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Activities
Performance Audit Committee
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27 April 2016
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Executive
summary
This review of library services is the first formal overall
review since the District was created in 1989 although incremental changes have
been made over time. The review is driven by the requirement in Section
17A of the Local Government Act 2002 which requires the Southland District
Council (SDC) to consider the best option for the governance, funding and
operations of the Southland District Libraries (SDL). Five options
have been considered and the preferred option is to retain the direct governance
and management of libraries with partial outsourcing of some functions.
The following recommendations are based on this option.
Library services need to fit with the Council’s vision
for thriving, healthy Southland communities. More people are needed to ensure
economic growth, better lifestyle and improved education and social
services. Attracting additional people will require a focus on more
enterprise and quality of life aspects. Libraries, along with
Southland’s other social, recreational and community facilities,
contribute to the lifestyle that makes the District a place where people choose
to live. Libraries provide creative recreation, lifelong learning
opportunities and connect the people of Southland with local, national and
global information, business and knowledge networks.
Digital connectivity will drive community and economic
development throughout Southland. Venture Southland’s Digital
Strategy sees libraries as central to ensuring Southlanders have the skills and
knowledge to make the most of the broadband and mobile connectivity and have
access to the tools and content to realise the benefits for life and work.
Southland region has a number of
unique demographic characteristics:
· It
is the largest local authority in New Zealand by physical area having 11% of
New Zealand’s landmass.
· Population
density is sparse and maintenance of the roading network is the
District’s largest cost.
· 53%
of the District’s population live in rural areas, the remaining 47% in
one of the District’s 30 townships.
· Five
of these towns have greater than 20% of their population aged 65 years and over
and only three of the towns have populations greater than 1,000 people.
· 2.4%
of New Zealanders live in Southland yet it produces 15% of New Zealand’s
exports largely from the land and value-added production.
These local factors coupled with the trends occurring in
libraries, both nationally and internationally, will have an impact on how SDL
delivers services into the future. We are seeing libraries shifting from
being primarily lending and book focused institutions to being places for
people engagement (helping to build and strengthen communities), and places
that provide a wide range of resources and activities that help everyone to
fully participate in society (resulting in lifelong learning, innovation and
knowledge).
The move to mobile means that a person is never more than a
click away from being able to search for an answer to a question; and while the
support of reading and functional literacy remains a core role for public
libraries a growing area is that of digital literacy. New disruptive
technologies[1]
and different service innovations are emerging all the time; virtual reality,
smart homes, massive open online courses (MOOCS), big data manipulation,
drones, robotics and others not yet invented. Libraries are responding by
providing opportunities for people to try out technologies and create their own
content and innovations.
SDL currently provides services from eight staffed
libraries, a Bookbus and three voluntary libraries. Seven of the eight
libraries provide access to the internet and free Wi-Fi. Five of the
libraries are combined library and service centres. Hours of opening
vary across the District and the larger libraries provide programmes and other
services as well as a wide range of collections. The SDL’s digital
services are in their infancy and the range and extent of eBooks and other
digital resources are small. The SDL’s catalogue is online but the
website is basic.
The benchmarking work indicates that Southland is at the
lower end of per capita funding and its staffing is also at the lower end of
staff per 1,000 population. Its issues per capita are good given the
geographic spread of its libraries and members clearly appreciate the
collections as the issues per member is high in comparison to all other
libraries except Queenstown Lakes. Again, given the spread of its
population a membership rate of 56% of population is very good. It is
much easier to build a membership base when the population is concentrated in a
significantly sized town.
The biggest improvements to how the business operates will
come from taking advantage of the consortia opportunities available for the
running of the library management system (LMS) (Kōtui) and procuring
collections to provide shelf ready, catalogued items. Both of these
require modest additional investment but the benefits in terms of effective and
efficient operations and the customers benefit in easier search options,
improved website and direct to shelf acquisitions will return value on the
investment.
Other investment recommended includes funding for the
eventual move to RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies within
three years and funding for a new Winton premise within the next 10
years. We fully understand the need for prudent use of ratepayer funds
and recommend that a 10 year investment plan for both operational and capital
improvements is put together as soon as practical.
There are 24 recommendations in the report which detail a
range of strategic, policy and operational suggestions for change. They
are:
Recommendations
1. In
conjunction with Invercargill City Council (ICC) and Gore District Council
(GDC) develop a strategy that looks to promote the notion of “Southland
Libraries for all” brought to you by ICC, SDC and GDC.
2. Grow
the depth and range of digital content and promote this service to rural
residents as broadband spreads through the District.
3. Join
Kōtui for provision of the LMS and to take advantage of collaborative
opportunities; connect Stewart Island to the LMS at the time of going live with
Kōtui or earlier if this is not likely to happen in 2016/2017.
4. Use
Enterprise discovery layer (the catalogue for the LMS) as the SDL’s
website and link this from the Council’s website; budget $15,000 for a
one-off design cost to get the template properly designed.
5. Plan
for and fund the introduction of RFID within the next three years.
6. Introduce
Wi-Fi on the Bookbus and use with tablets to promote access to eBooks and
databases, and provide access to the internet for users of the Bookbus.
7. Investigate
the slow connections to Council systems.
8. Increase
the range of available eBooks and eMagazines and begin to promote this as a
viable option particularly for those remote from libraries. This will
need a sustainable campaign and good education and training of SDL’s
staff to be effective. As part of this campaign have tablet and/or eBook
readers available for use in libraries so that staff can demonstrate these to
customers.
9. Outsource
up to 80% of collection supply to shelf ready and develop standing orders for
fiction and selected non-fiction based on community profiles. Phase this
in over a
two-three year period if necessary.
10. Reduce
excessive duplication of fiction titles after consultation with affected
Community Boards.
11. Get
comparative pricing from two or three magazine suppliers, including the local
bookseller such as Paper Plus.
12. Reduce
stack collections in branches and return to central stack for selection by
other libraries.
13. Seek
opportunities to develop a new community hub and library/service centre in
Winton in partnership with other community, commercial, health or educational
organisations. Fund for this redevelopment in the next 10 Year Plan.
14. Consult
with the Stewart Island community to investigate whether a self-service model
in some form would be worth trialling at this library.
15. In
collaboration with the Nightcaps school and community investigate whether
alternative service models would be acceptable.
16. At
such time as the Council may be reviewing the community and service needs of
Tuatapere and surrounding districts, work with the community and the
Waiau Memorial Trust to see how a wider range of library services could be
offered. In the meantime instigate a regular annual meeting with the
Trust to support and review the agreement.
17. The
District Libraries Manager develops service delivery standards in collaboration
with the Customer Support Team Leader and produces an Annual Plan for clarity
around priorities.
18. A
realignment of roles is done to clarify the responsibilities and skills needed
to deliver the service following the Customer Support restructure and the out
sourcing of collection supply.
19. Ensure
staff have the opportunity to participate in professional development and
receive ongoing training.
20. Be
open to partnership opportunities that are aligned with SDL’s objectives
and bring new users to libraries, eg partnership with rural education
institutions to provide resources and services from various library locations.
21. Develop
a more comprehensive and systematic system for collecting, using and reporting
on library data, particularly around electronic use.
22. Use
focus groups of non-users, telephone surveys, use data and other mechanisms to
gather information on user and non-user needs for the various communities of
interest to inform service development.
23. Consider
reviewing the current funding mechanism for libraries to determine whether the
mix of uniform annual charge and targeted local rate is the most equitable way
of funding libraries.
24. Develop
a 10 Year Investment Plan, both operational and capital for the next
10 years to phase in the recommendations in this report.
1 Introduction
The SDC contracted Nicki Moen and Associates to provide
professional consultant input into their review of the library services.
The report has been researched and written by her associate Sue Sutherland of
Sue Sutherland Consulting.
This is the first structured review of library services
since the District was created in 1989. In preparation for the
review staff had prepared a paper outlining the current service and emerging
issues identified by Libraries staff.
The review was to:
· Recommend
a future structure for the delivery of service in the context of
Section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002, considering the governance,
management, operational and funding parameters.
· Critically
review the services and benchmark against other councils and LIANZA standards
as appropriate.
· Recommend
areas for future improvement in order to maintain and enhance the delivery of
services to the customers, meeting both current and future demands.
Nicki Moen met with the Chief Executive, Steve Ruru, the
Group Manager Community and Environment, Bruce Halligan and the District
Libraries Manager, Lynda Hodge in early January 2016. This was followed
by a visit to the District by Sue Sutherland in mid-January. During this
visit Sutherland met with Marianne Foster, Invercargill City Library Manager
and paid a number of visits to libraries (Te Anau, Riverton, Otautau and
Winton). She also met with Bruce Halligan, Lynda Hodge and a number of
the SDL team, gathering information and insights into the District’s
library services. In addition to the visits, key documents were scanned
and a benchmarking exercise completed.
