HAWAII: Chickens Come Home to Roost

[Pat Wallace <DENWALL@AOL.COM>]

To all professional librarians:

Last week I received a packet of mail from Pat Matsumoto, librarian at the
Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) in Honolulu
 (patm@netra.lib.state.hi.us)
It contained copies of some historical press
coverage, recent reaction to State Librarian Bart Kane's
exclusive 5 1/2 year contract with Baker & Taylor (B&T)
to supply collection development and technical processing to the 49 public
libraries in Hawaii, and copies of e-mail now circulating among system
librarians.

I will attempt to provide excerpts and a summary of the information.

A TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP:  ABUSE OF POWER

Bart Kane has had a troubled relationship with library
users and library workers.  Late in 1994, faced with a
proposed state budget offering $5 million less than
requested by the Board of Education to the library system, Kane mailed a
survey to 309,000 library customers "to gauge their characteristics and
interests...so [libraries] can narrow services to only those that customers
want and need." (The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/4/94, A1&2).
A company called Moore Business Forms and Systems had been hired to help
design, distribute, and analyze the forms.

Local papers, state offices (Board of Education, governor, attorney general)
and Kane's office were immediately bombarded with "hundreds of angry calls a
day" from irate survey recipients.  Several letters to the editor are
excerpted below:

Helen G. Gary 12-7-94 Advertiser:

"I received from the Hawaii State Public Library System a document demanding
the age, sex, education level, ethnicity, and Social Security number of
everyone in my household, plus an indication of the total annual household
income.  It indicated that failure to comply would reselt in deletion of your
library records and you would have to obtain a new library card....No
assurance was given of confidentiality of the data demanded, nor was
information provided on how it is to be used.  The form arrived on Nov. 30,
and its dire consequences were spelled out for anyone who does not'complete
and return' by Nov. 12."

Phillip J. Davis 12-8-94 Advertiser

"This survey...is a bulk mailer's dream and will give the company that
processes it highly saleable personal information.  I would like to know what
is Mr. Kane's relationship to the...survey people...and if there are any
safeguards against their commercial exploitation of the data that was
collected at the public's expense."

Ronald S. Carlson asks:  "Is a branch of the CIA, KGB or Mossad operational
within the state library system?"
(12-8-94)

Within a week, the state Attorney General's Office advised Kane to destroy
all survey forms because "forcing people to divulge such sensitive
information may violate state privacy laws." (12-8-94, Honolulu Advertiser
front page)

The state was forced to spend nearly $8000 to run full-
page ads in both daily newspapers (on 12-7-94) apologizing and announcing
that all data received would be destroyed. Kane  "told The Advertiser that he
never intended to follow through with a threat to deactivate the cards of
people who didn't respond to the survey" and added "It's obvious that crying
wolf was not the way to do it." (ibid, p. A2)

The following week, library users called on the Board of
Education to reprimand Kane.  Library user Lynne Matusow
testified to the BOE on 12-15-94:
 "He made a threat. He had the power to enforce
 that threat.  Whether he intended to or not is
 irrelevant...He, and every other public servant
 of this state must pay the consequences if they
 abuse their power." (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 12-16-94)

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Unfortunately, Kane was never officially reprimanded.
BOE chairman Mitsugi Nakashima said:

 "As serious as this particular matter is, ...the
 board is looking at Mr. Kane's work overall, which
 has generally been very positive...I think he
 understands that ...many customers are unhappy...
 and it won't happen again." (ibid)

David Yasuo Henna, a state library worker who professed
to be a supporter of Bart Kane "despite his reputation
as a dictator who is so sure about his every move that
he does not ask for nor accept any feedback from the
rank and file" (Advertiser, 12-7-94) found it necessary
to "beg Bart to have a little more respect for the
judgement of the workers under him [who] first heard
about this questionnaire through the newspaper."

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The following E-mail message was circulated recently
among state librarians:

"In the last three years Bart Kane has wasted $334,280
of tax monies through his gross errors.  In December
1994 [he] made an $8,000 error in money but much more
costly in good will and reputation lost [see above]...

"In 1995 Hawaii State paid $75,000 to Macia Linville
to settle her claim against ...Bart Kane's poor decisions on personnel
actions taken against her.
(Advertiser, 2-20-95, A3)

"Earlier Hawaii State paid a substantial, undisclosed sum to Masae Gotanda to
settle her claim of discrimination caused by Bart Kane.

"Now in 1996 through his contract to Baker & Taylor of
North Carolina to choose all titles to send to Hawaii,
he has wasted approximately $251,280 for 12,000 mostly
unwanted, useless books at $20.94 each...

"Shouldn't the Governor and the Board of Education get
rid of his disastrous errors and costly waste?"

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This looks like a case of chickens come home to roost.
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Pat Wallace    denwall@aol.com