Transcript Slide 1

Partnering Public Libraries in
Queensland
Our Framework and Model
Outside of a dog,
a book is man’s
best friend.
Inside of a dog,
it’s too dark to
read.
Groucho Marx
Libraries in Queensland
• 73 local governments
• 346 libraries
• Funded by local government with State grant support
Independent
CLS
IKCs
Governments 31
29
10*
Libraries
69
20
267
Regionalisation - history
• History of regional services
• Began to disaggregate in the 80s
• Last region dissolved in 1995
Regionalisation - reform
Amalgamations in 2008:
73 local government areas
• 30 of these are regional councils
69 CLS libraries
• in 29 local governments
Total CLS pop. < 100,000 (was 380,000)
Total CLS grant – $500,000 (was $2M)
Governance
• Partnership between state and local
governments
• Sound governance framework
• Protocols
• SLAs
• Standards
• Advisory mechanisms
Governance - protocols
• Roles and responsibilities of:
• State and local government in
Queensland
• Developed jointly by Qld Govt and the
LGAQ in 2006
• Queensland and local government in
managing public libraries
– Developed jointly by SLQ and
LGAQ in 1997
Governance – service level agreements
• Triennial Service Level Agreements
• List obligations in providing library
services
• Current SLA term is 1 July 2011 to 30
June 2014
• Council reports required to receive SLQ
funding
Governance - standards
• Queensland Public Library Standards
and Guidelines
• Robust standards for all kinds of libraries
• Developed collaboratively (PLSSG)
• Ensure consistency
• Provide performance criteria
Governance - PLAG
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Public Libraries Advisory Group
Advises Library Board
Represents public libraries and local
government
Members from:
• Large and small libraries
• Local governments
• Queensland Public Libraries
Association
• Local Government Association of Qld
Governance – Expanding Horizons
Funding
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Local (88%) and state governments (12%)
State Library funding includes:
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Cash grants
Book stock and support services
Support for IKCs
Specialist resources and databases.
Independent libraries
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$17.462 million
Up to 30% discretionary
66% per capita
30% population growth
4% based on indigenous population
Location and dispersion
Indexed for population growth
CLS libraries
• $ 584,503
• Council allocations use same
methodology
• Shelf-ready library materials
• Small annual cash grant
Indigenous Knowledge Centres
• $ 1.539 million
• Services for IKCs
• Shelf-ready materials, library
management, program support
• Staffing costs State Library / Indigenous
local governments
Hope Vale Indigenous
Knowledge Centre
with Shirley Costello
Centralised collections
• $ 944,000
• Language, literacy, audio books
(economies of scale)
• Free access to 9 databases
OPAL funding
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$ 600,000
Queensland web content
Information-rich communities
Queensland heritage content,
information, and learning opportunities
Expanding Horizons grants
• $ 250,000
• State-wide Expanding Horizons projects
OR
to local governments for initiatives in
specified areas
• 2010/11 – 8 family literacy projects.
Grants methodology review
• Late 2008 by Synergies Rowland
• State-wide consultation
• No major change for next 3 years*
Grants methodology review
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Outcomes-based by 2014/15
Demonstrate tangible benefits
Performance measurement
Advocacy skills
Grants methodology review
2014-2017
• State Library will:
• Review Expanding Horizons
• Develop measures
• Study of the value of public
libraries
• Support remodeled CLS
In the nonstop tsunami of global information,
librarians provide us with floaties and teach
us how to swim.
Linton Weeks
Country Lending Service
– current stock provision
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Minimum 1 item/capita in core collections
Populations <1000 min. of 1000 items
1000 items for each additional branch
Quarterly stock exchanges
• Sliding scale by population
• Stand-alone Aurora LMS (most)
• Union catalogue (some)
Country Lending Service – training
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Mostly untrained staff
Limited opening hours
Some co-located with other services
State Library support:
• Learning opportunities and
forums
• Brisbane
• Regional
• online
New service delivery model
Current 3 tier model:
 Independent
 CLS
 IKC
New 5 tier model:
 Capital city
 Urban regional
 Rural regional
 CLS
 IKC
Direct service to
each CLS branch
Service to nominated
CLS ‘headquarters’
library
Multi-branch CLS services
• Manage internal stock rotation
• Support from State Library:
• Transitional financial package
• Training and logistics assistance
• Upgrade of LMS to web-based
catalogue*
• Collection analysis
• Boutique collections
Benefits - general
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Targeted services
Digital resources
Community / library capacity building
Lifelong learning
Resource sharing (Aurora 1)
Advocacy skills development
Benefits – remote libraries
My childhood library was small enough not to be intimidating.
And yet I felt the whole world was contained in those two
rooms. I could walk any aisle and smell wisdom. Rita Dove
Benefits – remote libraries
 Sustainability
 Scalable model
 Local input into
collections
 Regular
networking
 Resource sharing
(Aurora 1)
 Low financial commitment
for small local governments
 Economies of scale for
small libraries
 Cost-effective use of
in-demand resources
 Rotation enhances range
of materials
 Training / support for
non-librarians
Limitations and challenges
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Staffing issues
Short opening hours
Bandwidth limitations in some places
Small councils most difficult to
regionalise
• Reduced CLS funding
• High travel & freight costs
Conclusion
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Diverse range of needs
Geographic / social disadvantage
Distances / decreasing populations
Embrace digital
Grow capacity of librarians
Consultation with government
Advocacy for libraries
Strategic planning