I read an article titled, DOD Sets Policies on Consolidating and Eliminating Offices and Civilian Jobs. In the article, they provide a standard where we ask ourselves the question: If we went to war tomorrow would we hire this person to end the war? If the answer is no then they want to privatize or downsize the position.
I worked as a military librarian for Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) for most of my 11 years of civil service. That position would be removed under current guidance.
During my career, my library provided a host of services for the military community. We mostly served military families. Every week we had the same 30 families come into the library to educate and entertain their children. They would come to story time, do a scavenger hunt and then each check out 30 books, and some board games and movies.
I prided myself on being part of the foundation for the Altus base community. Where we were located was very desolate and remote. It commonly was listed as one of the worst bases to be placed. To be fair, my family loved being there but mostly for the friends we made on base and how affordable it was.
All this to say that the base library served as a key area for trying to change that perception. Young airmen would show up during in-processing and I would give them a tour showing them our well-maintained video-games, board games, CLEP materials, and book and movie collections. For entertainment or education we had free materials to keep Airmen from getting too idle and in trouble.
I don’t think the administration has thought this through. The only other library within an hour was terribly outdated. As a cost saving measure, the library was inexpensive to run. I was told more than once that a single plane airborne for a day was more fuel money than my director salary for a year. Providing materials for dozens of home-schooling mothers is a better use of resources. Without MWR, there will be more recidivism at a time when we can’t afford it.
Millionaire Librarian 