people who enter a library, though, are looking for a little recreational reading. According to a recent survey, the average patron is between 25 and 44 years old and uses the library on Tuesdays between 12 and 3 p.m. Here in the South Bay librarians said the most popular kinds of books, besides fiction, include travel books, medical/keep fit books, home improvement books and personal finance/business books.
There are some kinds of books though that librarians know are not going to last very long on the shelves. What kinds of books? "The Bible," chorused Fu and Held. Other books that people frequently walk off into the sunset with, never to return are classics and high school critiques of literature assignments. "We order them constantly and we are losing them constantly," said Fu. Business reference books such as "How to Write a Resume" and real estate books also have limited shelf-life. "Personal finance and business books are among our very high losses," said Held.
Books that are seldom checked out though are weeded out from the shelves to make room for new books. "We look and see if a book has not been checked out for two years," explained Ron Schneier, managing librarian at the Hermosa Beach library.
iated with books disappearing from libraries. "It means we can't keep a very strong collection and there are large numbers of expensive books sitting in people's homes that haven't been returned to libraries," said Bradley. Since not all libraries have sensory devices to detect books being taken out of the library, there are still many books being stolen as well as going unreturned. Library officials estimate 41 percent of the east Los Angeles library region's (14 libraries) book budget ($900,000) goes toward replacing stolen or unreturned books.
Damage to books is another costly expense for libraries. It is difficult to track down people who tear things out of books and magazines. Held said often these acts of vandalism take place within the library so tracking down the last person to check out the literature may not be the way to find the culprit. "If it's an important article or part of a book we Xerox it from another library and tape it in our copy," said Held.
There are 90 regional and community libraries within the County library system, and they serve 48 of the 84 cities within the county. One of the largest metropolitan libraries in the nation, the Los Angeles County Library system includes over five million books, ethnic resource centers, consumer health programs, Community Access Library Line (CALL), a telephone reference line serving all of Southern California with a toll-free number, and numerous special collections and services. In
Head of the Hermosa Beach Library, Ron Schneider shows off the library's newly acquired Le Pack computer system which has access to all the books within the Los Angeles County Library system. Photo by Dwight Ueda.
the 1985-86 year the entire system had a budget of $45 million and spent $5.4 million (46 percent) on salaries, 38 percent on services and supplies and the remainder on equipment and structures.
Here in the South Bay, the County system includes libraries in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Gardena, Hawthorne and Lawndale. Financed primarily through property taxes and Special District Funding, the libraries also rely heavily on the support groups, such as Friends of the Library groups to help augment the costs.
"There are a lot of dedicated
people working in libraries," said Held. These are often volunteers and aides who work free or for very little assisting librarians. Volunteers outnumbered paid staff in 1986 by over 400 people and contributed 85,371 hours countywide.
In the age of increasing audio-visual equipment finding its way into libraries in the form of compact discs and on-line computer reference services, will the book ever be obsolete? "Oh no," Fu said, "Books will never die. People like to hold them in their hands and carry them around. Books will always be here."
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Easy Reader Librarians babysit, fight book theft by Gillian Pengelly Oh, the stories they could tell. Tales of suspense, terror, crime and romance. These people are endless sources of information and spend their entire days answering questions, yet often people do not even know their names. Who are these knowledgable yet mysterious persons? Teachers? Mothers? Scolars? Try all of the above - your local librarian fits these criteria and more. In the 1980s, librarians have assumed duties beyond the stereotypical duties we assign them. This year the Los Angeles County Library system celebrates 75 years of service to us. Us be- ing the losers of books, the delin- quent borrowers, the constantly clueless in the library. A librarian's job takes a certain patience - dealing with an inarticulate pub lic which expects them to deliver assistance on any subject from the sex habits of the North Amer- ican cupid eye moth to the vari- ous ways to knot a tie. "I had a lady come in and tell me she needed to talk to me... privately," said Julie Fu, manag- ing librarian at the Manhattan Heights library in Manhattan Beach, "I thought 'uh oh' but when we sat down in my office what she wanted was some books on erotica. She wanted my recom- mendation." Los Angeles County librarians found time to answer 11,189,314 Already there is a problem find- ing librarians to staff libraries. "For a long time there were more librarians than there were jobs. Then in the '70s some schools closed and more dropped library sciences from their programs. Now we're feeling the crunch," said Lila Held, managing librarian at the Manhattan Beach library. Held, who has been a librarian with the County system for 27 years, added that it is especially difficult to find children's librar- ians. "A lot of librarians don't want to deal with children," said Held. To become a librarian one must hold a master's degree in library science but to specialize, it takes more. A children's librar- ian must not only want to deal with children, they must read all the new children's books, order Lila Held, head librarian at the Manhattan Beach library started her career as a children's librarian. During her 27 years with the Los Angeles County Library system Held has watched the modernization of the library services. Photo by Dwight Ueda. them, polish their public relations skills and go from school to school speaking and promoting using the recorded reference questions in libraries. They hold story-time 1986 as well as perform their an empty home many parent nave instructed their children t hours where stories are read aloud to youngsters and, when other duties. Librarians today not go to the library. Libraries, these only catalogue books, they order story-time is over, sometimes they parents reason, are safe places them and order furniture. and where their children will be watch- have to clean up the residue, "The wet spot every once in a audio-visual equipment, they are ed over. Well yes, but overseeing while that we have to clean up responsible for coordinating the unsupervised children who are after the children get up," said Fu. other staff and volunteers and for not at the library to read but Libraries used to have custo- all the paperwork associated with merely to pass time is now an- dians on the premises but in a the library. Perhaps the latest and other part of a librarian's day. cost-cutting move janitorial ser- most difficult duty to deal with is "People drop their kids off and vices were contracted to private the addition of a modern day phe- tell them not to leave the library," operators, a move which unwit- nomenon, latch-key children. said Ann Bradley, public informa- "In other words, librarians be- tion officer for the County library tingly added yet another chore to librarians' duties. Most of these came babysitters," said Fu. With system. The librarians stress that cleaning operators come only at more mothers working and chil- while they don't mind if the chil- night and are not on the premisesdren coming back from school to dren are reading, restless children with plenty of energy do not war- rant free child care from library employees.