The report looks at five options for the governance and
delivery of library services and recommends a preferred option (Section
3). The strategic context is outlined and trends in libraries described
(Sections 4 and 5). The current situation (Section 6) draws heavily on
the report written by SDC staff. The benchmarking section (Section 7)
compares SDL against five other libraries across a range of key performance
indicators. The section on challenges and opportunities (Section 8) draws
from the preceding data and analyses the main strategic, policy and operational
challenges facing SDL. It offers a series of recommendations for the
future which address the specific challenges experienced by the
Southland District and those experienced by libraries in general as they
look to deal with the impact of the digital world on content and services.
2 Statutory
Drivers
This document is the SDC Libraries Service Delivery Review
2016, undertaken in terms of Section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002.
There are both statutory and non-statutory drivers for the
libraries service delivery review as follows:
Statutory:
The Local Government Act 2002 imposes an important statutory
duty on all councils with regard to service delivery reviews.
Section 17A of the Act -
Delivery of Services - requires that:
(1) A
local authority must review the cost-effectiveness of current arrangements for
meeting the needs of communities within its district or region for good-quality
local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory
functions.
(4) A
review under subsection (1) must consider options for the governance, funding,
and delivery of infrastructure, services, and regulatory functions, including,
but not limited to, the following options:
(a) responsibility
for governance, funding, and delivery is exercised by the local authority:
(b) responsibility
for governance and funding is exercised by the local authority, and
responsibility for delivery is exercised by—
(i) a
council-controlled organisation of the local authority; or
(ii) a
council-controlled organisation in which the local authority is one of several
shareholders; or
(iii) another
local authority; or
(iv) another
person or agency:
(c) responsibility
for governance and funding is delegated to a joint committee or other shared
governance arrangement, and responsibility for delivery is exercised by an
entity or a person listed in paragraph (b)(i) to (iv).
(5) If
responsibility for delivery of infrastructure, services, or regulatory functions
is to be undertaken by a different entity from that responsible for governance,
the entity that is responsible for governance must ensure that there is a
contract or other binding agreement that clearly specifies—
(a) the
required service levels; and
(b) the
performance measures and targets to be used to assess compliance with the
required service levels; and
(c) how
performance is to be assessed and reported; and
(d) how
the costs of delivery are to be met; and
(e) how
any risks are to be managed; and
(f) what
penalties for non-performance may be applied; and
(g) how
accountability is to be enforced.
Therefore, this section of the
Local Government Act 2002 requires, as a minimum, that the review must
consider:
· Governance
and funding by council alone or in a ‘joint committee’ of one or
more councils
· Delivery
by: either a council; or the following alternative delivery structures:
(a) A CCO owned
by council or jointly owned with another shareholder; or
(b) Another
council; or
(c) Another
person or agency (noting that a “person” could be a contractor,
corporate and “agency” could be some form of joint arrangement.
Non-Statutory:
While as outlined above there is
a statutory driver to undertake this review, there are also other important
drivers such as:
· Ensuring
that Council is delivering what matters to its communities in terms of library
services.
· Ensuring
that the modes and form of delivery are dynamic, effective and efficient,
consistent with Council’s drive towards achieving this organisation-wide.
· Closely
scrutinising current and future emerging trends in library services and
configuring the services provided accordingly.
· Closely
scrutinising services such as procurement of items for the library services to
ensure these represent best value for money, and have appropriate levels of
transparency and contestability.
3 Service
Delivery Options
Under Section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002, the
Council is required to review the cost-effectiveness of current arrangements
for good quality governance, funding and delivery of services. We have
considered six possible options and these are summarised below:
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Option
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1:
Volunteer Management
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2:
Outsource to Invercargill City Council
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3.
Regional Library Service
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4:
Retain Operations with Partial Outsourcing
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5.
Establish a Trust
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6:
Fully Online Digital Model
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Strategic approach
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Divestment - cost
saving. No strategic value in library services for SDC.
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Drive efficiency and cost
saving through entire outsourcing of operations.
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Take a Southland wide view of
library services and combine ICC, SDC and GDC into a jointly owned CCO.
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Drive efficiencies through
collaborative approaches and reinvest savings into service development .
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Hold or reduce costs by
requiring Trust to find funds to top up fixed Council grant.
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Transform through a mix of
investment/ divestment. Significant development costs.
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Role of library
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Libraries are viewed as book
lending clubs managed by community. Libraries have run their course.
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Libraries become branches of
Invercargill City Library.
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Libraries developed as part of
a regional service, with own CE and reporting to a Board.
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Libraries developed as a
valuable strategic asset and part of community infrastructure.
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Libraries development
dependent on the Trust sourcing new funding from other sources.
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Library services and content
all online - no or limited physical presence. Value is in transforming
services to a 21st century medium.
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Governance
retained
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No.
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Limited through contract.
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Limited through the
appointment of Board member.
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Yes.
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No.
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Yes.
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Financial
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$$$$ Significant savings.
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$ Unknown. Could in fact
cost more. ICC cost per capita ca. $70.
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$$ unknown. May have one
off set up costs. Could be savings after this.
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$$ savings reinvested; modest
new investment.
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$$ Some savings expected
through fixed fee contract.
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$$$ Unknown but could require
significant investment upfront.
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Impact on Council
customer service
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Council services no longer
offered in conjunction with libraries.
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May be able to retain Council
services but would require separate management.
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May be able to retain Council
services but would require separate management.
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Council customer services
retained through proposed CE model.
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May be able to retain Council
services but would require separate management.
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Council customer services
would be run separately as no longer physical libraries.
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Customer impact
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Customers dissatisfied.
Significant drop in service.
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Library customers probably
satisfied but no longer the ‘one stop shop’.
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Library customers probably
satisfied but no longer the ‘one stop shop’.
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Council and Library customer
service enhanced. Growth in customer base through new services.
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Library customers probably
satisfied but no longer the ‘one stop shop’.
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Drop in service to most
customers in the medium term. Customers dissatisfied.
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Outcome
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Loss of strategic asset for
social and educational wellbeing.
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Possible loss of identity
relevant over time; service development may not meet rural needs.
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Could be improved service for
residents; more difficult for SDC to influence strategic development.
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Libraries remain core
integrated service of SDC developing to meet local needs.
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Libraries separate from
Council which has little ability to influence development.
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Libraries as community spaces
of learning and connection disappear; digital divide issues.
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3.1 Volunteer
management
The Council already supports three voluntary run libraries
at Tuatapere, Manapouri and Gropers Bush. This model would see the
Council hand over responsibility for the running of all its libraries to local
community groups of volunteers. While this would be a cost saving it
would be a significant drop in service from that currently offered. There
would be no
co-ordination across the District as each library would be run by an autonomous
committee.
This would mean no collection sharing, no inter-library loan
from other libraries around the country and no access to eContent, Wi-Fi and
the internet.
Libraries would be no more than book lending clubs.
This is a model that is being implemented in some parts of the UK as central
government and local governments slash funding for public services, to huge
public outcry. It places no value on the professional skills of
librarians in supporting the information and learning needs of
communities.
This option is not recommended.
3.2 Outsource
operations to Invercargill City Council
This option would see the Council contracting service
provision under Section 17A (4b(iii)) to the ICC. The Invercargill City
Library would run SDC’s libraries as branches or community libraries of
their city library. An advantage of this would be more seamless service
across the whole of Southland. However, this is already possible in that
anyone in Southland can join Invercargill City Library without additional cost,
and use their services, under the current reciprocal agreement through
SouthLib. Another reason SDC might consider this option is as a cost
saving mechanism. However the per capita cost for Invercargill City
Library is in the vicinity of $70-$72 per capita which is considerably more
than the current per capita cost of $45 for SDC. A disadvantage of this
option is that currently SDC provides an integrated library and customer
service experience at all except for the Te Anau library (and excluding the
voluntary libraries). This is unlikely to be possible if library service
was outsourced to ICC. Further, ICC has little experience of
operating community libraries in rural locations.
This option is not recommended.
3.3 Regional Library
Service
Library services, where several councils combine to deliver
a seamless library service for a region is common in parts of Australia.
Governance is by a Board appointed from the contributing councils. The
Board engages a Chief Executive/Library Manager who is then responsible for
running the combined service. The Council’s basically contract for
service from this entity (possible a CCO of the combined councils). The
Regional Library service operates all the libraries and the individual councils
provide the buildings and maintain them. All other aspects become the
responsibility of the Regional Library service. It is important that this
Regional Library service is separately set up and is not just run by one of the
three combining councils. So in the short term it may have
additional set up costs. This option has some attractions as it
would almost certainly improve the extent and range of services available to
rural members. However, it would also make it more difficult for SDC to
operate its combined library/service model. The Regional Library service
has not been tried in New Zealand and the time and cost to bring it about and
persuade the other councils of the merits means it is not an option in the
short term. We do believe there is merit in having discussion with the
other two councils to ascertain their interest in such a model and if there was
it would require a strong business case before proceeding.
This option is not recommended.
