2016-06-07 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     7 JUNE 2016


The Libraries review was conducted in two phases.

The following outcomes were achieved in the first phase:

    A 5% budget reduction was made across the 2014/15 financial year which has been
      sustained.
    A transitional libraries organisational structure was implemented, with an FTE of 28.5,
      which included the management and support functions working across libraries and
      galleries.
    A new Service Level Agreement was finalised with State Library of Queensland.


2.    Phase 2 Review

A second phase of the service review was undertaken in 2015/16 to more thoroughly consider
operational arrangements such as staffing and opening hours and to establish the foundation for
the development of a new Library strategic plan.

The review was undertaken by a Service Review Team incorporating the Director Corporate
Services, the Director Community Services and the Libraries and Galleries Manager. An external
local government analyst also assisted with this phase.

The review considered current operations, usage levels, community expectations, income and
expenditure and relevant strategic plans.

Phase two of the review highlighted that:
   The library service is highly used and valued by the community.
   Library staff are highly skilled and dedicated.
   The collection is heavily utilised and unable to meet current and future usage demands,
     particularly in digital resources.
   Noosaville Library, at 23 years old, is unable to meet current community needs and
     requires either refurbishment or relocation.
   The Mobile Library has a lifespan of 5 to 7 years and its future should be considered within
     the next 3-5 years.
   Customer usage patterns have changed and opening hours should be adjusted to respond
     appropriately.
   Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging of collections should be considered to
     enable future efficiency gains.
   Two and half years after de-amalgamation, the transitional library organisation structure
     could be revamped to better suit operational requirements.
   Savings made in the libraries’ budget should be re-directed into collections, new technology
     and refurbishment.


3.    Review Recommendations

The Review Team recommends the following changes:

In 2016/17:

(a)   Remove the equivalent of two full-time staffing positions from the Libraries team, consisting
      of one vacant Level 5 role and one full-time equivalent of casual staffing, resulting in a
      $161,374 saving.



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