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Seven Trustees at Last
It’s amazing. The Niles-Maine District Library has had an open seat since August 2021, and under the leadership of Board President Carolyn Drblik, they were completely unable to select a new trustee from the dozen candidates who took the time to write a letter of interest and be interviewed. And yet somehow a mere week […]
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Mosaic in the Cracks
There’s a sidewalk in my neighborhood that has long been waiting for repair, and in the meantime, someone filled in the cracks to make a long, thready mosaic with blues and white, and shiny gold and silver. In its way, it is both touching and very beautiful. More than that, it’s a sign that you […]
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Transparency
I think it’s safe to say that the great majority of librarians are keenly invested in sharing information. With an undergrad degree in Journalism and a Masters in Library Science, I definitely feel that way. Judging by the number of times that current Niles-Maine District Library Board President Carolyn Drblik used to use the word […]
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Libraries Today
I am officially old. You can tell, because I watch a lot of CBS morning news. Today it paid off, because CBS Sunday Morning had a great piece on libraries. It showed how incredibly vibrant and vital libraries are in their communities today, which is probably not news to anyone reading this, but may have […]
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Budget Notes and Duplicity
For those of you who have been following the situation at the Niles-Maine District Library in Illinois, what I say next may surprise you: Treasurer Joe Makula has a bunch of dumb ideas. He’s written them up as if he has the authority to implement his dumb ideas and make unilateral decrees at the library. […]
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One Year Later
So, it’s been one year. And for me personally, there have been some true bright spots despite being forced to resign from my job after 23 years at the Niles-Maine District Library. But the damage that Carolyn Drblik, Joe Makula, and Suzanne Schoenfeldt have done to the library in that short time is just as […]
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Hypocrisy
Does anyone think they’re going to be the bad guy when they imagine their lives? Aside from a small proportion of completely broken people, most people believe they are advocating for good. I actually think even Niles-Maine District Library Board President Carolyn Drblik does, all evidence to the contrary. The first time I met Carolyn […]
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An important victory
Congratulations to Carolyn Drblik, Joe Makula, and Suzanne Schoenfeldt! In less than one year, they managed to get legislation passed. True, it is legislation aimed directly at their horrible behavior and is a public embarrassment to the name of Niles, but still, it’s an achievement in its way. Both the Illinois House of Representatives and […]
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More Library Weirdness
When I noticed that the Niles-Maine District Library Board of Trustees meeting agenda had a motion in March to pass a strategic plan, I did a double-take. You have to understand that absolutely nothing is getting on the agenda these days except the motions that the Dictator/President Carolyn Drblik wants on the agenda. Though it […]
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Looking Back on March 2020
In some ways, it’s hard to believe that two whole years have gone by since we began wrestling with COVID. It all still seems very vivid. In the public library world, many of us had flown to Nashville for the Public Library Association conference which takes place every two years. It was a great conference, […]
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Something Different Every Day 