3.4 Retain operations
with partial outsourcing
This option is a development of the status quo and seeks to
maximise efficiency of the operations through outsourcing certain functions to
get economies of scale and to enable reinvestment of any savings into
developing new or improving existing services. It retains the governance
and management of a strategic community asset within the Council’s
responsibility. In some of the District’s smaller towns it is the
only Council facility and provides a face for the organisation that has its
headquarters out of the District in Invercargill. It is the only option
that enables the Chief Executive’s vision for improved, more seamless
customer service to be delivered. It enables a shared approach to be
taken to promote library services across the region but keeps the strategic
accountability within Council. A large number of councils, both large
and small, have adopted this type of strategy.
This is the preferred option and recommendations contained
in this report are based on this option.
3.5 Establish a Trust
This option would see the formation of a Trust to govern and
run the library service under contract to the SDC. There is currently
only one model in New Zealand and that is the Te Horowhenua Trust which is
responsible for Te Takere in Levin and libraries in Shannon, Foxton and one
voluntary library in Tokomaru. The main purpose for putting the library
services into a Trust is the perceived benefit of greater access to funding
available for charitable purposes. The core funding is still provided by
the local Council but there is more ability to seek funding for projects or additional
technology, or to run specific new services. While this model has some
appeal it does mean setting up a whole new governance structure. The
Council becomes one step removed from a strategic asset and tensions can evolve
around the decisions made by the Trust’s strategic direction. This
option would also impact on Council’s ability to run an integrated
customer service model for libraries and Council customer service.
This option is not recommended.
3.6 Fully online
digital model
This option is based on the assumption that the
‘always on’ access to the internet via cell or broadband on a
mobile device is changing the way people access content and services.
Given the huge geographical spread of Southland District and the distance that
some people are from a fixed service point this option is seen as providing the
most equitable service via a 21st century medium - online. SDC retains
governance and management of the operation but no longer needs to provide
physical library locations. No library service in the western world has
yet moved to a fully digital service model with no physical locations.
There are disadvantages currently to implementing this model including the
range of material in eBook format, the variable quality of broadband in the District
and aptitude and skill level of potential users. However, the online
digital model as an option alongside the physical library model is a good way
to reach customers in more remote parts of the District and the report contains
recommendations on how to strengthen this service. As a fully digital
only model it is not viable in the foreseeable future.
This option is not recommended.
4 Strategic
Context
4.1 Southland
District Council
The Libraries Future Directions investigation is part of
SDC’s broader strategic planning process. The recommendations for
the development of library services in the District need to fit with
Council’s over-arching vision for the District and contribute to the
outcomes sought by Council. In SDC’s 2015-2025 Long Term Plan,
Libraries sit within Community Services and play an important role in
contributing to Council’s vision and mission.[2]
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“To have thriving,
healthy Southland communities”
“Working together for a
better Southland”
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The Council has identified three community outcomes:
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Supporting our communities
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Making the most of our resources
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Being an effective Council
|
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We want Southland’s
communities to be desirable places to grow up, work, run a business, live,
raise a family, retire and enjoy a safe and satisfying life
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We will strive to be good
custodians of the environment to ensure that people living here now and in
the future can grow and proposer, while retaining the natural beauty of
Southland
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We will endeavour to be prudent,
innovative and be an enabler to our communities
|
SDC, along with ICC, GDC and
Environment Southland, has developed the Southland Regional Development
Strategy 2015. The central goal of the strategy is:
The strategy identified that the greatest threat to the
region is the lack of people. With more people comes “economic
growth, talent, social interaction, lifestyle enhancement, improved health,
education and social services.”[3]
Attracting additional people will require a focus on more enterprise and
quality of life aspects. Three activity streams are proposed:
People and Place (lifestyle), Commercial Enterprise (jobs) and Community
Enterprise (quality of life). Each pathway requires building on the
foundations that already exist in Southland, making the most of what they have
and attracting innovative talent and new skills and industries.
Libraries, along with Southland’s other social,
recreational and community facilities, contribute to the lifestyle that makes
the District a place where people choose to live. Libraries provide
creative recreation, lifelong learning opportunities and connect the people of
Southland with local, national and global information and knowledge networks.
4.2 Venture Southland
Venture Southland is the economic development arm of SDC, ICC
and GDC. The recently published Digital Strategy 2015[4] identifies the strategic
vision as:
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“Digital connectivity
drives community and economic development throughout Southland”
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The strategy has three outcomes:
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Connection
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Capability
|
Content
|
|
Southlanders can enjoy a
world-class, affordable, ubiquitous telecommunications service at a universal
price
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Southlanders have the skills,
knowledge and security they need to leverage the benefits of broadband and
mobile connectivity
|
Southlanders benefit from improved
services, efficiency and innovation from digitising and sharing content,
undertaking real time monitoring and leveraging the potential of big data
|
Each of these outcomes has a
number of strategic goals which have direct relevance to services provided by
SDL:
· Southlanders
have free access to the internet from public libraries and/or community hubs in
their local communities.
· The
viability of public Wi-Fi networks, including library based services … is
analysed with a view to expanding the availability of Wi-Fi for the benefit of
residents and tourists alike.
· Digital
enablement training and advisory service supports Southland residents to gain
the skills and confidence they need to access the internet, connect with others
and use digital technology to achieve their goals.
· The
sustainability of rural communities is supported through enabling residents,
community groups and businesses to access and use digital technology.
· Community
groups are supported to use and engage with digital technology to make
efficiency gains, create connections.
· Older
people are supported to develop and grow their digital skills to enable them to
continue to participate and contribute fully in their community and employment.
4.3 District
Libraries Activity in the Annual Plan
The District Libraries Activity is described in the Annual
Plan for 2014/2015.[5]
|
Aim: To connect residents to
local, national and global communities, information and ideas.
What we do
The
library service includes 12 local community libraries, spread across the
District, a mobile library service, educational programmes and activities and
access to a range of library and information resources via the
internet. A reciprocal membership agreement known as the SouthLib consortium
gives all residents reciprocal membership to any library in the lower South
Island.
Why
we do it
The
library service activity primarily contributes to the Council outcome ‘Supporting
our Communities’. The activity contributes to this
outcome by providing people with quality places to enjoy reading, listening,
viewing and interacting. As a free community recreational facility,
libraries are accessible and have a range of resources and information which
encourages learning. Libraries act as community hubs, providing social
spaces where people can meet and relax in a warm, comfortable, safe and
neutral environment. Individuals can engage with library services
and with other people in their communities; they can participate in community
life and decision-making. Libraries assist communities to value their
heritage and to embrace diversity and creativity and to value the Treaty of
Waitangi. Library spaces foster a sense of connection and belonging and
support strong local engagement.
|
Two major projects are identified in the Annual and 10 Year
Plans for the Te Anau Library, with the first project
reconfiguring and refurbishing the building. This upgrade will enable
better utilisation of the space formerly occupied by Destination Fiordland in
the same building and assist with improving the user experience. The
second project is to upgrade the LED lighting in the building.
The activity is funded primarily through a universal general
charge with a smaller targeted rate and a contribution from user fees and
charges. The targeted rate varies from community to community and is
designed to reflect that these communities receive a greater level of service
than those which do not have a physical library. This applies to Te Anau,
Winton, Lumsden, Wyndham, Riverton and Otautau.
Key performance indicators for SDL are provided in Appendix
2.
4.4 Key demographic,
social and economic drivers for the future
Southland region has a number of
unique characteristics:
· SDC
is the largest council by geographic size and the region is geographically
diverse encompassing 11% of New Zealand’s landmass.
Population density is sparse and maintenance of the roading network is the
District’s largest cost.
· 53%
of the District’s population live in rural areas, the remaining 47% in
one of the District’s 30 townships. Five of these towns (Manapouri,
Nightcaps, Tuatapere, Winton and Riverton) have greater than 20% of their
population aged 65 years and over[6].
Only three of the towns have populations greater than 1,000 people (Te Anau
2,628, Winton 2,436 and Riverton 1,506). A table of the current
population of towns and their project growth is attached as Appendix 1.
· 2.4%
of New Zealanders live in Southland yet it produces 15% of New Zealand’s
exports largely from the land and value-added production. The economy
grew by 11% in 2013/2014, the highest rise in GDP within New Zealand but the
high reliance on dairy farming makes Southland vulnerable to market changes.
· It
has high employment and participation rates compared to the rest of New Zealand
but has an ageing workforce. The Southland Workforce Strategy 2014-2031
identifies “that Southland faces significant labour market contraction,
forecast to begin in 2018 and quickly deepen, due primarily to structural
ageing within the population. This will be compounded by changing skill
requirements in the workforce”[7].
· The
population of the District is growing slowly but the Regional Strategy
identifies a greater rate of growth is needed. While growth is happening
some of the smaller towns in the District have static or declining populations,
eg Ohai and Nightcaps.
· There
is strong recognition by Southland leadership that economic wellbeing is
strongly linked to quality of life and lifestyle benefits which will attract
new people to the region, and retain existing populations. Quality
infrastructure, particularly broadband and cellular networks have both economic
and social benefits in attracting and retaining people and business to the
region.
