Annual Plan: Central library changes

A reader has sent through some interesting research they’ve done in support of their submission on the draft Annual Plan 2011/12.

As you may know, the Social & Recreation section of the plan contains a large number of changes to many existing services, the net effect being across the board service cuts.

The stated aims of the changes for the Central Library are:

1. Reduce overall costs
2. Not unduly impact on library service

There are two ways that they want to achieve the first aim…

1. Close the library earlier – from 8:30pm to 7pm.
2. Close the dedicated information desk on the front door.

Now our keen eyed reader has done some research and had numbers to prove that a decent number (on average almost 200) people use the library in the period form 7-8:30. In actual fact, the period where the library is least used is early in the morning…

Alternative cost savings to closing the doors at 7.30pm
There are several alternatives. If it is the Council’s wish to tinker with the Central Library opening hours to safe money (or „better align library services to demand?), based on the number of items issued, an alternative more likely way to achieve the two identified goals would be for the Central library to open an hour later in the morning (at 10am) and close sometime after 8pm for example – close half an hour early in the evening. Further this encourages the small number of early morning users to delay travel into the Central Library during the weekday morning rush hour traffic.

Another alternative is to offer a few late nights at the library rather than an across the board change – if the goal is not to unduly impact services. Along with this or as an alternative is to adopt a more sophisticated opening hours schedule not to impact every opening day of every working week but instead specific nights and particular periods of the year. For example, the library could close even earlier during the summer holiday months, a period of low demand – many of these days are statutory holidays, providing a means to reduce the wage bill. It is also important that the Central Library is available to secondary school students during the evening, particularly around secondary school exam time, school libraries are closed during this time and there is high demand on library space for study purposes, especially in the evening and at night. If this change is adopted, perhaps provision could be made for extra hours during the secondary school exam period.

And then on the matter of the closure of the dedicated information desk…

ALTERNATIVE TO THE CLOSURE OF THE “DEDICATED INFORMATION DESK”
There is an alternative to the closure of this desk, not mentioned in the plan which would maintain services and also likely achieve cost savings. A less drastic approach to cost savings would be to combine the security desk and the information desk, therefore reduce staffing costs but provide still a high level of service to library users at the Central Library. My preference would be to retain the library staff, as the security officers are somewhat unsuited to the library environment. In the past year I have witnessed security staff stationed at the doors of the library assault, chase and manhandle and arbitrarily search members of the public – mainly young people who are unlikely to complain. This behaviour by security staff at the library is quite unacceptable. I asked for information under the Official Information Act about complaints made concerning the conduct of security guards located at the Central Library, but from the information I obtained it does not seem the Council (or the Library) have awareness of the conduct of their security guard operating at the Library.

Library staff, in my experience, tend to have greater tact and discretion when dealing with potentially delicate situations. Librarians located on each floor are well capable of “keeping order” on the floors and throughout the library. The closure of the information desk, located in the centre and entrance to the library will be disheartening and noticeable to many library users – whereas combining the security desk, bring the provision of security in-house would be welcomed and not likely receive the same level of adverse attention and comment. It is only a matter of time before the conduct of security guards located at the Central Library comes to light – probably by something ending up on the front page of the Dominion Post!

I urge the Council to seriously consider this as there has already been a substantial reduction in customer service with the boxing-in and fencing of the return?s counter which has reduced interaction with knowledgeable, friendly and helpful library staff at the Central Library. The central library is a big place, the desk is centrally placed and a convenient point for newcomers to the library – and lost children. There would also be less cost associated with rearranging the security desk than the costs and lay out changes associated with the removal of the closure of the information desk given the space and size of the respective desk involved. The security desk is small and could be easily lopped off of the end.

I suggest the closure of the security desk, rather than the dedicated information desk as a means to maintain the expertise of the library staff whilst also reducing costs. After the reconfiguration the library staff member on the information desk can be responsible for both the information desk tasks and the operation of the security gates, this is how it works the Victoria University?s main Kelburn Library, which is a very busy library. It seems to work well.

Again, it is wrong to claim the changes proposed in the Draft Annual Plan will not “unduly impact” library uses. The desk is well used by people visiting the Central Library. Below statistics are gained under the Official Information Act on Information Desk use at the Central Library:

Average Number of Enquiries at the Information Desk Central Library on weekdays
Week starting 26th March	Total average in person	Total average on phone	Total Average per hour	On an average day we have a total of 245 enquiries at the Info desk.
Average Total per day	196.17	49.33	245.50

The statistics show the Information Desk is a valuable service.

It also does not say in the Draft Annual Plan were the proposed closure would be temporary and how it may fit with the library redevelopment plan.