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iated with books disappearing during the hours the library is from libraries. "It means we can't operating. If a toilet gets backed keep a very strong collection and up, someone spills a drink, or a there are large numbers of expen- toddler has an accident, the librar- sive books sitting in people's ian finds himself or herself hav- homes that haven't been returned ing to clean up or solve the prob- to libraries," said Bradley. Since lem, be it literary or otherwise. not all libraries have sensory de- Most people who enter a library, vices to detect books being taken though, are looking for a little rec- out of the library, there are still reational reading. According to a many books being stolen as well recent survey, the average patron is between 25 and 44 years old as going unreturned. Library of- ficials estimate 41 percent of the and uses the library on Tuesdays between 12 and 3 p.m. Here in east Los Angeles library region's (14 libraries) bookbudget the South Bay librarians said the ($900,000) goes toward replacing most popular kinds of books, be- stolen or unreturned books. sides fiction, include travel books, Damage to books is another medical/keep fit books, home im- costly expense for libraries. It is provement books and personal fi- difficult to track down people nance/basiness books. who tear things out of books and There are some kinds of books magazines. Held said often these though that librarians know are acts of vandalism take place with- not going to last very long on the in the library so tracking down shelves. What kinds of books? Head of the Hermosa Beach Library, Ron Schneider shows off the library's newly acquired Le Pack computer system which has access to all the books within the Los Angeles County Library system. Photo by Dwight Ueda. the last person to check out the 'The Bible," chorused Fu and literature may not be the way to the 1985-86 year the entire people working in libraries," said Held. Other books that people find the culprit. "If it's an impor- system had a budget of $45 mil- Held. These are often volunteers frequently walk off into the sun- tant article or part of a book we lion and spent $5.4 million (46 and aides who work free or for set with, never to return are clas- Xerox it from another library and percent) on salaries, 38 percent on very little assisting librarians. Vol- sics and high school critiques of tape it in our copy," said Held. services and supplies and there- unteers outnumbered paid staff literature assignments, "We order There are 90 regional and com- them constantly and we are los- mainder on equipment and struc- in 1986 by over 400 people and munity libraries within the Coun- tures. contributed 85,371 hours county- ing them constantly," said Fu. Business reference books such as ty library system, and they serve Here in the South Bay, the wide. 48 of the 84 cities within the "How to Write a Resume" and County system includes libraries real estate books also have limit- county. One of the largest metro- in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa In the age of increasing audio ed shelf-life. "Personal finance and politan libraries in the nation, the Beach, Gardena, Hawthorne and Los Angeles County Library sys- visual equipment finding its way into libraries in the form of com- business books are among our Lawndale. Financed primarily tem includes over five million very high losses," said Held. through property taxes and Spe- pact discs and on-line computer Books that are seldom checked books, ethnic resource centers, cial District Funding, the libraries reference services, will the book out though are weeded out from consumer health programs, Com- also rely heavily on the support ever be obsolete? "Oh no," Fu the shelves to make room for new munity Access Library Line (CALL), groups, such as Friends of the said, , "Books will never die. Peo- books. "We look and see if a book a telephone reference line serving all of Southern California with a Library groups to help augment ple like to hold them in their has not been checked out for two the costs. hands and carry them around years," explained Ron Schneier, toll-free number, and numerous "There are a lot of dedicated Books will always be here."managing librarian at the Her- special collections and services. In mosa Beach library.