Your Action Required

This is just an idea. If people really want to build such a community action committee, they should communicate that to the official leaders of their student, alumni, or community professional organizaiton.
[The original text of this was drafted several days ago or more, so my revisions for this posting may not be finished. This is simply for discussion.]

Community Action Committee to Save Paul Wasserman Library

Situation Statement:

Right on our own University of Maryland campus we face a grave risk of loosing one of the most valuable educational resources for current and future information professionals to an unknown, secretive, administrative agenda. The plan, its intended objectives, and ultimate consequences need to be considered and made clear to all parties in a transparent way.

While this country faces a political and social environment that does not understand important issues of information management, it is not the time for one of the nation’s leading conferrers of credentials to information professionals to be closing its own library.

Mission Statement:

The Community Action Committee to Save Paul Wasserman Library works to ally current students, staff, faculty, and administration with alumni and community and professional leaders to address questions regarding the protection of the Paul Wasserman Library as a mission-critical resource in each party’s production of educational services, resources, and other knowledge products.

Objectives:

A public meeting with Collegium President Marilyn White, Dean Jenny Preece, Dean Charles Lowry, Provost Destler, official alumni and current student leaders to educate each other about this pending and currently secretive plan that does not appear to be at all in line with an educational mission.

Assurance that PWL will be retained and work publicly begun to identify, evaluate, and execute managerial solutions other than closure.

Apology to the CLIS community for the secretive nature of these proceedings that affect everyone.

A press release to the wider community explaining the situation in a positive light and enumerating the steps to identify, evaluate, and execute managerial solutions other than closure.

Organizing Opportunities:

• Phone and Email campaign to current student leaders, alumni, and faculty

• Create a website using non-University Resources (more than a blog)

• Write letters of protest to administrators including Jenny Preece
• Gather data to help make an informed recommendation

Members:

Does this mean you?