LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Volume 14, No. 34 A Weekly Newspaper for the Library Staff October 3, 2003 Book Festival Opens on Mall SaturdaySaturday MorningMorning By GAIL FINEBERG eaderseaders ofof allall agesages andand interestsinterests willwill findfind moremore thanthan 8080 authors,authors, Rillustrators,illustrators, poets,poets, andand storytellersstorytellers toto informinform andand amuseamuse themthem atat thethe 20032003 NationalNational BookBook Festival,Festival, ffromrom 1010 a.m.a.m. toto 5 p.m.,p.m., SSaturday,aturday, Oct.Oct. 4,4, onon tthehe NNationalational MallMall bbetweenetween SeventhSeventh andand FourteenthFourteenth streets. Sponsored and organized by the Beloved for her roles in “Mary“Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music” and for her children’schildren’s Library, hosted by fi rst lady Laura Bush, books, Julie Andrews will join award-winning and staffed by more than 600 volunteers, authors at the 2003 National Book Festi- the national celebration of readers and val. Among storytellers and authors will be writers will kick off Friday night with Tinh,Tinh, who escaped VietnamVietnam before the fall of Saigon, and Pat Conroy,Conroy, author of fi veve best-best- a gala event in the Great Hall for the selling novels. authors, donors, and special guests. Authors will go to the White House at 7:30 a.m. Saturday for breakfast and an opening ceremony. Outreach Tops Deanna Marcum’s Agenda “As America’s library, the Library of Congress is pleased to provide this By GAIL FINEBERG “You will not be surprised that my NBF, Continues on page 6 interest is in helping disparate commu- Bringing together disparate com- nities come together to figure out how Congress Approves 2004 Budget munities and reaching out to new com- we, collectively, will transform libraries The President signed a legislative branch munities to solve common problems are to meet the needs of 21st-century users,” appropriations bill on Tuesday, Sept. 30, autho- high priorities for Deanna Marcum, who Marcum said after summing up her activi- rizing a total net appropriation of $526.1 million returned to the Library this fall as associ- ties as the head of the Council on Library and 4,283 full-time employees for the Library in ate librarian for library services. and Information Resources (CLIR). fi scal 2004. Marcum, who served as LC’s director “Digital technology figures signifi- The House and Senate on Sept. 24 approved a of public service and collection manage- cantly in the new world, of course, but conference committee report limiting to $10 million the amount for a tunnel linking the Jefferson Building ment from 1993 to 95, shared her vision equally important are the issues of to the new Capitol Visitor Center. for the future with several hundred of organizational structures, the skills and Congress also agreed to the assignment of 23 her staff of nearly 2,000 in four forums requirements of the next generation of more police offi cers to the Library, but placed the that included lively questions and candid library staff, and our most basic processes hiring and training authority with the U.S. Capitol but diplomatic answers (see report on of our daily work.” Police. Congressional committees have not yet page 4). A webcast of a Sept. 11 session She said neither the Library of Con- approved a plan for the proposed merger of Library in a packed Mumford Room, together gress by itself, nor librarians by them- Police with the U.S. Capitol Police. Details of the new budget will follow in a with the transcript of her talk, may be selves, can make the transformation future Gazette. viewed at www.loc.gov/staff/ls/marcum- that is needed to meet the information meeting.html. MARCUM, Continues on page 3 2 THE GAZETTE OCTOBER 3, 2003 OCTOBER 3, 2003 THE GAZETTE 3 FORUM Letter to the Editor: The Gazette A weekly newspaper for the Library of Congress staff I was disappointed to read that District Court Judge Gladys Kessler refused to GAIL FINEBERG extend the Cook case (Gazette, Sept. 19, 2003) and that she found fairness in the Editor Library’s hiring process. Judge Kessler cited statistics that showed African American MICHAELA McNICHOL employees at the Library were well represented in the GS-13 to GS-15 levels, also at the Visual Information Specialist Contributing Editors: Deborah Durham-Vichr, Calendar; and GS-9 to GS-11 level — numbers that far exceeded the federal civilian labor force. Carla V. Bussey, Moving On and Length of Service. Over 25 years ago, I came to LC with a bachelor’s degree. It took me over 20 Proofreaders: Sally Craig and Suzy Platt years to get my GS-12, to become a professional, and believe me, it wasn’t without tremendous struggle and plenty of stress. (That’s another chapter.) You can ask 500 PETER BRAESTRUP JAMES W. McCLUNG black LC employees if they have experienced discrimination and double standards in Founder Founding Publisher the LC workplace, and