From: Jo Falcon (jofalcon@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Tue Dec 03 2002 - 10:34:35 PST
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 10:34:35 -0800 (PST) From: Jo Falcon <jofalcon@exploratorium.edu> Subject: Learning Studio closure: clarification Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.44.0212031032110.4997-100000@isaac>
Since Karen K. posted her message Nov. 24 about the letter campaign to
restore the Learning Studio hours, I'm getting a lot of "huh? You're
closed?!?" e-mails and phone calls. I wondered why there weren't more
reactions to the original announcement: guess you just didn't believe it.
Yes, it IS unthinkable, but we lost almost all of our California Dept. of
Education funding, and have been closed to visitors and running at barely
life-support levels since October 15, when the original message from the
Learning Studio was sent to Pinhole (it's in the archives, titled
"Learning Studio temporarily closed").
At that point, all we could say was:
...management has found
it necessary to cut staff and hours to an extent that is
still being decided. Please stay in touch through Pinhole
and the Learning Studio home page for updates as they
become available.
Well, here are some updates. I'm the only staff member left: Gilles,
Tania and Richard were laid off, and John is now in another department.
Though you can still return materials by mail, to the front desk, or at
the Learning Studio if I'm here, no new circulation is being done at
present. Access to the "other side," the Production Studio, will be
severely limited even when we do reopen, since that's being separated from
the Learning Resources (the library side).
The good news is that we WILL reopen in January 2003. Details and hours
are still being decided (watch Pinhole and the Learning Studio home page),
but we expect to be open, at a minimum, after school and on Saturdays.
Wednesday nights are probably gone: the entire museum will be closing
those evenings as another cost-cutting measure. Though circulation may be
limited -- we don't know yet -- it will at least be possible to read,
photocopy, and use the Internet. And I've never stopped answering
reference questions.
Watch for a new and, with luck, more optimistic announcement early next
year --
Jo Falcon, MLIS
The Exploratorium Learning Studio
415 561-0343
"We unscrew the inscrutable."
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