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John Mann |
Library plan must be an open book
Trade unions call for more involvement from public in consultation on changes to services
LIBRARIANS have called for the public to have its say on the future of the library service as staff hit out over the council’s controversial Growing Your Library scheme – an overhaul which would see machines replace some workers.
More than 50 librarians met on Thursday and threw down the gauntlet to the council bosses by challenging them to embark on a full consultation programme.
So far, the changes have been worked out by council chiefs without any attempt to seek the views of the people who use Camden’s libraries most regularly.
The plan is designed to make savings of around £850,000 over two years and is currently being discussed with library workers.
Library staff want Lib Dem leisure chief Councillor Flick Rea to meet library users at a public meeting before signing off the Growing Your Library plans.
Unison convener John Mann, who chaired the meeting at the Town Hall council chamber, said: “Every staff restructure across the council has started with a requirement to save money – there can be no pretence that these re-structurings have been anything other than about saving money.”
Cllr Rea and the council’s head of libraries Mike Clarke have always maintained the programme, which includes spending around £1.5million on buying up self-issuing machines, was about modernisation of the service and innovation.
They maintain that librarians, who will see their job titles changed to “customer service officers”, will be freed up to do more hosting-style work.
But in a motion agreed by members of Unison, staff said the changes represented a “dumbing down” of the service, as bosses moved away from specialist staff and departments which in the past had helped win Camden top star ratings.
Mr Mann called on Cllr Rea to hold a consultation on the introduction of self-service machines and the changes to librarians’ job descriptions.
“Staff have said the machines break down a lot and they have to help users all the time,” he said of the self-issue machines already installed in Kilburn Library. “Do people actually want these machines?”
In what was described as a significant step in a debate which has filled the New Journal letters pages for months, the meeting last week was the first time library stewards – librarians who are union members – had met to discuss the plans.
As part of the motion they voted unanimously against the proposals to cut 18 jobs and criticised the consultation process. The motion, which will be passed to Cllr Rea and Mr Clarke, said librarians “lacked confidence in the way management are conducting the consultation process”.
They also warned that there may not be enough librarians to run the service properly – in some cases there could be as few as one
librarian per library, raising safety concerns among staff.
But, when contacted by the New Journal, Cllr Rea rejected the idea of holding a public debate while the survey of staff views was taking place, and said she wouldn’t make any “rash” decisions until “we see what comes out of it”.
Instead, she said the issued had been “stirred up” and suggested that without modernisation the library service would die.
“What do I need to do – go to the public and say you’ll still have libraries in 20 years’ time, is that a good idea?” she asked.
“Savings is not the driver.
“The driver is to make the libraries more efficient.
“The driver is to bring them up to a modern standard.”
Malcolm Holmes with an exhibit from the history archive |
Dark chapter: Top archivist hits out at plans to axe his former post
THE former head of Camden’s history archives department – who was given an MBE before he retired last year – has accused Camden of blundering over its proposed library cuts.
Malcolm Holmes, who was awarded the royal accolade for 40 years of service to the local studies and archive department at Holborn Library in Theobalds Road, said he was shocked at the news they wanted to cut his old post.
Mr Holmes said: “One of the things they’re cutting is the post that I had – Flick Rea praised me for the work I did and the service I provided. Now they’re saying that post can be cut. You can’t have it both ways. She either doesn’t understand it or she isn’t consistent in her views.”
He said he was very reluctant to promote himself and his MBE but felt so strongly about the plan – revealed two weeks ago as part of the Growing Your Library programme – that he felt compelled to speak out.
He denied that negative reactions among librarians to the programme were because they were against change, pointing out he “was always a firm believer in modernisation – I fought for it”.
As part of the plans to cut 18 posts in the service, one managerial role and his former post are set to be axed.
“I can’t see how one person could do three jobs,” he warned. “Before I left I worked really hard, coming in on Sundays, and the staff would take work home.”
Cllr Rea said she “had a great deal of sympathy with Malcolm’s point” but refused to respond to his criticisms in the New Journal, instead saying she would write to him personally. |
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