[Libs-Or] Oregon Historical Society Research Library closure

[Hinken, Susan]

The Oregon Historical Society Research Library closed to the public on
February 27.  As Jim noted below, this is a terrible loss not only to
the library community but the entire state.  It's my understanding that
under current plans it will reopen in the near future to offer
extraordinarily limited service supported by a skeleton staff, primarily
providing access to and marketing reproductions of its photo collections
as part of an e-commerce strategy.

 

The Northwest History Network is organizing an effort to seek a
sustainable solution to the virtual closure of the Library.  As part of
their effort they are circulating an online petition to demonstrate
public support for the Library.  Below is a link to a resolution they
drafted and the petition. Please feel free to add your name and forward
the link to colleagues.

 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-the-OHSRL-and-staff

 

Best,

Susan

 

Susan E. Hinken

Head, Technical Services and Collection Development

University of Portland, W. W. Clark Memorial Library

hinken at up.edu

503-943-7419; 503-943-7491 (fax)

From: libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
[mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of CARMIN
Jim
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 10:05 AM
To: Libs-Or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [Libs-Or] Oregon Historical Society Research Library closure

 

There's a piece in today's Oregonian about the impending sudden closure
of the research library at the Oregon Historical Society.  

Anyone concerned about the future of this critically important library
for the study and understanding of Oregon history should read this and
actively voice your opinion as I have as a private citizen to
legislators and to the OHS director and librarian.  

I think its closure will produce a hole in our understanding of what
Oregon has been, what its problems were and how solutions were found to
solve those problems.  Without this research library, it will not be
just students, scholars and citizens who visit the collections who will
lose; the entire state will suffer from its closure as access to much of
our heritage, our pitfalls and our triumphs will be curtailed. 

------------------------------------------------------------ 
"Oregon Historical Society slashes staff" by D.K. Row 
Online here: 

http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2009/02/oregon_historical_society_
slas.html
<http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2009/02/oregon_historical_society
_slas.html>  

-------------------------------------------------------------- 
More info at: 
http://ohsu-hca.blogspot.com/2009/02/oregon-historical-society-library.h
tml
<http://ohsu-hca.blogspot.com/2009/02/oregon-historical-society-library.
html>  

Jim Carmin 
John Wilson Special Collections Librarian 
Multnomah County Library 
801 SW 10th Avenue 
Portland, OR 97205 
jimc at multcolib.org 
jhc4631 at gmail.com 
503-988-6287 

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