5 Trends
In Libraries
5.1 Key trends
In order to plan for future library services it is important
to understand the key trends in libraries. Nationally and
internationally, we are seeing libraries shifting from being primarily lending
and book focused institutions to being places for people engagement (helping to
build and strengthen communities), and places that provide a wide range of
resources and activities that help everyone to fully participate in society
(resulting in lifelong learning, innovation and knowledge).
In summary the most significant
trends are:
· The
move to mobile means that a person is never more than a click away from being
able to search for an answer to a question.
· The
rise in importance of local knowledge and content in the face of globalisation.
In response, public libraries are collecting born digital material and
working with local communities to both digitise photos and other documents and
research and write about events as they happen.
· The
importance of libraries as a civic and community space has not diminished with
the move of content online. New libraries are still being built with more
space for people activities: learning centres, small theatre or
performing spaces, digital and music making studios, maker spaces, meeting spaces
and areas for sitting, reading and individual study.
· Libraries
are being integrated and/or co-located with other services: educational,
cultural, recreational or retail services such as shopping malls, which provide
a ‘one stop shop’ approach for citizens.
· The
maker space, or fab lab[8]
is just one example of libraries providing access to new technologies which the
ordinary person would not normally have access to. This can be as simple
as providing opportunities to use a 3D printer to more sophisticated learning
labs that provide workshop and domestic tools; tablets, laptops and access to
Wi-Fi are standard.
· There
is a renewed focus on reading in the education and library sectors.
Children who read for pleasure do significantly better in school, and
those who were read to before the age of five had better vocabularies and
language skills.[9]
Libraries are making greater impact by linking up in nationwide projects
such as the summer reading programme to counteract the slide in reading skills
when children are on the long summer holiday from school.
· While
the support of reading and functional literacy remains a core role for public
libraries a growing area is that of digital literacy. The American
Library Association defines it as “the ability to use information and
communication technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate
information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills”[10].
· New
disruptive technologies and different service innovations are emerging all the
time; virtual reality, smart homes, massive open online courses (MOOCS), big
data manipulation, drones, robotics and others not yet invented.
5.2 Strengthening
communities
Today throughout the world good public libraries are highly
valued as “community living-rooms” in that they promote social
inclusion and provide spaces for a wide range of social, recreational and
learning activities. People are using them in new ways and they have
become increasingly busy places. More space is given over to seating,
study, activities and access to technology, as well as books and other
materials.
Te Takere, Levin.
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Great local libraries have a
reputation for being welcoming quality destinations that are attractive,
convenient and easy to use, and are a focal point for local community
activity
|
New libraries are often no longer standalone facilities but
will be part of community complexes that bring together other community, educational
or commercial facilities, for customer convenience. The most recent
community library in Halswell, Christchurch is
co-located with a recreation centre and swimming pool; the Botany Downs
community library in South Auckland is in a shopping mall; and the Ruataniwha
Centre in Kaiapoi houses the library, museum, art space and Council service
centre and meeting rooms.
5.3 Knowledge economy
and innovation
Modern libraries are still providing books and magazines
that promote the enjoyment of reading. However, the move of content and
services online means the role of libraries has broadened to support the
development of literacy in all its forms, and in the fullest possible
sense. Today’s libraries provide people of all ages with a wide
range of resources, tools, and experiences that support the development of
literacy skills, promote reading, develop digital literacy and facilitate
life-long learning.
Although there is a vast quantity of information and data
online not all of it is free. More quality content is going behind
paywalls. Libraries subscribe to electronic databases such as
Ancestry.com, Press Display and Encyclopaedia Britannica so that users continue
to have access to the items they used to be able to get in print. EBooks,
eMagazines and eAudio books are becoming more common in libraries. Issues
of supply in New Zealand are slowly being resolved. Publisher’s
Weekly reported that in 2014 eBook sales accounted for 27.2% of adult trade
sales, but print trade paperback sales also increased. It seems likely
that print and digital formats for books, magazines and newspapers will sit
alongside each other for the foreseeable future and libraries will need to
continue to supply both formats.
|
The challenge for librarians
(and also for funders) is to ensure that libraries remain relevant to all
sectors of the community and are responsive to rapidly changing technologies
|
The technology environment will continue to evolve and
libraries will be key places to visit to try out new technologies, access the
internet for free, use Wi-Fi, explore and create content and connect and
collaborate with others.
5.4 Doing things more
efficiently and effectively
With the fast pace of change influenced by technology
developments, it is inevitable that libraries must take stock of how they are
currently utilising resources (including technology, digital resources,
staffing resources, and the actual physical space of the library).
Libraries are no longer places for primarily housing
collections - but also are places for people engagement, places for sharing and
creating new knowledge, and for enriching lives - in a way we might never have
imagined even 20 years ago.
|
Making this strategic shift
requires libraries to be operating in an environment that is responsive to
change - with staff able to constantly assess the needs of their community as
well as being aware of what is happening in the wider professional
environment
|
The future of libraries is likely to continue to see digital
resources and technology experiences seamlessly integrated with the physical
resources. The local library will expand beyond its walls so that working
alongside of others, or providing a 24 hour personalised digital library, will
be as important as providing a place for all of the community to use as their
social hub.
In addition to being ready for
change, this will require:
· Rethinking
the key skills and capabilities needed within the SDL team.
· Constantly
adopting and adapting to new technology and improving opportunities to connect
people to the digital world.
· Ensuring
the physical library environment remains relevant to all sectors of the
community, is accessible and can easily accommodate a changing and wider range
of activities.
· Regularly
reviewing and refining processes.
· Establishing
new connections within the community.
· Working
together - within the community but also regionally, nationally and even
internationally.
The best way for libraries and their funders to remain
relevant is to be rooted in their communities, be flexible and ready to adapt
and change services as needs change, and to experiment and pilot new ideas and
services.
6 Current
Situation
(Note: This section draws heavily on the draft
report by SDL staff)
6.1 Location and
hours
The current locations and hours of operation of SDC
libraries are as outlined below. As can be seen there is quite a bit of
variability, which reflects the differing staffing levels and demands at the
various libraries throughout the District. There are voluntary libraries
at Manapouri and Gropers Bush, and the Waiau Memorial Library at Tuatapere,
which is also voluntary, is run by a Trust, and receives a greater level of
support than the other two. The Nightcaps Library is a joint service
with the primary school. The Bookbus operates on a monthly timetable.
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Library and Location
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Opening Hours
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Winton Library
1 Wemyss Street
Winton 9720
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Mon, Wed, Thurs
Tues, Fri
Tues, Fri
Sat
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8.30 am - 5.00 pm
8.30 am - 6.00 pm (Winter)
8.30 am - 7.00 pm (Summer)
9.30 am - 1.00 pm
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Te Anau Library
24 Milford Crescent
Te Anau 9600
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Mon
Tues - Fri
Fri
Sat
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1.00 pm - 5.00 pm (May - Aug)
1.00 pm - 6.00 pm (Sep - Apr)
9.00 am - 5.00 pm (May - Aug)
9.00 am - 6.00 pm (Sep - Apr)
9.00 am - 7.00 pm
(Labour Weekend -
Easter)
10.00 am - 1.00 pm
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Riverton Library
117 Palmerston Street
Riverton 9822
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Mon - Thurs
Fri
|
8.00 am - 4.30 pm
8.00 am - 6.00 pm
|
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Otautau Library
176 Main Street
Otautau 9610
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Mon - Fri
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8.00 am - 5.00 pm
|
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Lumsden Library
18 Diana Street
Lumsden 9730
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Mon, Wed, Fri
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10.00 am - 5.00 pm
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Wyndham Library
41 Balaclava Street
Wyndham 9831
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Tues
Thurs
|
2.00 pm - 5.00 pm
2.00 pm - 5.00 pm
6.30 pm - 8.00 pm
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|
Stewart Island Library
10 Ayr Street
Stewart Island 9846
|
Mon
Wed
Fri
Sat
|
12.30 pm - 1.30 pm
2.30 pm - 3.30 pm
12.30 pm - 1.30 pm
11.00 am - 12.00 noon
|
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Nightcaps Library
C/- Takitimu Primary School
15 Evan Street
Nightcaps 9630
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Every first and third
Tuesday of each month
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3.15 pm - 5.00 pm
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We were advised that the inconsistency of hours has been
identified as a barrier in previous Council surveys. Certainly the small
number of hours at libraries such as Nightcaps and Wyndham could be considered
inadequate. The lack of Saturday opening at Riverton could also be
considered a barrier given that the library is only open until 4.30 pm
four days of the week.
6.2 Current approach
to delivery of services
Since the creation of Southland District in 1989 as a result
of the 1989 local government reorganisation, one of the key approaches to the
delivery of Council services has been to have a devolved network of local
offices/libraries, consistent with Council's "People First"
mission statement.
This devolved network recognises that the Southland District
covers the largest physical land area of any council in New Zealand, being over
11% of the total land area of New Zealand. If all services were based at
the Invercargill Head Office for instance, this could involve travel times of
up to four hours for some customers.
This approach was reaffirmed by the previous Council in
2012, when this network was raised as an area for reconsideration as part of an
overall financial sustainability review undertaken at that time.
