The Vindication of Bernard Margolis

October 24, 2008

The ALA Council discussion list was abuzz this week with praise and congratulations for councilor Bernard Margolis following the October 21 announcement that the embattled former president of Boston Public Library had been appointed state librarian of New York. “We welcome you with open arms,” said Barbara Stripling, director of library services for the New York City Department of Education. “As a school librarian, I am so pleased that we will have a state librarian who understands how all types of libraries work together to provide seamless and complementary services,” she added. “We look forward to your leadership!” Numerous councilors chimed in to wish Margolis well, and almost all of the messages contained an undertone of “You showed him.” The “him” is none other than Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who ousted Margolis last year after an 11-year run, complaining that he paid too much attention to the main library at the expense of neighborhood branches. A very public battle ensued, and Margolis departed without fanfare this June 30. From inside ALA, I’ve seen plenty of squabbling and bickering on the Council discussion list, but Margolis’s appointment brought out an unusual display of collegiality, which prompted me to call the longtime councilor today and ask what he thought about all the fuss. "The library community has been behind me 110%,” Margolis said. “I think everyone understands the situation is unusual, not by any means the norm for anyone, but I think we all realize that when we give leadership to institutions that are part of the political environment, that sometimes crazy things can happen. But it has been amazing, the cards, the e-mail, the flowers, the candy. It’s very heartwarming and endearing, colleagues new and old giving me their best wishes.” At the risk of getting mushy, I reminisced a bit with Bernie (which is what everyone called him 20 years ago when I first watched him in action on the Council floor) about the odd way in which ALA is a community for many people, albeit a frustrating one sometimes resistant to change. He then recalled a time when he was first elected to Council, some 25 years ago, and he introduced a resolution to get an 800 number for ALA headquarters. Seems like a no-brainer today. But “there was actually not staff support for it, believe it or not,” Margolis laughed. But "with the help of some people, I brought it back at the same session, and it was passed." He noted that people still tease him that his greatest legacy is getting that 800 number for ALA. Seriously, he said, “I do want to express enormous appreciation to my colleagues everywhere around the country and literally around the world who sent words of hope and words of support.” As for Mayor Menino? I couldn’t get Bernie to say “nyah, nyah, na, nyah, nyah,” but he did say that he felt a sense of vindication from the new appointment and that the current Boston city administration “is anti-intellectual at its core.” But “that’s part of the world we live in," he added. "Sometimes people are afraid of anything intellectual, and libraries have been dealing with that for centuries."

Gaming at Oak Park Public Library

During the summer and autumn this year, Oak Park (Ill.) Public Library has held monthly teen gaming tournaments. This is a video of sights and sounds from the September tourney, as well as an interview with Young Adult Librarian Monica Harris, who explains why and how the library got into gaming and the benefits it offers the library and the community. More ALA videos available at alfocus.ala.org.

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The Vindication of Bernard Margolis

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Gaming at Oak Park Public Library