I would like to begin with the recognition that it is unorthodox for me to e-mail you directly. There have been many times when I was tempted to do so, but have refrained in deference to maintaining traditionally-used communications channels. I will not consider this e-mail as precedent setting; I will, for the foreseeable future, continue to consider direct contact with the board to be generally off-limits. That said, in this instance, I am breaking the taboo because I am responding directly to a request from Mr. Turner for union input for the board retreat.
We have collected comments from our members and put them together in a single document, which I'm including in PDF and RTF forms. For the most part, the suggestions are included as written, and appear in the order we received them.
We are happy to be asked for input, and are pleased to be able to share so many comments from our members. There are a couple caveats, however, that I'd like to include:
1. These comments are collected from our members. They should in no way be construed to represent official union positions.
2. Some of the comments are more blunt than may be prudent. I made the choice to keep them largely unedited so you can get a more accurate assessment of our members' feelings toward the library in its current form. Many are strongly supportive, but others show deep-seated frustration with leadership and management. I left those in the mix because I think they can help you, the body tasked with long-term Library visions, better understand where we're starting from.
3. It bears repeating: THESE COMMENTS ARE OUR MEMBERS' IDEAS. THEY DO NOT REPRESENT ANY OFFICIAL UNION POSITION.
Thank you for the time you put in to make the library a better place.
And thank you for asking our members for their opinions. At my church, we have a saying: "When we are heard, we are honored; when we are honored, we are healed." It means a lot to us that you would ask for our input...we are honored.
With respect,
-Rich
Richard Robinson, President
Dayton Metro Library Staff Association
[Click on the PDF image to see attached suggestions sent to board members]
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