Recognizing Your Invaluable Work This National Library Week 2024

Dear OCEA member,

As we celebrate National Library Week through April 13 and National Library Workers Day on April 9, I want to take a moment to thank you for the critical work you do in our communities. Libraries are a staple of public service and one of the few places that make knowledge and learning accessible to all. Libraries bring people together. But it's those who staff and serve the libraries that make the community what it is.

Today, libraries are on the front lines of society's issues. While you continue the good work of uniting readers and learners of all ages, it is impossible to ignore how those issues are impacting your work every day. We want to thank you for serving the public in the face of the obstacles you encounter. Last fall OCEA members who work at OCPL joined with OCEA staff to form a Labor Management Committee where we meet regularly with Agency management to address items including vacancies, safety, and workload. Thanks to these members and those who support their work, it is our goal to make sure you are safe, cared for, and respected for your contributions to the residents of Orange County.

In Huntington Beach, OCEA is fighting for library staff who are facing outsourcing by a City Council determined to privatize one of its most valuable resources. There is a movement building to rally in support of the people who dedicate their lives to working in our public libraries. Click here for a recent editorial in defense of these workers and library services, published in Voice of OC.

While the fight is multi-faceted, we stand together because we understand that communities with strong library systems are better because of them, and because of you. Thank you for your work in our libraries. We will keep fighting for you.

In Solidarity,

OCEA

Publication Date: April 8, 2024