Comments: 3 Comments (Go to Comments)
Categories: Commentary
Tags: library, mike foley, rock band, we are pay for that, youtube
This story has been getting some play: Outrage of Video Showing Librarians’ Playing on the Clock [Action3News.com]
A Nebraska tax payer found a video on YouTube of Nebraska Library Commission employees setting up and playing Rock Band. Irate, the tax payer called Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley to report it. Says Foley, “Sure enough it was state money that was used. It was state employees on state time during work hours playing with and setting up a play station video game system.”
In a perfect world, Foley would have said, “Yes, that’s part of being a librarian,” but in Nebraska he launched an investigation which found the Library Commission also bought land in Second Life and – gasp – “paid for food and mileage reimbursement at a workshop.”
I admire Action 3 News’ coverage of this story. Personally, I would be tempted to do some investigation and then write the story off as a non-issue, but the Action 3 News team showed the YouTube video to Nebraska tax payers. They’re smart enough to know that the “Action” is in reaction like when you tape your friends watching 2 girls 1 cup.
One tax payer, Cameron Paladino, had this breathless reaction, “What are they doing? They are setting up this game, like a PlayStation game like Guitar Hero, while they’re at work, and then they’re playing it while they should be working. We are pay for that through our taxes.”
Yes Cameron, we are pay for that.
The thing is, you don’t want to mess with librarians – especially when they’re in the right.
In response the Nebraska Library Commission has turned in a 27-page research paper defending their actions. 10 pages of pure Bibliography baby! Works Cited FTW!
They list gaming in libraries presentations they’ve done and the responses to them: “I just didn’t understand how to set up a gaming afternoon. My family didn’t own a system and I wasn’t familiar with any of the systems.”
They explain what a web presence is and note the State of Nebraska agencies currently using Flickr, Facebook, and YouTube.
They have screenshots of their Second Life turf showing a Nebraska Memories art exhibit housed in one of their virtual buildings.
And they stick the landing with this conclusion:
The audit report states that gaming equipment is being used by Commission employees during work hours on State property. It is accurate to say that gaming equipment was used, for the work-related demonstration and training events described. The equipment has not been used since. However, the Commission continues to receive interest in the gaming equipment from librarians and will offer future demonstrations and training.
Take that Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley!
Boz:
Would it really be too much to ask the news media to check things out once-in-a-while?
Linda:
State Auditor Foley is known for coming down on hapless agencies and offices for small things and getting his name in the headlines. I would imagine that his office spent a heck of a lot more in man hours (pd for by the taxpayers)”investigating” this than the $457 the Library Commission spent on the equip. & games. The only thing they shouldn’t have done is post that video to youTube, and I bet they don’t make that mistake again. I’ve been told that anyone who’s had dealings with Foley knows what a prick he is anyway.
A Nebr. librarian
Silvercube:
Hmmm… this article is funny. :)
Game Couch are amazing blog. ^_^