GAZETTE Volume 27, No
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GAZETTE Volume 27, No. 28 • July 22, 2016 • A weekly publication for Library staff Inside New Online: Martin Van Buren The Library this month added the papers of President Martin Van Buren to its online collections. Page 3 Survey Results Available The Office of Communications makes available the findings of a staff survey evaluating the effectiveness of internal communications at the Library. Page 3 GreyNet Honors Dessy Blane Dessy, director of National Enter- prises at the Library, has been named recipient of the 2016 GreyNet Award. Official White House photo by Chuck Kennedy Page 4 President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Charles Kettles on Monday. Contracts Office Website Revamped VHP Interview Leads to Medal The Office of Contracts and Grants Man- agement launches a renovated website Of Honor for Vietnam Veteran that provides Library staff with easier access to key information. Page 5 and over and over. And because of that By Mark Hartsell heroism, 44 American soldiers made it out that day. Forty-four.” early 50 years after he rescued Kettles’ journey to the White House dozens of comrades under heavy started with an interview conducted N enemy fire from a riverbed in Viet- half a decade ago by William Vollano, nam, an Army helicopter pilot this week a retired Michigan social worker who finally received the nation’s highest mili- performs VHP interviews through the tary honor in recognition of his heroic Rotary Club of Ypsilanti. actions. Vollano had four uncles, a brother President Barack Obama on Monday and a cousin who served in World War II. bestowed the Medal of Honor on Charles One uncle landed on Omaha Beach on S. Kettles at a White House ceremony D-Day, another on Iwo Jima. None really – the happy conclusion to a yearslong talked about what they’d experienced. mission that began with an interview “All of them are gone. When I and The Rahim AlHaj Trio performs Middle Eastern music from New Mexico, July for the Library of Congress’s Veterans others in the family look back and say, 28 in the Coolidge Auditorium. History Project (VHP). ‘Geez, what do we have to show what “The Army’s warrior ethos is based they did,’ it comes up a big, fat zero,” On Tap on a simple principle: A soldier never Vollano said. “I think, in a way, I was Lectures, films, concerts, classes and leaves his comrades behind,” Obama hoping that somehow that my work with other events at the Library of Congress in the coming week. said. “Chuck Kettles honored that creed, the Veterans History Project would make Page 8 not with a single act of heroism but over VHP, continued on page 6 2 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE JULY 22, 2016 LETTERS To the Editor: This afternoon [July 12], the Library experienced an emergency lockdown because of a shooting nearby. And the Library’s emergency-notification systems failed. GAZETTE www.loc.gov/staff/gazette This timeline tells the story, compiled from timestamps on my mobile phone and on announce- ments from the Library’s emergency system: GAYLE OSTERBERG Executive Editor • 4:18 p.m.: A staff person (me) who had stepped outside tries to re-enter the Adams Building MARK HARTSELL and is told by Capitol Police that the Library is on lockdown. Staff person immediately phones a col- Editor league and learns that Library staff inside the buildings know nothing about it: There has been no Contributing Editors: Erin Allen, Calendar; Carlin “René” Sayles, Moving On and Length of Service; emergency announcement. Lisa Davis, Donated Leave • 4:24 p.m.: Staff person receives a subscription alert from WTOP News announcing the lockdown Proofreader: George Thuronyi of the entire Capitol complex. Design and Production: Ashley Jones • 4:34 p.m.: The Library’s emergency system is at last activated on staff computers to announce PETER BRAESTRUP GAIL FINEBERG JAMES W. McCLUNG Founder Founding Editor Founding Publisher the lockdown. Note that this is at least 16 minutes after police have been informed and 10 minutes (1990 – 1997) (1990 – 2009) (1990 – 1994) after WTOP has sent out its alert. • 4:52 p.m.: WTOP sends out a second alert announcing that the lockdown has ended. Mission of the Library of Congress • 4:57 p.m.: The Library’s emergency system announces that the lockdown has ended. The Library’s central mission is to provide Congress, the federal government and the American people with a rich, What if there had been an active shooter inside the Library? The unimaginable could have hap- diverse and enduring source of knowledge that can be relied upon to inform, inspire and engage them and support their pened, on a scale due entirely to the failure of the Library’s own emergency systems. Coupled with intellectual and creative endeavors. the failure of the Library’s fire-alarm system to go into effect on the evening of May 18, this situation