6.3 Mix of
self-service versus face to face
Currently most library services are delivered to customers
via face to face physical interactions with a librarian.
This contrasts with some other libraries, both in the
Otago/Southland locality and nationally, where self-service terminals have been
deployed much more heavily (eg Invercargill and Dunedin City central libraries)
generally with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) - an electronic tagging
system for resources. There has been some limited deployment of
self-service, with self-issue terminals at Winton and Te Anau.
Recent Council customer surveys have signalled strong
customer support for the human contact approach however some of this reaction
may be tempered by the thought that
self-service equates to job losses and there is no doubt many of SDC borrowers
value the interaction with SDL staff. However, it is also important to
recognise that some customers do prefer self-issue and that using this
technology can also free up staffing resources for utilisation in other areas
of the library services. It also brings an anonymity to library
transactions and this is valued by a number of library users.
6.4 Bookbus - route,
stops and usage
The SDC has operated a single Bookbus service for over
25 years.
While this was previously a full-size bus, in 2013 this was
replaced with a customised Mercedes Sprinter van which also doubles as a mobile
office for taking rates payments etc.
The decision for moving to a smaller vehicle was to assist
with usability, safety and running costs, and to focus the service more on
provision of popular items rather than transporting a larger book stock around
the District - of which often only a small proportion was issued.
The amended service has generally been well received by both customers and
staff and the Bookbus currently issues the second highest number of items,
slightly ahead of Te Anau. Winton issues twice the number of items of the
Bookbus.
The Bookbus operates on a rotation around approximately 48
stops throughout the District. These stops are regularly reviewed and
altered if patronage does not warrant continuation, after consultation with the
relevant communities. In the main stops are located within local
communities, near the hub of business, however some are based at primary
schools and the focus in those instances is on supplying an extended range of
reading resources for the students. Members of the public are welcome to
borrow during the latter part of these school visits.
In the past there have been some issues with IT connectivity
in certain locations in the District, however changed parking spots and
technology advances have altered this. Weather and topography still plays
a small part in connectivity however the LMS does have an option to deal with
this.
6.5 Procurement
methods for library items
Procurement for library items is primarily managed by the
Manager of Library Services and the Team Leader Library Support. The
2015/2016 budget for library acquisitions is $120,000 and this will remain at
this base level with CPI linkage for the duration of the
2015-2025 SDC Long Term Plan.
Some library items are also received via friends of the
library groups in some of the SDC communities, although these do not always
ideally fit with the library services collection management in terms of
content. On occasions these items may be disposed of in a variety of ways
and the income returned as library recoveries.
Procurement has been a mix of local providers and
national/international providers, including use of ordering off-shore via the
internet. There has been an ongoing focus on ensuring that procurement
maximises “bang for buck”. Southland District has received
some good discounts from some local providers which has enabled Council to support
local business, without the ratepayer being financially disadvantaged. An
agreement was negotiated approximately three years ago with a local book
retailer store regarding supply and for items purchased and billed through that
business. A satisfactory level of discount is given.
Selection and ordering is generally done independently with
publishers’ representatives on a monthly basis and goods are supplied via
the local retailer. This certainly gives a better coverage than local
purchase only, but it does not match what is available internationally.
Selection is made by three staff members and is based upon reading lists,
items/resources requested, popular titles and authors and the use of branch
profiles to ensure a “local” flavour is maintained. There is
considerable duplication of stock and the introduction of Collection HQ is
helping to rationalise this, particularly for items other than bestsellers.
The demographics of Southland District show an ageing
population and this is recognised in the amount of resources held which are in
special formats - mainly large print or audio. An extensive
collection of large print titles is housed at Winton and these are regularly
rotated to all branches. This collection is personally selected to meet
all tastes and is heavily read. In addition SDL are part of the CIRCOS
(circulating collections in Otago/Southland) consortium which purchases and
circulates a second tier selection of both large print and audio titles
throughout Otago and Southland.
‘Books on Prescription’ collections are held at
Winton, Te Anau and Stewart Island to provide materials dealing with mental
health issues.
Magazines were previously purchased through TMMC (The
Magazine Marketing Company) however, with the loss of almost a year’s
subscriptions following their liquidation, they are being ordered in a rather
piecemeal fashion either through a local retailer or by direct
subscription. A better solution needs to be found. No eMagazines
are provided currently. Providing a range of magazines on-line (commonly
known as e.zines), could bring in a whole new group of users.
An extensive genealogy collection is housed at Winton and
covers a variety of formats including print, microfilm and DVD. Where
known, all local history publications are purchased, and donations of local
family histories are gratefully received. An ongoing partnership with the
Central Southland Genealogy Society sees its members providing assistance to
interested parties on a regular basis.
The basic range of EPIC databases, including Ancestry.com,
are available at all branches and access to GivUS and GivME is provided in
partnership with ICC and GDC. These are philanthropic funding databases
and were previously known as Fundview and Breakout.
It is very important to recognise that overall the
procurement budget for collections is a significant amount, and that
procurement must meet the requirements of Council’s Procurement Policy
and be appropriate for full external scrutiny.
6.6 Cataloguing/technical
processes methodology
Acquisition and cataloguing of all stock is undertaken
locally at the Brandon Street premises. Most of the cataloguing is done
by copy-cataloguing which usually involves electronically uploading full
catalogue records from Te Puna and OCLC (a global library co-operative
available through Te Puna). SDC currently has three members of staff,
with basic cataloguing qualifications, who can produce a simple catalogue
record if required.
Currently all items are processed on-site at the libraries
at Winton and Te Anau. Various staff members are involved in
processing and all follow the same processing procedures. Materials
needed for this are sourced in bulk and provided, as needed, to branches.
6.7 IT
support/business intelligence
SDC was previously a participant in the Southern Libraries
consortium of councils from Waitaki south, and a number of shared services were
undertaken. However, in recent years this has fragmented. At the
time of this fragmentation, SDC had the choice of connecting to the National consortia,
Kōtui, or continuing with a more local shared service arrangement with ICC
still using the Symphony software. As this issue had not been identified
in advance and budgeted for, the decision was made to continue with a shared
arrangement with ICC, leaving SDC as the only other library in the arrangement
with ICC.
6.8 Staffing
The Manager of Library Services, Lynda Hodge, has over 25
years’ experience with SDC, and her service and experience was recently
recognised by the awarding of a LIANZA fellowship. She has the technical
ability and credibility to provide a high standard of professional mentoring to
staff. Ten staff, including the Team Leader Library Support have
completed or are studying towards professional library qualifications, mostly
through the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Currently three members of
staff are Registered Members of the Library and Information Profession
(RLIANZA).
Training days for all SDL staff
are held at Winton on a quarterly basis and are a good opportunity for staff,
who often work in isolation, to come together. Features of the days are:
· Dissemination
of ideas/reports from recent conferences
· Promotion
of any system changes
· General
update on SDC policies and practices
· Practical
tips and techniques - specifically relating to library routines
· Promotion
of special events and planning for same
· Networking
opportunities
· General
sharing of successes and concerns
· Often
a guest speaker from a related library field.
These days are an opportunity for those staff who are
currently studying to assist and support others and also to ensure a freshness
and vibrancy is maintained in their work. The majority of staff have
a low level of digital experience and exposure which is needed in a modern
library and training in this area is vital.
Libraries staff also often perform the role of Area Officer
and other customer service roles in each Library/Area Office. This is
seen as a positive, as having multi-skilled officers in small offices of less
than 10 staff and sometimes only one or two staff makes for much better
consistency of customer services and can provide a broad level of cover in
times of sickness, leave and training. The recent proposal by the Chief
Executive to strengthen customer service and to bring the library/customer
services staff in Wyndham, Riverton, Lumsden, Otautau and Winton under the
leadership of a new role of Customer Support Team Leader will require excellent
relationships to ensure that library services are maintained at a quality
standard through good training and clarity of service levels.
6.9 Internet
provision
Based upon the very successful United Kingdom model of The
People’s Network, the New Zealand government introduced free
internet provision to the majority of New Zealand Libraries commencing
2007 as a way to address the digital divide - with many homes, at that time,
not having internet access. This is commonly known as APNK -
Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa.
Free internet access has since become the industry standard
for libraries worldwide and for both travellers, and locals alike, there is an
expectation to find both high speed internet and 24/7 Wi-Fi at any public
library. The APNK is installed in seven libraries. Currently the
Bookbus does not have internet access.
SDC now makes a contribution towards the cost of the
internet provision - approximately $10,000 per annum; however this is about 25%
of what it would cost to provide standalone access if SDC was not part of the
national initiative.
6.10 Level of cross-libraries
consistency of service provision
With a large number of service points across a very
geographically spread area it is difficult to provide exactly the same level of
service to all residents. However every endeavour is made to ensure,
dependent upon staffing and hours of opening, that as wide a range of
consistency as possible is achieved.
