From: MCKINZIE@DICKINSN.Bitnet (McKinzie, Steven)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.govdoc-l
Subject: GPO Changes:
Date: 3 Oct 92 22:31:30 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Approved-By:  "McKinzie, Steven" <MCKINZIE@DICKINSN.BITNET>
Comments: To: govdoc-l@Psuvm.bitnet

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Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 14:49 edt
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From: "KESSLER" <KESSLER.DAVIS@MHS.UNC.EDU>
To:   "-" <GOVDOC-L@PSUVM.BITNET>
Subject: GPO Reorganization

10/2/92

Dear Duncan and Esteemed Colleagues:

I still remain in a state of utter shock over the GPO LPS staff changes
mentioned in the Administrative Notes of 9/15/92.  It was so sudden and
unexpected that it caught me completely off balance.  To say that I was
stunned was and still is an understatement!!  It was like 1934 Germany's
famous "Night of the Long Knives" where all of the opposition and
impediments were liquidated.  However, unlike that historic event these
folks were never enemies of the state but were instead loyal and faithful
employees who always represented the views, goals, and policies of the GPO
in an exemplary manner.  So what does it all mean?  I am asked that several
times a day by phone, e-mail, and fax from documents people all over the
country and I ponder it myself.
It seems to me unusual and out of character for the GPO to dip so low into
the organizational food chain where the worker bees toil away doing the
necessary everyday jobs that keep the system running.  It is particularly
disturbing to me to take Gil Baldwin, Sheila McGarr, and Joe McClane from
posts where they are well qualified and doing an excellent job and shuffle
them all around.  It is, of course, GPO's right and privilege to make these
changes.  However, it does effect all of us and I am happy for this
opportunity to discuss this with documents people.
The case of Joe McClane is perhaps the strangest of all.  Joe is without a
shadow of a doubt the best known and most recognizable person in the
Government Printing Office to all documents people.  He is also well liked
and respected--even those documents librarians who do not like Joe
personally respect his judgement and believe he is a highly knowledgeable
and fair person.  Secondly, he is also the most effective communicator in
GPO.  He is the person who has most often explained policy and smoothed
over misunderstandings and problems in the depository community.  He has
not only acted as the GPO ombudsman he has BEEN THE OMBUDSMAN ever since he
took over as chief inspector.  I have told all top line GPO administrators
from Bob Houk down that Joe has done the most to make GPO's system work.
Thirdly, Joe knows more about the Depository Library Program than any other
individual.  He has visited more libraries, knows and converses with more
documents personnel than anyone else.  He knows the problems, the
strengths, weaknesses, and successes of the system and is a walking
storehouse/encyclopedia of depository knowledge.  Now to take this person
from his job and place him in a totally unrelated position in a totally
different division and then to tell us this is to improve coordination and
efficiency is both nonsensical and somewhat ludicrous.  It is equivalent to
taking an excellent brain surgeon and putting him/her in charge of
hemorrhoidectomy or podiatry.  It just doesn't make good sense.  It may or
may not have been GPO's intention but this move sends a very strong and
negative message to the entire depository community which in essence tells
us that public service issues are no longer as important as they once were
nor are our concerns as relevant.  To remove the experts who really know
and understand the library community and to whom we have strong contacts
from the system just at the time long-term changes in the organization,
methods, procedures and systems are being discussed suggests to me that the
Depository Library Program is in for another tough time.  When I also
ponder that the Depository Library Council has also been removed from
discussing operational issues (many of them policy oriented) it makes me
wonder if we are not like the "little doggie" of cowboy fame--cut out of
the herd, roped, tied, and ready for branding.
I realize that the GPO must change and I am trying hard to give them the
time and space to do what they have to do to make effective decisions.
However, I cannot help but wonder about this latest move.  While I hope for
the best I personally have that feeling of impending doom and pray that we
are not being driven back into that old confrontational syndrome.  Perhaps
these changes are being made to cope with current problems and to bring
fresh outlooks to old jobs--I hope so, but I would also suggest that some
changes need better timing and more explanation.  This current one is too
much, too soon.
Thanks for listening folks and my apologies for taking so long to say all
of this.
Ridley Kessler
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNCRRK@UNC.BITNET
















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