I live in magical library land. I think I mentioned the lack of crazy/disgruntled/homeless patrons before. I also have a magical budget. I have enough money to buy all of the books, DVD's, and CD's my library can hold. I think someone somewhere signed a “get kids to read” initiative, because the department of defense (read: not my budget) lets me choose about 50 additional young adult and children's books a month through our lease plan AND they sent me a lot of summer reading promotional stuff. One of my facilities is brand new and the other was recently remodeled. My old library branch had duct tape holding some of the chairs together. My new one has nicely upholstered furniture, new computers, and tons of shelf space.
Working for the federal government not only comes with a full budget, but every vendor I use throws me a discount. Just a whiff of a federal contract sends price slashing my way. Everything I buy for work comes discounted, from supplies to plane tickets to electronics. When I was a disgruntled student and spouted rhetoric without supporting evidence, I used to bitch about how rich people caught all the breaks. Well, rich libraries catch all the breaks.
I hope this doesn't send anyone into a marxist rage. After all, this is your money. Why shouldn't you get a discount? I promise I am careful to spend government money wisely, as the three people who have to sign every request to use our credit card can attest. Plus, I'm no Bernie Madoff. I spend my copious budget on books for soldiers and their families and computer access so they can talk to the folks at home. They deserve the best library services out there, and I'm glad I can provide them. I just have to stand back and marvel at the irony.
No comments:
Post a Comment