The seven fixed branches (Winton, Te Anau, Lumsden, Otautau,
Riverton, Wyndham and Stewart Island) to a greater or lesser degree, all have a
similar range of book and non-book resources available - access to interloan
and request services, high-speed free internet and Wi-Fi, copying and scanning
and the option of making a range of SDC payments by EFTPOS. EFTPOS has
recently been installed at both the Bookbus and Wyndham Library, following
customer requests, and both are able to accept a range of Council payments - as
do other service points.
Community activities are not so easy to organise
district-wide. The timing of author visits is not always the right fit
with opening hours, the cost of appearance fees and travel has to be balanced
against potential numbers attending and the same applies to specific
programmes. Registration is strongly encouraged for holiday programmes
and where numbers are marginal, or non-existent, programmes are not run and
unfortunately this has been the case in some of our smaller branches.
For the range of consistency offered across the District see
Appendix 3.
6.11 Community engagement
programmes
An important focus in the library services area has been
community services and community outreach programmes.
These aim to:
· Take
library services to certain sectors of the community who may not be able to
readily access a physical library or Bookbus eg rest homes.
· Expand
the programmes available at the Libraries to capture new user groups and
provide new opportunities to communities.
The following are a range of
those offered throughout the District:
· Bookworms
- Winton - running for approximately 10 years and regularly attended by around
16 patrons. This number has fallen of late due to illness and relocation
of members. Scheduled for the second Tuesday of every month except
January, at 10.00 am.
· Newly
formed book discussion group at Riverton hosts five-six people on the last Thursday
of every month at 10.00 am and one has also just formed in Te Anau.
· Wriggle
and Rhyme - Introduced in 2013 at Winton, Riverton, Lumsden, Otautau and Te
Anau Libraries, attendance has varied and ceased at all but two branches.
Seven babies plus parents (total 14) is considered a good sized group -
manageable and sustainable. Below two babies the caregivers become
anxious at being viewed as odd whereas there is a confidence in numbers to be
able to sing out loud in a Library. Over 10 babies and some caregivers
fall into chatting rather than joining in as a whole.
· Te
Anau and Winton Libraries have succeeded with Wriggle and Rhyme because they
have floor space available, dedicated facilitators, and the parents involved
have found real value in this learning preparation programme.
· Pre-school
visits at Winton and Te Anau. Classes of up to 30 children visit or are
visited in a fortnightly pattern.
· School
visits Te Anau - regular story time sessions; Lumsden - regular library visits
by Lumsden primary school while the school library was being renovated during
2014 increased the usage of collections there significantly.
· Makerspace/Craft
Clubs at Winton and Te Anau - eight to 15 children offered an afterschool hour
of access to materials and skills training. These sessions are often
themed on current happenings such as Matariki, Māori Language Week, Te
Anau light festival, etc.
· School
holiday programmes at all branches in various forms. At Te Anau these
events often attract more than 20 children. At smaller branches, where
space and staffing are both at a premium, it is necessary to limit
numbers. Historically these have been themed on popular children’s
culture such as The 52 Story Tree House by Terry Denton and Andy Griffith, or
the recent Stop/Go Animation Workshop utilising the public access computers.
· Southland
Summer Reading Challenge - offered at all branches and in collaboration with
the ICC Library. Developed in-house and offered to families around
the District to motivate children to keep up their reading skills over the long
summer break. Upwards of 300 children enrolled in 2014.
· Outreach
visits to rest homes and senior day care centres have fallen. Winton Rest
Home closed in 2014. Only Rata Park Rest home remains in Winton.
Winton Vickery Daycare, a senior citizen drop-in group, is visited quarterly
by invitation. Upwards of 10 people might attend to hear talks about what
has happened at the library, view a selection of resources and share stories.
· Wyndham
Rest Home has 50 items delivered three times per year. In the past
Longwood Rest Home at Riverton has also been the recipient of circulating
collections and with the changes there to a retirement village situation an
opportunity may exist to further explore this.
· Home
bound deliveries are on an “as requested” basis. However a
partnership with a local service group such as Lions or Probus may provide a
much better uptake of this. There is certainly plenty of content
available, particularly in terms of large print and audio books. However
unless a direct approach is made, the needs of residents are not always known.
· Author
visits - offered by touring writers as available but also arranged by the
New Zealand Book Council group annually. Visits are secured for both
Winton and Te Anau Libraries in this manner once a year with 150-200 children
able to attend at each branch due to space available.
· Educative
programming for adults as required. A very successful scholarships and
funding workshop was held at Winton Library in 2013. E-book tuition is
offered at Winton and Te Anau Libraries by appointment.
· ‘Appy
Hour’ - weekly at Winton Library, 11.00 am. An informal
session where patrons bring their devices and are helped to navigate loading
and using apps. The first lesson covers using Overdrive and Bolinda
e-book and audiobook apps because these companies supply to SDC library
customers.
· ‘Tech
Club’ - another ‘bring your own device’ initiative operates
at Lumsden Library. This is facilitated by a member of the public and has
been operating on a Wednesday afternoon; five-six people attend.
· One
of the more popular library activities at both Winton and Te Anau is the
hosting of the works of local artists. At Te Anau one wall is dedicated
to displaying objet d’art on a monthly rotating basis and this has led to
a number of commissions for various artists. At Winton displays are
arranged in a variety of ways however one of the most popular would have been
the 30 days of creativity organised last winter when
>30 artists displayed either 30 pieces or 30 days of work.
· The
vast majority of library programmes and special activities are based in the two
biggest centres in the District - Winton and Te Anau - and this really relates
to staffing, space and sometimes hours of opening. Whilst it would be
desirable to be able to provide exactly the same level of interaction at each
branch the practicality of doing do would require, as a minimum, additional
staffing, some travel costs and possibly extending opening times.
Riverton
Library
7 Benchmarking
In this section, SDL has been benchmarked
against the libraries of Queenstown Lakes District, Selwyn District, South
Taranaki District, Clutha District and Waitaki District.
These libraries were chosen as having populations of 20,000-30,000, or
having a similar number of small libraries with no central library.
Benchmarking against the average for all public libraries is not useful in most
categories because the size of public libraries in New Zealand is so
variable.
Queenstown and South Taranaki have similar
populations to Southland; South Taranaki provides combined service
centre/libraries; Selwyn, while larger in population, has a
well-developed city library close by and services some small rural libraries as
does Queenstown. Waitaki and Clutha, although smaller in population have
a number of smaller libraries as does Southland. None covers the land
area of Southland which is 3.5 to 4 times greater than Queenstown or Selwyn.
The Association of Public Library Managers (APLM) collects
statistics about usage, resources and expenditure from all New Zealand public
libraries.[11]
The statistics from the 2013/2014 financial year have been used. Although
the 2014/2015 statistics have just become available the format has changed in
some areas and we were not confident that the data was accurate for all
libraries benchmarked against. The benchmarking provides a snapshot of
the high level performance of SDL with its peer libraries on a range of
measures that are commonly used amongst public libraries. Benchmarking
with other libraries has some limitations as each council’s priorities,
their communities and libraries are all different.
7.1 Public
libraries statistics - base data
Fig 1: Table of performance comparisons 2013/2014
|
|
Southland
|
Clutha
|
Queenstown
Lakes
|
Selwyn
|
South
Taranaki
|
Waitaki
|
|
Base
data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Population
|
29,814
|
16,890
|
28,224
|
44,595
|
26,580
|
20,826
|
|
Land
area (km2)
|
29,552
|
6,335
|
8,467
|
6,381
|
3,575
|
7,109
|
|
Total
libraries
|
91
|
5
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
|
Total
opening hours per annum
|
12,425
|
9,718
|
8,6842
|
10,244
|
14,742
|
6,136
|
|
FTE's
(40 hr)
|
14
|
8.4
|
14
|
14.7
|
19
|
9.5
|
|
Holdings
|
133,200
|
85,452
|
107,377
|
104,560
|
77,825
|
88,726
|
|
Registered
members
|
16,804
|
9,311
|
14,071
|
24,543
|
12,962
|
13,993
|
|
Total
issues
|
292,000
|
156,825
|
419,227
|
378,427
|
212,721
|
232,266
|
|
Total
operating expenditure
|
$1,346,000
|
$636,216
|
$2,102,0003
|
$1,643,000
|
$2,465,000
|
$1,296,800
|
|
Total
sundry income
|
$31,990
|
$105,289
|
n/a
|
$127,054
|
$70,341
|
$67,800
|
|
Visits
to libraries
|
145,000
|
73,967
|
n/a
|
317,324
|
295,007
|
191,457
|
¹ Excludes
Manapouri, Gropers Bush and Waiau Memorial Library (all voluntary), but
includes Bookbus
² Calculated
from published opening hours
³ From
Annual Report rather than Public Stats
It is clear from the base data shown in the
above table, the major differences between Southland and its peers are its vast
land area coverage relative to its population and the higher number of
libraries. The latter reflects SDC’s commitment to a devolved
network of local offices/libraries consistent with Council’s
“People First” mission statement.
7.2 Opening hours
In general, the higher the number of
libraries, the higher the total opening hours.