you would get 500 different stories. We can’t all be wrong. (1990 – 1997) (1990 – 1994) When I retire from this great institution, I plan to write a book, tentatively titled “The Library of Congress: The Last Plantation.” It will be filled with many of these The Gazette encourages LC staff to submit articles or photographs of general interest. Submissions will be edited to convey the most stories. Peace. necessary information. Pamela A. Hairston Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Wednesday, one week prior to publication date. Please submit text in digital form and if pos- Congressional Research Service silble include hard copy with your submission. An official publication of the Library of Congress, The Gazette is largely staffed by Library employees who have volunteered for part- time details. Persons interested in serving a detail as a page editor, 2003 National Hispanic Heritage Month writer, proofreader, photographer, reporter, or artist may submit applications to the editor, LM 105, mail code 1620. Those persons Events at the Library of Congress during Hispanic Heritage Month interested in contributing to The Gazette as part of a Library-wide network should first check with their supervisors. Back issues ofThe September-October 2003 Gazette are available in the newspaper office, LM 105. Oct. 3—Hispanic Dance Festival: “Exploring Latin American, James Madison Memorial Building, LM 105 Caribbean, and Philippine Dance Traditions,” dance lessons and lec- Library of Congress ture by Abdul Al-Ali, professional dance instructor, Mumford Room, Washington, DC 20540-1620 LM 649, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Editor 707-9194, [email protected] Calendar Editor 707-1639, [email protected] Oct. 10—Closing keynote speaker, Gaddi H. Vasquez, director, U.S. Production 707-0970, [email protected] Peace Corps, Madison Hall, 10 - 11 a.m., followed by “Fiesta Latina,” ISSN 1049-8184 music by George Washington University’s Los Gringos Latin Jazz Band, Madison Hall, 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m. Oct. 11—Library of Congress Hispanic Reading Room Open House, Closing Speaker, Gaddi H. Vasquez Jefferson Building, Room LJ 240, 2 - 5 p.m. Printed on paper that contains recycled paper by the Oct. 14—Flamenco Program, sponsored by the American Folklife Printing Management Section, Office Systems Services Center, Mumford Room, noon - 1 p.m. Carlos J. Olave, senior reference librarian, Hispanic Division, Co-Chair, 2003 National Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, Gazette Welcomes Letters from Staff Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-4850, TEL: 202-707-3702, FAX: 202-707-2005, E-mail: [email protected] The staff is invited to use the Forum pages for lively and thoughtful debate relevant to Library issues. However, just as other newspaper editors exercise discretion over which letters to publish and how to edit them, so do we. In decid- ing whether or how much to publish, we consider content Metrochek Distribution LCPA to Help WAMU (including misstatements of fact, libel, innuendo, ridicule of individuals or the institution, personal attacks, and redun- The Library of Congress Professional dancy) and length (the limit is 600 words). Quarterly Distribution: October, Novem- Association (LCPA) is assisting American Letters must be signed by the author, whose place of work ber, and December only: A-M, Tuesday, and telephone extension should be included so we can University’s public radio station WAMU during verify authorship. Letter writers should understand that Oct. 7, 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 3 p.m., when they sign their letters and release them to us for Mumford Room, LM 649; N-Z, Wed., its fall membership campaign. LC volunteers publication they are relinquishing privacy. If a letter calls will answer phones to accept pledges from 6:30 for management response, for example, an explanation of Oct. 8, 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 3 p.m., a policy or actions or clarification of fact, we will ask for Mumford Room, LM 649 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, during the show management response.—Ed. Hot Jazz Saturday Night, which is hosted by LC’s Make up day: For the months of own Rob Bamberger. The WAMU studios are October, November, and December only: located one block from the Tenleytown Metro Gazette at a glance . Thursday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m. – noon and 1 stop. On-street parking will be available. – 3 p.m., LM 139 Book Festival 6,7,8,9 Prior to the event, volunteers from LC will receive a map, directions, and a script for People 3 handling calls, which means no experience is OIG Hot Lines Moving On 10, 11 Reports of offenses against the Library may be necessary, as well as a full dinner catered by made in confidence to the Office of the Inspector General, 7-6306, by fax at 7-6032, or by sending an a local restaurant.