www.dowlin2000.org

[Gerald M. Furi]

Good morning.

I personally feel posting the above cited message to be a misuse of this
list. 

There are two sides to every story. It is very easy to accept media
versions as gospel truth. On the other hand, there are fairly serious
allegations that Ken Dowlin did not necessarily fail in implementing
technology (although at least one letter to the editor of the New Yorker
implied that the OPAC at SFPL is something less than a wonder); it is in
apparently failing to take care of basic professional responsibilities:
staff relations, budget management, implementing a hasty and flawed
weeding of the collection because the new building was either not designed
to accommodate the existing collection or he didn't have a handle on the
existing collection's true size. Why was there a staff "vote of
confidence" slated? Some accounts I have seen indicate a strongly
partisan, concerted effort to discredit Mr. Dowlin. It would be good to
have Mr. Dowlin respond in some forum--but not necessarily here--so we can
hear his side of the story. 

Nonetheless, is this list the place to do it?

The exception I take to the above posting is that it is a blatantly
political posting. 

Web4Lib is not the place for toutng potential ALA candidates, no
matter how (un)qualified.  

The debacle at SFPL makes life all the more difficult for library
administrators who are sincerely trying toleverage technology and convince 
funding authorities of the imperative that this is critical to the
successful completion of their library's mission.

My .02 worth

gmf

* *                          Gerald M. Furi                              * *
*                                                                          *
          System Administrator, Metro Net Library Consortium, Inc.           
                         http://metronet.lib.mi.us/

             Assistant Director, Farmington Community Library                           
Voice: (810) 848-4302                                     Fax:(810) 553-3228
           32737 West Twelve Mile Road Farmington Hills, MI 48334 
                                                                                
*                        Open the pod door, Hal.                           *
* *                   Often wrong, but never in doubt                   *  *