However, Southland’s total opening hours is the second highest
behind South Taranaki (see Fig 2 below), reflecting the fact the several
of Southland’s smallest libraries have very limited opening hours.
Fig 2: Opening hours
|
|
Total opening hours of all libraries per week
|
Total opening hours of all libraries per annum
|
No of libraries
|
|
Southland
|
249
|
12,425
|
9
|
|
Clutha
|
196
|
9,718
|
5
|
|
Queenstown
|
167
|
8,684
|
7
|
|
Selwyn
|
197
|
10,244
|
5
|
|
South Taranaki
|
284
|
14,742
|
7
|
|
Waitaki
|
118
|
6,136
|
6
|
7.3 Members
Southland has the second highest members
per capita with 56% of the population registered as members. Given the
geographic spread of its members, this is a good achievement and reflects good
coverage of its services.
Membership comparisons need to be made with
some caution as the practice of culling members who have not been active in the
past two years does vary between libraries. While in the past
membership of the SDL was primarily for the purpose of borrowing items,
increasingly, membership is needed for using online services such as accessing
databases from home and downloading eBooks. Culling of members who have
not used their card to borrow a physical item can mean that an active member
using online services could be negatively impacted.
Fig 3: Members Per Capita
7.4 Issues
Southland’s issues per capita and
issues per member were the third highest behind Queenstown Lakes and
Waitaki. Relative to its peers Southland is performing well.
The difference with Queenstown and Waitaki reflects the fact that that
those districts have larger concentrations of population in main towns which
makes it easier for people to access and use services.
Issues per capita and per member are
quantitative measures for how well the collection meets customer needs.
Customer satisfaction, a qualitative measure, is gathered through user
surveys. In the 2012/2013 and 2014/2015 two yearly user surveys,
Southland achieved 92% and 91% respectively against a target of 95% for
satisfaction with the “choice of books and other resources
available”. Further analysis is needed to understand whether the
target is unrealistically too high, or whether changes need to be made to what
is purchased. Weeding collection to remove materials which are no longer
being read can make it easier for users to find what they want. Buying
fewer duplicate copies of material and extending the depth and range of
materials is also a possibility. Southland does have an extensive
collection of large print titles for its ageing population and other specific
resources tailored to its community so we are talking of “fine
tuning” the collections to increase satisfaction.
Fig 4: Issues per capita Fig 5: Issues per member
7.5 Visits
While books lending is a major service of a
library, increasingly, the role of libraries as a community place for
creativity, learning and social interaction is growing. Physical visits
(door count) and number of transactions including electronic visits are means
of measuring the wider usage of libraries. However, not all libraries
capture this information and it was not possible to benchmark this as door
counters are only installed at six branches in Southland with unacceptable
error rate, and not all Queenstown Lake branches have door counters
either.
Although SDC door counters give very inconsistent results,
data captured by SDL staff and also on surveys reveal that a significant number
of people use libraries for many functions other than borrowing books.
These activities include reading newspapers and magazines, researching family
histories, using internet and Wi-Fi services, checking reference books, meeting
friends, attend holiday and other special programmes, using toilet facilities
and finding a warm spot to sit and wait. The level of this activity in
New Zealand public libraries is thought to be around 40% of foot traffic.
7.6 Collection
Southland’s collections per capita at 4.5 (Fig 6) was
the second highest amongst its peers. There is a considerable duplication
of stock given the high number of libraries as compared to its peers. The
recent introduction of Collection HQ, a well-recognised stock management
system, is providing data about collection use which will enable staff to
better match collections with customers’ needs.
Southland’s higher stock level was also reflected in
its stock turn. Stock turn measures how hard the collection works and is
calculated by dividing the total issues for the year by the total number of
collection items held. In general, a higher stock turn indicates better
utilisation of stock. Southland’s stock turn at 2.2 was at the
lower end[12]
and lower than the average for New Zealand which was 3.78 in 2013/2014.
However, the current weeding of stock is not reflected in
these figures and we would anticipate that the stock turn will have improved
since this data was collected.
Fig
6: Collections per capita Fig
7: Stock turn
Southland’s acquisition costs per
capita (Fig 7a) was slightly behind Queenstown Lakes and South Taranaki even
though it has more libraries. Selwyn is significantly lower which would
suggest their acquisition budget has not kept pace with their rapid growth in
population.
Fig 7a: Collection costs per capita
7.7 Staffing
Staff numbers in SDL are slightly lower
compared with peer libraries and the resources are thinly spread across
services points. Staff per service point for Southland was the lowest at
1.56 (Fig 8) reflecting the larger number of small service points with
restricted hours. With staff per 1,000 population (Fig 9) Southland had a
similar ratio to Waitaki. The national average of staff per capita is
0.52.
Fig 8: FTE staff per service point Fig 9: FTE staff per 1,000 population
Selwyn has a low staff per capita having
fewer libraries serving a much bigger population. The rapid growth in
population in Selwyn has not yet been met by growth in library service.
South Taranaki has the highest staff per capita reflecting the extent of other
Council services its libraries provide.
This latter is also reflected in the Issues
per FTE staff graph (Fig 10) where South Taranaki has the lowest Issues per FTE
staff number.
Fig 10: Total issues per FTE staff
7.8 Operating expenditure
Southland’s operating expenditure
(excluding materials acquisitions costs) per capita was the third lowest behind
Selwyn and Clutha despite having the highest number of libraries. The
national average expenditure per capita in 2013/2014 was $57.37. This indicates
that Southland is operating relatively efficiently given the higher number of
libraries and its geographic spread; it is also likely to indicate a lesser
range of services offered compared with other libraries who serve more urban
populations. South Taranaki cost per capita was the highest, again
probably due to the extent of the other council services it provides through
its libraries. Operating expenditure per issues follows similar trends
although the gap between Southland and Queenstown Lakes was much narrower due
to the high number of issues in Queenstown Lakes.
Fig 11:
Operating expenditure per capita Fig
12: Operating expenditure per issue
7.9 Number of PCs and
internet use
The provision of computers for public use in libraries has
become part of the core offering of libraries over the past decade.
Southland provides 23 public terminals or 3.85 PCs per 5,000 population, free
to users through the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa.
The guidelines in the New Zealand Public Library standards are for a
minimum of two per 5,000 population. For 2013/2014 financial year, it has
recorded 144,000 Wi-Fi sessions, the highest amongst its peers, and driven to a
large extent by the use of Wi-Fi by visitors and tourists.
Fig 13: Number of public PCs and internet
use
|
|
No. of Public PCs
|
No. of PCs per 5,000 pop
|
Sessions per annum
|
Average use per PC
|
|
|
|
Southland
|
23
|
3.35
|
144,000
|
7,200
|
|
|
Clutha
|
6
|
1.78
|
1,029
|
172
|
|
|
Queenstown Lakes
|
7
|
2.07
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
|
Selwyn
|
20
|
3.54
|
27,600
|
1,380
|
|
|
South Taranaki
|
30
|
3.36
|
74,640
|
2,488
|
|
|
Waitaki
|
13
|
3.12
|
21,346
|
1,642
|
|
7.10 Programmes, events and
outreach
Statistical data was not available for many
of the libraries so it was not possible to benchmark this area of
service. A list of the types of activities that Southland provides was
given in Section 4.11 above.
7.11 Benchmarking against the
LIANZA Standards for Public Libraries
The
New Zealand Public Library Standards, 6th edition[13], was last updated
in 2004. The Standards provide a framework for understanding the
responsibilities of local authorities and library managers in providing a
library service. They are primarily descriptive standards that outline
the requirements in relation to areas such as management, finance, staff,
resources, buildings, operations and technology.
The
Standards do provide recommendations for how a library’s performance
should be measured. In the benchmarking exercise we have used many of
these measures to compare Southland’s performance against selected peer
libraries of similar size, type or geographical closeness. However, the
Standards themselves provide very few concrete indicators or quantitative
measures that allow for Southland to benchmark against national minimum
standards. Where this is possible we have outlined the results below.
Staffing[14]
The desired minimum levels
of staffing can be assessed in the following ways:
· twice that of the total opening hours
· 1 staff member per 2,000 population in addition to the
Library Manager
· 1 staff member per 30,000 circulation transactions
Southland District Libraries has 14 FTE, it is open for
12,425 hours per annum, and circulated 292,000 items in 2013/2014. The
District has a population of 29,814. On the basis of the three indicators
above the FTE should be as a minimum:
|
Twice that of the total opening hours
|
13 FTE
|
|
1 staff member per 2,000 population in addition to the
Library Manager
|
16 FTE
|
|
1 staff member per 30,000 circulation transactions
|
10 FTE
|
It is
now eight years since the Standards were produced and the nature of library
services has changed considerably with more staff time given over to activities
other than circulation of materials and providing service at a public
counter. Given the dispersed nature of Southland’s libraries and
their small size, the staffing level of 14 FTE is a minimum and a level nearer
16 FTE would probably serve the District better.
Training
and development of staff is recommended to be 1.5% of the annual salaries and
wages. Southland’s salary budget for 2015/16 financial year is
$703,759. 1.5% of that figure is $10,566. The training budget for
the same year, including fees for library training is $6,840 (0.97% of
salaries) which is well below the recommended LIANZA Standard.
