ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1992 / 207 L e tte rs (C & R L News w elcom es y o u r signed, ty p e d com ­ m e n t on recent c o ntent in o u r pages o r on m atters o f general interest to the academ ic o r research library profession. L etters b e yo n d 25 0 w ords w ill n o t be a cce p te d o rm a y be e d ite d to f i t space. L etters should be addressed to: The E ditor, C & R L News, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, I L 60611;fax: (312)280-7663.) Rust debate continues T o th e Editor: T h e response o f A nn L evinson o f ALA to th e le tte r o f Virgil D. M assm an in th e D e c e m b e r 1991 issue is th e usual liberal doublespeak. ALA has a longstanding policy in su p p o rt o f th e m u rd e r of u n b o rn c h ild ren (whom w e all know are h um an beings, b u t fo r ideological reasons m any otherw ise intelligent p eople refuse to adm it th e obvious). ALA’s su p p o rt for g o vernm ent funding for this m assacre is n o t th e re su lt o f its co m m itm e n t to lofty principles, for ALA has re p ea te d ly failed to su p p o rt th e free speech o f o th e r Am ericans w h en th e ir right has actually b e e n infringed. In this case, n ot one p e rso n has b e e n sto p p e d from saying one w ord in favor o f abortion. T hey sim ply cannot do it on th e federal payroll. N o surprise there! W e do n o t p e rm it o u r federal em ployees to speak words th at are a racial slur o r a sexual harassm ent. W e do n ot p e rm it th em to advocate th e violent overthrow o f the governm ent o r to th re a te n th e lives o f in n o ce n t p e o p le o r to in stru ct th e m how to kill them selves. T he p re se n t policy o f th e federal g o vernm ent is perfectly c o nsistent w ith this longstanding public policy, w hich ALA has n ever befo re— to my knowl­ edge— challenged. Since th e o th e r applications o f th e federal em ployees’ speech policy I have m e n ­ tio n e d glove-tailed w ith th e view o f th e liberal clique th a t runs ALA as its own fiefdom , ALA n ever q u e stioned it. B ut now th a t th e federal governm ent has tak en th e only prin cip led approach to th e p ro b ­ lem o f abortion, you shout “foul!” T h e selective application o f y our “p rin cip les” shows you once m ore to b e no m ore a n d no less th a n foolish le ft­ w ingers w ith y our blinders on.— Thom as G. R eid Jr., L ibrary Director, R eform ed Theological Sem i­ nary, Jackson, M ississippi Where are the jobs? T o th e Editor: I re cently re a d th e article b y A nne K. B eaubien (“N othing, v e n tu re d , no one gained,” Nov. 1991). Like P atricia Glass S chum ann, she sounds th e tru m p e t for th e re c ru itm e n t o f “bright, creative” p e o p le to a c a re e r in librarianship. A pparently Ms. B eaubien, and the editors w ho d e c id e d to publish h e r article, are aw are o f openings for new librarians th a t I am not. I g ra d u ated from th e School o f Inform ation a n d L ibrary Science at th e U niversity o f N o rth C arolina at C hapel Hill in D e c e m b e r 1 9 9 0 .1 was e le cte d to P hi B eta K appa as an u n d e r­ graduate a nd h eld tw o graduate fellowships awarded on th e basis o f academ ic m erit. I have tw o subject m aste r’s d egrees in addition to th e MSLS, a n d th re e years o f full-tim e preprofessional experience in academ ic libraries. Yet, a fte r 16 m onths o f job- h u n tin g I have n o t yet h a d an interview at an academ ic library. In fact, I have b e e n tu rn e d dow n for several paraprofessional positions such as I h eld b e fo re going to library school. I have a pplied to 73 professional positions; 11 o f th e s e (15%) have b e e n c anceled o r frozen in m id-search. (O ne has b e e n u nfrozen a nd one re-advertised.) M any o f th e r e ­ m ain d e r have gone to librarians w ith years o f p ro ­ fessional experience, although th ey w ere advertised as entry-level. As o ne h e a d o f a search c om m ittee to ld m e, “W e h a d th re e very strong local candidates w ith a lot o f experience w ho w ere willing to w ork for th e re stric te d salaiy o f an entry-level position, so we d e cid ed n ot to interview anyone from o u t o f tow n.” W h en I have called for feedback on m y applica­ tions, librarians have rep ea te d ly e xpressed am aze­ m en t at th e n u m b e r a n d strength o f th e applications th ey received. I suppose th e ir astonishm ent is n ot surprising, since th e professional journals are not re p o rtin g an e m ploym ent crisis. Instead, w e h e a r calls for increased re cru itm e n t. In hopes th a t you a nd Ms. B eaubien can d irect m e to a library th a t n e ed s a “w ell-educated,” “bright, creative” person, I enclose m y resum e. I eagerly await your response.— Caroline Usher, D urham , N orth C arolina Inform ation literacy experts sought T h e A C R L Inform ation L iteracy Advisory B oard seeks individuals to include on th e ir list o f advisers. T o b e co n sid ere d for inclusion indi­ viduals m ust have experience using th e c o ncept o f inform ation literacy in an academ ic program ; experience tea ch in g users critical evaluation o f inform ation sources; w riting a nd speaking expe­ rien ces on inform ation literacy; a nd excellent speaking, writing, a n d teach in g skills. A pplica­ tions m u st b e received by May 1, 1992. T o o b tain an application a n d th e full criteria for inclusion contact: H a n n elo re B. Rader, D ire c ­ tor, University Library, C leveland State U niver­ sity, 1860 E. 22n d St., Cleveland, O H 44113. 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