The View from Over Here
Reston Citizens Association Pick Saved Reston Library and More
On March 10, I had the pleasure of attending, as I do pretty much every year, the Reston Citizens Association ceremony to present its Citizen of the Year Award. This year’s award went to Kathy Kaplan, a name you may immediately recognize. That is because Ms. Kaplan does a great deal of work for the community in a quiet and unassuming manner. Indeed, Kathy is a typical RCA Citizen of the Year awardee, because she does what she does selflessly, but with great passion, focus, skill, and ultimately impact. Without her efforts, the Reston Regional Library would be shell of its former self—the staff would have been reduced by a third, professional librarians replaced by customer service reps—like you might find at your auto repair shop--, programs for young readers eliminated, book shelves steadily being emptied, and more.
I am not exaggerating. Sometime in 2012, Fairfax County had set in motion a program to drastically alter county libraries with the Reston library and one other being part of the “beta plan” for the conversion. That is, the Reston Regional Library and one other had been selected as guinea pigs for testing a new model—apparently all unbeknowst to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins?! That part, may seem hard to believe, but it is clear the plan was very quietly in motion, without consultation with the community or any effective public notice.
But, Ms. Kaplan, a writer and regular library user, learned of the beta plan for Reston and a parallel, massive book removal and destruction program already under way—with over a quarter of a million books having been “culled” and destroyed. Yes, destroyed! Found in dumpsters, for example, without being offered to untold thousands of young and old readers alike who no doubt would have been delighted to receive some of the County’s throwaways.
The reasons for the “culling” (now up to over half a million books I am told), have not been fully explained and there can be no explaining the thoughtless waste of destroying rather than sharing the culls.
As she learned the extent of County Library Board’s stealthy actions, she brought the book trashing and beta plan to the attention of senior county staff and elected officials—initially without much effect. One Supervisor—Cathy Smythe of Providence District—did express outrage, took pictures of a dumpster full of books and demanded the destruction be stopped. But, getting definitive action needed more of a push. So, Kathy circulated petitions (getting over 2,000 signatures) and got the Washington Post and other media interested in the Fairfax County outrage against our libraries and librarians, both of which many of us consider to be vital public goods. As the result of Ms. Kaplan’s research and public information campaign, the beta plan is officially dead. The mindless culling/trashing is on pause and under review. New recommendations for the future of county libraries are supposed to be made public and presented to the Board of Supervisors shortly. For the moment, the draconian slashing of library services and elimination of professional librarians in the County has been halted thanks to Ms. Kaplan’s alertness and effective action. Same for the mindless destruction of hundreds of thousands of books. So, the good news is that Kathy Kaplan is deservedly recognized as Reston’s Citizen of the Year. The bad news, as she herself said in accepting the award, is that we do not know what the County’s new plans for our Library and the library system are. However, the Board of Supervisors should be aware that Kathy and an alerted and informed community are waiting and watching this time
I am not exaggerating. Sometime in 2012, Fairfax County had set in motion a program to drastically alter county libraries with the Reston library and one other being part of the “beta plan” for the conversion. That is, the Reston Regional Library and one other had been selected as guinea pigs for testing a new model—apparently all unbeknowst to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins?! That part, may seem hard to believe, but it is clear the plan was very quietly in motion, without consultation with the community or any effective public notice.
But, Ms. Kaplan, a writer and regular library user, learned of the beta plan for Reston and a parallel, massive book removal and destruction program already under way—with over a quarter of a million books having been “culled” and destroyed. Yes, destroyed! Found in dumpsters, for example, without being offered to untold thousands of young and old readers alike who no doubt would have been delighted to receive some of the County’s throwaways.
The reasons for the “culling” (now up to over half a million books I am told), have not been fully explained and there can be no explaining the thoughtless waste of destroying rather than sharing the culls.
As she learned the extent of County Library Board’s stealthy actions, she brought the book trashing and beta plan to the attention of senior county staff and elected officials—initially without much effect. One Supervisor—Cathy Smythe of Providence District—did express outrage, took pictures of a dumpster full of books and demanded the destruction be stopped. But, getting definitive action needed more of a push. So, Kathy circulated petitions (getting over 2,000 signatures) and got the Washington Post and other media interested in the Fairfax County outrage against our libraries and librarians, both of which many of us consider to be vital public goods. As the result of Ms. Kaplan’s research and public information campaign, the beta plan is officially dead. The mindless culling/trashing is on pause and under review. New recommendations for the future of county libraries are supposed to be made public and presented to the Board of Supervisors shortly. For the moment, the draconian slashing of library services and elimination of professional librarians in the County has been halted thanks to Ms. Kaplan’s alertness and effective action. Same for the mindless destruction of hundreds of thousands of books. So, the good news is that Kathy Kaplan is deservedly recognized as Reston’s Citizen of the Year. The bad news, as she herself said in accepting the award, is that we do not know what the County’s new plans for our Library and the library system are. However, the Board of Supervisors should be aware that Kathy and an alerted and informed community are waiting and watching this time
