Book Companion:

Library and Information Center Management,
Seventh Edition

Your Religion or Your Job

On Sunday mornings, during the sermon, Rosemary Shahn earnestly tried to banish all worldly thoughts and concentrate on the minister's text. In spite of this resolve, however, she could never quite prevent her mind from wandering. Today it was occupied, as it so often was, with thoughts of the library. With her eyes fixed in the proper direction at least, she reconstructed what had happened Friday afternoon. She could not remember word for word what was said, but the gist was clear.

Simon Leffler had presented himself unexpectedly at Shahn's door. Shahn thought it odd that Leffler as a subordinate three steps removed from her - she was the acting director of the Lowder University Library, Lois Prager was the deputy director for library automation, Everett Coulter was the head of data base services, and Simon Leffler was a library programmer - would ask to speak with her, but she bade him enter.

"I wonder if I could explain a predicament I'm in to you," Leffler had begun with a very pleasant smile. "I've spoken to Everett and Lois, and you're the next in line!"

Shahn had looked at him confusedly. "I'm the next in line? This must be important." She waited a moment, and then made a hesitating motion of assent.

Leffler entered, bud did not sit down. He stood, gripping the back of a chair. "I appreciate this very much," he faltered, his voice trembling a little. "I've been at the library exactly four months, three weeks, four days, and five hours, and" - glancing at his watch and chuckling - "thirty-seven minutes!"

Shahn looked at him with the faint smile that she thought his remark deserved. She reflected that he had indeed joined the staff about that time. He was one of two programmers working in the database services in the automation department. She assumed, since she had no indication to the contrary from either Prager or Coulter and Leffler had not been there long enough to have had his first formal appraisal at the end of the six month probationary period, that he and his work were satisfactory. He was a man of 28, tall and clean, with a mop of dark brown hair and his chin and upper lip concealed by a thick brown beard. He dressed inconspicuously. His manner was pleasant and cordial. Leffler went on.

"About a month ago, due to my fiancée's influence, I converted from Baptist to Catholic. I would like to take off next Thursday afternoon and next Friday to attend a cursillo - a sort of religious retreat - with my fiancée and members of her family and our parish. It starts on Thursday evening and goes to Sunday evening. It's not a thing you drop in on. It's a total commitment for the entire time. It's being held at a Christian Formation Center one hundred and twenty miles from here - hence the need to take Thursday afternoon too. I went to Everett on Wednesday and asked him if he'd grant me an unpaid leave of absence for the day and a half. He said he didn't think leaves of absence were possible until a person had been working here six months. We checked the policy manual and he's right. The manual states that employees can't have vacation or time off, paid or unpaid, until they've been on the staff six months. He said he'd have to refuse my request. He said he couldn't make an exception in my case because it would establish a precedent, and he was sure that over the years other people had wanted time off before they'd been her six months for other reasons and their requests had been turned down."

The acting director could see what was coming.

Leffler continued. "I went to Lois yesterday and asked her if she'd grant me the time off. There won't be another opportunity like this for a full year. I told her this was so important to me that I'd have to resign as of next Wednesday if the leave wasn't granted. I don't want to resign. I like my job. I'm doing exactly what I specialized in library school." "What died Lois say?"

"That she agreed with Everett and the policy had to be obeyed. I told her I'd have to resign next Wednesday. She said if that's the way I wanted to play it she'd have to accept my resignation. I reminded her that by my calculations I'd only a little over three weeks shy of six months service. That didn't sway her. She repeated some of Everett's arguments, but added something that really disturbs me. She said it looked to her like a case of having to choose between my religion and my job, that that's what it boils down to. I decided to try another tack. I reminded her that employees who haven't been with the library six months are allowed time off for a death in the immediate family or personal illness. I told her I could have lied and said my sister died, or that Thursday morning I felt ghastly ill and needed to go home. I could have stayed off Friday and nobody would have suspected anything. I asked her if there was no reward for being honest. You know what she said to this?"

"What?"

"That I'd get my reward in that great library in the sky. I think that's a terrible thing for a deputy director to say. Don't you?"

There was a moment's awkwardness. This was the sort of remark for which Prager was famous, and Shahn found it difficult to find a reply. She thought it better to say nothing and see if Leffler would continue, which he did.

"I'm asking you, Rosemary, as the next in line to please grant me this day and half leave."

Shahn had listened to his story with attention. She shook her head reflectively. "I can't give you an answer today, Simon. One of us will be in touch with you sometime Monday."

The programmer took his departure, a somewhat disappointed man.

Lowder University is an independent university with a student enrollment of 28,000. Its library contains over 1,400,000 volumes and has a staff of 225. There are three deputy directors, one for public services, one fore technical services, and one for automation. The university is in the throes of searching for a new director to replace the former director who retired two months ago. By virtue of being the senior deputy director in years of service Rosemary Shahn was appointed acting director until a new person is found. She and Prager are the only "in-house" candidates for the position.

Lois Prager is said to have the "inside track" on the director's position. She is a woman whose manner bespeaks authority. She is one of those persons who say quite fearlessly what they think, and this occasionally gets her into trouble. But her faults are accepted as a necessary complement to her merits. Notwithstanding a hard, uncompromising exterior which suggests extreme determination, she is also a good natured and charitable human being. Wide travel, professional leadership, the world of art and books, a dozen library associations, and existence rich with diverse experience - all these she enjoys, energetically and to the full.

Rosemary Shahn is much more easy going and comfortable. She has a placidity of temper that communicates itself to the people she is with. She is known all through the library for her administrative ability and good judgment. She and Prager enjoy a good working relationship.

Shahn is forty seven and has been deputy director for eleven years. Prager is forty four and has been in her position three years, having been the deputy director for technical services for six years prior to her present appointment. Coulter has been head of data base services for two years. He supervises one other professional programmer in addition to Leffler and two clerical assistants.

The congregation suddenly got to its feet jolting Shahn out of her reverie. "What do I do about this one?" she asked herself as she opened her hymn book.

Written by Dr. A. J. Anderson, Professor Emeritus, GSLIS, Simmons College