noted without comment: VPL sponsorship guidelines during the Olympics

Posted on by jessamyn

“Do not have Pepsi or Dairy Queen sponsor your event,” read guidelines sent to [Vancouver Public Library] branch heads and supervisory staff last fall. “Coke and McDonald’s are the Olympic sponsors. If you are planning a kids’ event and approaching sponsors, approach McDonald’s and not another well-known fast-food outlet.” [juice]

7 thoughts on “noted without comment: VPL sponsorship guidelines during the Olympics”

  1. I have seen ridiculous stuff in my time, but this one has to take the cake. What I love is how suddenly everyone is denying accountability: the library boss who created the guidelines denies she was directed to do so by the Olympics cttee. The city denies telling the library to make the guidelines, and the Olympics folks are conveniently quiet. Someone had to come up with the idea. Anyhow, what are they going to do if you already had an event in place sponsored by DQ, for instance? Cancel it and tell DQ to bug off? On the other hand, part of why this may not surprise me is that campus operates in a similar way: we have certain vendors so on we have to go through for certain things (even if the service in some cases is subpar or more expensive).

    Best, and keep on blogging.

  2. It’s just a shame that Dave Morris is not living in the area, or else that would soon be stopped.
    Given just what Dave done with McLibel,
    it would also be difficult for any library to get away with this in London.
    What ever else it you can not attempt to claim that library infrmation is neutral with any kind of outside spnsorship going on.
    It also raises some interesting issues upon conscientious objection at work.

  4. As a former VPL staff member, this does not surprise me in the least. Attitude like this is why I left that organization.

  5. Pingback: Olympic sponsorships & Vancouver Public Library: COI? « Social Justice Librarian

  6. Unfortunately this is typical of how “Big Sport” operates, we saw it in Sydney for the Olympics and are promised more of the sort if Australia is “lucky” enough to win its bid for the soccer world cup.

    I bet next year they will cut funding to the libraries because of cost overruns incurred in running games. And whoever saw an athlete promoting reading!

    Iain

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