Petition for Safe and Equitable County Library Services
To the San Diego County Board of Supervisors; Chief Administrative Officer, Helen Robbins-Meyer; San Diego County Library Director, Migell Acosta
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Librarians have called on the County of San Diego to innovate safe and accessible services. The County’s decision to rush restoration of a pre-pandemic in-person service model, while failing to innovate programs, is a disservice to Library customers, staff, and our communities.
County Executives continue to require Library employees exposed to COVID-19 to report to work, endangering employees and customers, including vulnerable populations. Making customers think that Libraries are safe to visit when they are not is a dangerous abuse of institutional credibility.
As Library customers, professional Library staff, and community members, we call on the County of San Diego to take the following steps:
- Protect our Libraries and vulnerable communities by ending the practice of forcing COVID-19-exposed employees to report to work.
- Provide safe and equitable services, such as online programming for diverse populations, technology rentals to bridge the digital divide, and expanded hours for door-side service.
- Work collaboratively with stakeholder groups, including Library staff, to develop an updated safety plan for appropriate in-person services before reopening.
Petition by
To:
To the San Diego County Board of Supervisors; Chief Administrative Officer, Helen Robbins-Meyer; San Diego County Library Director, Migell Acosta
From:
[Your Name]
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Librarians have called on the County of San Diego to innovate safe and accessible services. The County’s decision to rush restoration of a pre-pandemic in-person service model while failing to innovate programs, is a disservice to Library customers, staff, and our communities.
County Executives continue to require Library employees exposed to COVID-19 to report to work, endangering employees and customers, including vulnerable populations. Making customers think that Libraries are safe to visit when they are not is a dangerous abuse of institutional credibility.
As Library customers, professional Library staff, and community members, we call on the County of San Diego to take the following steps:
1. Protect our Libraries and vulnerable communities by ending the practice of forcing COVID-19-exposed employees to report to work.
2. Provide safe and equitable services, such as online programming for diverse populations, technology rentals to bridge the digital divide, and expanded hours for door-side service.
3. Work collaboratively with stakeholder groups, including Library staff, to develop an updated safety plan for appropriate in-person services before reopening.