Due to LAUSD's budgetary crisis, librarians across the city were pink-

slipped and fired. Ms. Pauline Neilly, Venice High School's very own head librarian of 21 years, was one of those unfortunate librarians who was going to lose her position.

On March 15, Ms. Neilly was fired along with 85 other district librarians, and would have been unemployed on July 1st, but the Venice School Site Council voted in favor of funding the position when the district didn't.  She has since been invited to have her job back.

Mr. Jose Carballo, the assistant librarian, was also in  danger of  

losing his position. He has been working on and off at Venice High since Sept. 

1998. In the fall he will continue to work at Venice High, but as an AVID tutor, and his position in the library is still up for debate.

However, Gov. Jerry Brown recently gave LAUSD money, which in turn the district has since decided to relinquish a small percentage to restore all library positions at high school levels and only a couple, not all, for elementary and middle school levels.  Title I funding would have been used to to purchase positions including that of the librarian had the district decided not to fund the budget. 

With the renewal of the librarian's position, which has been given enough funding for only one year until further decisions are made, the library will not be closed next semester as was initially expected. 

"You guys (students) need a library to get books, information, and a 

place to do your homework," said Mr. Carballo.

If the library is indeed closed after the next school year, students will 

no longer have the convenience of typing up and printing a report during nutrition, lunch, or after school, which is one of the library's primary uses. Students who do not have access to a computer at home will be forced to find  alternative ways to complete their assignments, unless a volunteer faculty member agrees to take reigns of the library system.

"Venice High School has always has a strong, positive vision for the library program to serve its students," stated Ms. Neilly in response to the school site council's decision to give funding for the position and a few other positions that were needed as well. 

Ms. Neilly hopes "to top 168 students at nutrition," next year, which is 

the highest traffic marking she has gotten all year.