Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

I woke this morning to the sounds of my neignbors yelling. But, wait dear readers, no harsh words or insults (or chairs) were being thrown around; rather it was the sound of our truly noisy neighbors in nature. Making their morning sounds, like vain singers in a chorus trying to sing louder than one another; such an amazing waking sound: warbling, screeching, cheeping, calling, tapping; bluejays, robins, thrush, mourning doves, orioles, woodpeckers and more birds than I know names for. Today was our last perfect (and perfectly hot!) day before our cruise to sandy beaches and ocean views; one of those amazing (and tiring) days. It began with my waking to the wonderful natural alarm clocks outside my windows around 6:30 a.m. After coaxing myself out of bed, I walked down to visit the bees and ran into our neighbor, Gardener R, who was planting red onions--methodically and perfectly, like creating art. Breakfast in our sunny kitchen, admiring my own seedlings spr...

Massachusetts is dealing with the blows of an almost $9 billion deficit. That means cutting. Lots of things, necessary things. I can't speak to all the other cuts, and how those cuts will be devastating to the programs that will be affected; I realize that there may be other things that are more important than libraries that will feel the squeeze, but I am particularly worried about libraries. According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners: MLS Designated as Regional Administrative Entity The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) held a special meeting on April 13 at which it voted to designate the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) as the administrative entity to provide regional services to libraries and residents beginning July 1, 2010. This action was necessitated by a severe reduction in funding to the regional budget line. Please see the chart below for funding details. Account Number Account Name FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 - Gove...