Bill Taber - Richfield Springs - John Jay College Prof. (Ret)

Professor William Taber ( Sociology John Jay College of Criminal Justice, retired ) AKA Dr. Bill Taber of Richfield Springs, NY welcomes you to this 100 page website.
      Recent publications concern public library trustees, with underlying themes of       responsibility, personal liberty, and the health of our society and democracy.
          Other interests include Aikido, geology, travel, aviation, general science,
          and all the Social Sciences. See links to other pages at bottom of this page.

PUBLISHED ESSAYS FOR LIBRARY TRUSTEES AND OTHERS

   For a decade, I have served on the board of the Richfield Springs Public Library (currently as President) (photo 50KB) and, until May 2005, as one of the Directors on the board of the New York State Association of Library Boards. Currently, I am also serving the board of the Four County Library System in New York State. During this time, I have written a regular column of essays in the NYSALB TRUSTEE concerning small libraries.
      Although these essays always are tied to public library topics, their underlying themes frequently center upon what is needed nationally to perserve personal liberty, to encourage a healthy society, and to safeguard a true democracy.
      The mutual interdependencies between the public library and the larger society are a microcosm of the ways in which so many features of a society are related to each other. We ignore them at our peril.
      Please observe copyright and give attribution.

      SKEPTICISM RE: LIBRARY FUNDING:  Legislator's office   Photo (40K)

BEAT THE BUSHES                                      THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 1997        ADA access - finding money
A Time For Anger                                        THE TRUSTEE: FALL 1997          "funding" "NY State" LONG
THE CONSTITUTION, PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND ROADS     THE TRUSTEE: WINTER 1998           "parallels"
DESTROY BOOKS IN A GOOD CAUSE ?     THE TRUSTEE: 1998                         "moral compromise?"
SMALL LIBRARY?                                         THE TRUSTEE: 1998                         "chuckle ... groan" SHORT
The Small Library of Nature                        Vol. X No.1 January 1999                       "beautiful"
Rewards Of Trusteeship                             Vol. X No. 3   July 1999                         "the title says it"
Guerrilla Fund Raising                                THE TRUSTEE: OCTOBER 1999            "self help '
Millennial Wish For A Small Library           THE TRUSTEE: JANUARY 2000             "doomsday and revival"
Library Policy Has A Higher Purpose         THE TRUSTEE: APRIL 2000                   "values"
Not Just For Children                                  THE TRUSTEE: JULY 2000                       "double edged sword"
The Gift of the Public Library                       THE TRUSTEE: FALL 2000                      "use it"
Can The Small Be Heard?                            THE TRUSTEE: WINTER 2000-2001         "power"
Librarian Talks To Herself                           THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 2001                  "stress"
Are You Appreciated? Velma Moore Award         THE TRUSTEE: SUMMER 2001
War Profiteers                                           THE TRUSTEE: WINTER 2001-2002   "warning warning warning"
Trustee Institute:A Chance To Learn         THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 2002
A Lesson From Los Angeles?                     THE TRUSTEE: SUMMER 2002                 "tactics"

              The following three entries should be read together:
Librarians Willing To Protect Terrorists?               THE TRUSTEE: FALL 2002                 "Patriot Act"
Letter To The Editor (A Response To "Librarians Willing To Protect Terrorists") and Taber's Reply                                                                          THE TRUSTEE: WINTER 2002-3             "war vs freedoms"
Another letter to the editor                            THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 2003

Editorial: Where We Are And Where We May Go     THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 2003    "elites ... funding"
The Limits Of Library Flexibility                  THE TRUSTEE: WINTER 2003-2004      "Survival for what end?"
Unholy Alliance                                              THE TRUSTEE: SPRING 2004                 "gifted"
Public Libraries Have A Stake                     THE TRUSTEE: SUMMER 2004             " is to provide truth"
WHOM TO HIRE OR TO KEEP                    THE TRUSTEE: FALL   2004                        "whom to choose?"
THE EMPTY BOOT                                     THE TRUSTEE: Winter 2005          "Benedict Arnold - censorship"
KICKED OUT OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS        THE TRUSTEE: Spring 2005     "Security"?

RICHFIELD SPRINGS

Weather in Richfield Springs -- is too often cold and/or precipitating or already piled up , hence the ice on my name above.
Here is a link to a Radar Summary Map of Upstate New York today. Here are links to an an aerial photo of the village (for wider view, click Size:Large on left of the photo) and of
Northern Otsego County. For history of the area, see History of Otsego, NY Index of Richfield By Holice and Debbie See also Legends and Traditions of a Northern County

Street Map of Richfield Springs, NY. - Yes, it is a small village.

Local Public Library websites:
Four County Library System ------ links to library catalog search
Richfield Springs Public Library -- Hours, address, personnel, etc.

PERSONAL ACTIVITIES, LINKS TO PHOTOS, MEMORIES, COMMENTS

I passed the 5th Kyu test June 2004 at Capital District Aikikai Aikido, Latham, NY.

In Aikido, this is equivalent to graduating from kindergarten, but at my age, I consider it to be an accomplishment.

I'm the older guy on the right. The technique shown was part of Tsuki Kotegaeshi, omote version. It counters a punch, and it ends with a pin. Two other Aikido test photos.

These photos are clips from a video. My teacher here in OTSEGO COUNTY is Linda Cox, 1st Kyu.

External websites that I have found to be useful or interesting :