Diplomacy

There's been all this drama lately about the Filipino American Library's collection being moved to UCLA, West LA College or remaining with SIPA. I can't believe people with the library are actually scoffing at the fact that the public has been making assumptions about why things are happening. If they had put out information to the public about their potential decisions to begin with, no one would have the need to be making assumptions about anything! I've been on a string of emails about this issue and I finally decided to write one of my own summing up the major problem of the situation. I have to say that I've impressed myself at how much I was very diplomatic in this letter.

As a concerned Filipino American community member of Greater Los Angeles, I feel compelled to write this statement on my personal behalf and in response to the numerous emails that have been written about the Filipino American Library’s future and recent events.

I, too, mourn the loss of another historical monument and valuable resource in Historic Filipinotown. As various community factions have devoted some of their energy in contributing to the revitalization of the area, it is disappointing to know that a major resource will be vacating Historic Filipinotown, an area that comprises one of the largest concentration of Filipino Americans in the City of Los Angeles. This, I think, will be a great setback in the economic and cultural redevelopment of Historic Filipinotown.

Over the past few weeks, many messages have been dispersed asking for further information in the form of a community forum or townhall meeting with the Filipino American Library Board in regards to the fate of the library collection. The public’s attempts to gain more clarification on the issue have been futile as hearsay continues to be spread about the Library Board’s final decision on the collection’s fate.

The public’s concern and ownership of the library is natural considering it is a public institution. These sentiments can be likened to the LA Central Library closing or moving. Information regarding such drastic events would naturally be released to the public in the beginning stages of the plans. This would allow the public the opportunity to contribute their ideas for a solution, as well as gain further understanding of the issues pertaining to the situation. In the FilAm Library’s case, no such information was ever shared with the public except for a select number of people.

A press release or FAQ document of some sort that detailed issues concerning the move and FAHI’s final decision would have sufficed. I do not believe paid subscribers or past financial and collection contributors to the library were informed, at the very least. Why were these steps to inform the public and past contributors not taken?

If there was public notice, I am certain the community would have stepped up our involvement in order to maintain the library in its current location. How could the community know how to address the needs of the library without the direction of the library’s leadership?

In a previous email, Ms. Prosy de la Cruz stated, “some folks might be prematurely concluding, without full investigation of what the facts are.” I completely agree because “folks” were never given the opportunity to find out what the exact facts are. So those who have not been privy to meetings with the FAHI Board are left to continue to speculate until the Board exchanges communication with the public. Why has the FAHI Board not yet taken the opportunity to communicate with the public?

Below are questions that have been asked in previous emails (attached below) or from other concerned community members, which could all be addressed in an FAQ or press release, should the Board choose to do
so.
· What does the move of the FiL Am library to UCLA mean? Is this a permanent move?
· Does it mean the Board members have given up control of its management and that they are now relieved of their responsibility to operate/manage it?
· Who controls the Fil Am library now?
· Does UCLA own the Fil Am collection now & that the Filipino Community no longer has a say in library policies & procedures?
· Wasn’t there anyone among those consulted who made an offer to take over the enterprise? Not even a community campaign to save it?
· The move to the UCLA library may have been the best solution from the Board’s perspective, but it is good to hear various grievances now so we can assess the impact/consequences of the move & address them. Is there still a Fil Am library Board member who cares about this?
· It [Fil Am library] was also a venue for a number of activities among Filipinos that enabled them to share their books or gain information, knowledge & education about our community, country of origin, & culture. In that sense, the FIL AM library will be sorely missed. Is there a way we can still bring together Filipinos for similar events at the UCLA library & feel at home?
· What is the main reason the library is being under-used? Was a community education/marketing campaign created to address this matter?
· What kinds of programs has the library initiated to create more public attendance? How successful were these programs? What could have been improved in the process of initiating these programs?

Best regards,
Gerlie Collado

Thanks goes out to Jonathan for forwarding my statement to the entire Board of Directors for the FilAm Library!