is an emergency in its own right, potentially exposing everyone who works at or visits the Library to About the Gazette An official publication of the Library of Congress,The Gazette lethal risk. encourages Library managers and staff to submit articles and photographs of general interest. Submissions will be edited to On behalf of all my colleagues and our visitors and patrons, I call on the Library’s leaders at the convey the most necessary information. highest levels to address this matter immediately and to inform us when they have done so. Deadline for submission of articles is 5 p.m. Wednesday, one week prior to publication date. Please submit text in digital form via e-mail ([email protected]) preferably as an attached Jurretta J. Heckscher, Humanities and Social Sciences Division Microsoft Word file. Back issues of The Gazette in print are available in the Public Affairs Office, LM 105. The Library responds: There are three primary methods for providing emergency messages Electronic archived issues and a color PDF file of the current issue are available online at www.loc.gov/staff/gazette. to Library employees: • The Computer Emergency Notification System (CENS) used to send emergency messages to Library of Congress Gazette Washington, DC 20540-1620 desktop computers. Editorial: Mark Hartsell, 7-9194, [email protected] • The Emergency Public Address System (EPAS) for transmitting voice messages in Library buildings. Design and production: Ashley Jones, 7-9193, [email protected] • LC Emergency Alert emails sent to all staff. ISSN 1049-8184 The CENS and EPAS are operated by the U.S. Capitol Police from the Library Communications Printed by the Printing Management Section Center (LCC). When the lockdown of the Capitol Complex was initiated on July 12, the most important action of Gazette Welcomes Letters from Staff securing the entrances to the Library buildings was accomplished quickly, but the CENS notification Staff is invited to use the Gazette for lively and thoughtful was delayed due to an operational error. The EPAS was available but not used. Email notification was debate relevant to Library issues. Letters must be signed by the author, whose place of work sent, but that process requires additional time. and telephone extension should be included so we can verify authorship. If a letter calls for management response, an The responses to all drills and actual emergencies are evaluated, and in this case the actions explanation of a policy or actions or clarification of fact, we in the LCC were not sufficient. The specific problems have been identified and corrective actions will ask for management response.—Ed. have been taken. The existing systems are sufficient for providing rapid notification for any emergency, but improve- Gazette Deadlines ment will always be a priority. This involves both upgrading system capabilities and increasing the The deadline for editorial copy for the August effectiveness of individual responses. 5 Gazette is Wednesday, July 27. E-mail editorial copy and letters to the editor A planned replacement for the CENS is in testing. The new system offers additional capabili- to [email protected]. ties, which we anticipate will be available before the end of the year. More details will be provided To promote events through the Library’s online calendar (www.loc.gov/loc/events) when the system is ready. We are also working with the Capitol Police to improve LCC operations and the Gazette Calendar, e-mail event and and examining internal procedures to shorten the time required to provide emergency information. contact information to [email protected] by The identification of deficiencies is important in improving safety and security, and the efforts 9 a.m. Monday of the week of publication. Boxed announcements should be submitted of all are appreciated. electronically (text files) by 9 a.m. Monday the week of publication to [email protected]. Ed Jablonski, chief operating officer JULY 22, 2016 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 3 NEWS Communications Showing ‘Where We Live’ Survey Results Made Available The Office of Communications this week made available the findings of a staff survey evaluating the effectiveness of internal communications at the Library. The survey, conducted in April and May, is intended to help Library officials better understand which communications tools employees rely on most and how they might more effectively communicate with the staff. The survey drew 810 responses. Shawn Miller Eighty-six percent of Library employees Kyriaki Behringer demonstrates historic photographic processes to par- who responded were not supervisors. ticipants of the National Building Museum’s “Investigating Where We Live” program in the Jacob Riis exhibition in the Jefferson Building on July 7. Respondents were asked to identify the resources they most use to find infor- mation about the Library.