Resources
The Standards recommend that for
populations under 50,000 a minimum of 3.5 items per capita be provided.
In 2013/2014 Southland had a collection of 133,200 items which was 4.4 items
per capita. Over the past two years there has been a weeding programme to
reduce some of the older, duplicate stock and this per capita figure will have
declined to probably nearer the Standard. A further check should be made
at the end of the financial year in June 2016 to check against this Standard.
The
Standards also recommended that 350 new items per 1,000 population be added to
the collection each year. This would amount to approximately 10,435 items
being purchased annually. In 2013/2014 9,720 items were added to the
collection which equates to 326 items per annum per 1,000 population. In
the current environment with a reduction in some areas of publishing this is
probably not unreasonable. However, it will be important to maintain a
level both of physical items and electronic items into the future and anything
less than what is currently being supplied would be below the standard
required.
Users
The Standards suggest that
libraries with large rural populations should aim for at least 35% of the
population as registered members. Southland had 56% of the population as
registered members in 2013/2014 and are therefore well ahead of the recommended
standard.
Buildings
The Standards recommend a space
standard of 70 m2 per 1,000 population. With a total
population of almost 30,000 people this would mean that Southland would have
2,100 m2 of library space in the District. However,
caution needs to be taken with this standard as there are other factors to
consider, including the number of locations, the other activities that occur in
the space, eg Council services. Te Anau Library is 406 m2
and Winton Library is 459 m2. Both of these libraries
draw bigger catchments than the residents of the town only.
The space standard can only be taken as a guide and the Standards
recommend a thorough analysis of each of the spaces required for different
functions as a better method of working out the overall space required.
8 Challenges
and Opportunities
SDL face a number of challenges: some are strategic,
some more policy related and some are operational. Some of the challenges
arise from its unique geographical situation, the low density of population and
its largely rural and small town population. Others are the challenges
faced by most libraries as they look to navigate the digital age. Finding
innovative ways to deal with these challenges and take advantage of
opportunities provided by technology sometimes means thinking laterally about
solutions.
8.1 Relationship to
Invercargill City
Many SDC residents see Invercargill City as their major
community of interest and travel there frequently to conduct business. At
the same time they also take advantage of the many recreational activities on
offer at Splash Palace, the velodrome, the museum, movie theatres and a wide
variety of other attractions, many of which SDC make substantial financial
contributions to. Many Southland District residents who live in the areas
surrounding Invercargill, or who have young people attending secondary schools
in the city also take advantage of the range of library services offered free
by Invercargill City Library through the reciprocal agreement with
SouthLib. This can lead to residents of SDC querying why they need to pay
rates to fund libraries in their district which they do not use.
People living on the outskirts of the Gore District may experience the
same issues.
It is difficult for SDL to compete with the extent and range
of services that Invercargill is able to provide because of its larger, more
concentrated population, a good sized purpose built building and more resources
including staff. Rather than try and replicate on a smaller scale a
better strategy may be to market the whole of the library service of
Invercargill, Gore and Southland under one banner as “Libraries Southland
brought to you by the three councils”. As there is already an open
border between the three library services, allowing people to join for free and
use the services wherever best suits them, this is already in effect. It
is just not marketed in a way that helps people see that their rate
contribution is buying access to a much bigger range of services and is
therefore very good value for money. Achieving this approach would require
support at the CE level in each local authority and a campaign to lift the
level of awareness of services across the whole region. It is not all one
way traffic. Invercargill people who holiday in Te Anau, Manapouri and
Riverton are able to take advantage of the open border as well. The
overall purpose behind this approach is to demonstrate the interdependence of
the city, towns (both big and small) and the rural area on one another for
their economic and social well-being.
This approach would free SDL to focus on the services it
does best and the populations who are less mobile particularly those at both
ends of the age demographic - older, retired people, and children and young
people and their families who attend school in the District. Tourists,
local businesses, rural workers and new comers to the District can also be a
focus.
Recommendation:
In conjunction with ICC and GDC develop a strategy that looks to
promote the notion of “Southland Libraries for all” brought to you
by ICC, SDC and GDC.
8.2 Tyranny of
distance
Providing library services across a geographic area of more
than 30,198 square kilometres where 53% live in rural areas rather than in
small and medium size settlements is difficult. Currently Southland
District does this through a mix of seven fixed service points providing a full
range of professional library service, one school community library open two
afternoons a month, three voluntary libraries and a Bookbus. The
SDL’s catalogue for physical materials is online and members can reserve
an item or renew an item online.
Southland is a member of an eBook buying club with 12 other
councils in the South Island and this gives them access to better discounts for
the eBooks it purchases. However, the potential for supplying the
recreational reading needs and the specialised information needs of people via
the SDL’s digital channel is not really being realised.
For those unable to get to a physical library the digital
channel is an obvious way to get materials in the hands of readers and
users. Venture Southland’s Digital Strategy has identified that
“the sustainability of rural communities is supported through enabling
residents, community groups and businesses to access and use digital technology”.
Although the quality and reliability is not universal across the District we
can anticipate that within the next few years broadband will be much more
ubiquitous than currently and delivery of content and services to isolated
households will become an accepted way to access library services. In
order to be ready to meet this potential need libraries need to be growing the
depth and range of their digital content and making it easy for users to find
and download content to a range of devices. This is also discussed under
the sections on content and technology below.
Recommendation: Grow
the depth and range of digital content and promote this service to rural
residents as broadband spreads through the District.
8.3 Technology and
digital opportunities
Increasing the range of digital services will require robust
and improved technology. The LMS and the discovery layer (currently
the library catalogue) are fundamental building blocks as is the ability to
deliver these services across a range of mobile devices as well as a laptop or
PC. The current reliance on Invercargill City Library to supply the LMS
has considerable risks. Whilst an excellent working relationship is
maintained with ICC Libraries, any unusual event exposes the vulnerability of
this arrangement to SDC services. All of the IT/business intelligence
support for library services resides with one individual ICC staff
member. If, for any reason, he is unavailable there are few options for a
fix.
Kōtui
The opportunity exists to join Kōtui, the national
consortium operated by the National Library of New Zealand. By June this
year 34 local authorities will be members including Dunedin, Queenstown Lakes
and Central Otago who were previously members of SouthLib consortium.
Kōtui provides a fully staffed service desk all the hours the library
service is open (and longer because it is serving larger libraries with longer
opening hours than Southland District). This mitigates the current risk
where all of the system’s knowledge is held by one person at Invercargill
City Library. Because of the scale of the operation Kōtui is able to
provide a number of additional features such as better reporting tools (Blue
cloud analytics), the integration of digital and physical resources in a single
search (customisable to Southland’s requirements), an app for mobile
users, and the ability to use the discovery layer (enterprise) as the
SDL’s website making it significantly easier for staff to update the
website with information about events and other libraries.
Annual costs in 2015/2016 dollars are $38,494 plus optional
annual fees of $6,441 for Analytics Statistical package and Collection HQ (SDC
already subscribes to this so the cost will not be additional). There are
one-time only costs of $29,005 for the project management and transfer to the
Kōtui service and a fee for conversion of data which is passed directly to
SirsiDynix. This is either $18,632 or $25,619 depending on whether
acquisitions data needs to be passed on. The annual costs will be offset
by annual savings of approximately $36,118 from no longer belonging to
SouthLib.
A priority for SDC is to connect Stewart Island to the
Symphony system and thus give residents of Stewart Island access to the
catalogue on-site and also the same level of service that other residents have
enjoyed for many years. This would include being able to
renew/reserve/request from home and also give assurance that their details were
accurate in terms of issues, due dates and charges. This could be done at
the same time as the transfer to Kōtui or earlier if the move to
Kōtui is unlikely to happen in 2016/2017.
Website
The absence of a fully functioning library website hampers
communication and access in an increasingly online world. The Enterprise
module of Kōtui (the library’s OPAC) can be customised as the
website and will bring all of the SDL’s content and information together
into one easy to search and compile place. An example of a library that
has used Enterprise in this way is attached as Appendix 4. Using
Enterprise, SDL can create a website that is clean and attractive and directs
people to all the services SDC can offer them. It can provide places
online to give feedback, interact with library staff and enhance physical and
electronic collections with reader’s advisory services. A one-off
design cost of $15,000 to set up templates would be needed.
RFID
The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
for collection handling and management is becoming the standard system.
It enables easier self-help by customers for loans and payments of library
related charges and improves stock management for staff making it easier to
find items which may have been mis-shelved and faster return of stock.
Over the next three-five years we can expect bar code technology to be phased
out in favour of RFID and we recommend that SDC should plan to replace its
ageing barcode technology with RFID in the next three years. The minimum
requirements would be staff issues and return pads, RFID tags for the
collection and self-issue stations at Te Anau and Winton who have the most
issues. Approximate one-off capital cost of $70,000 is required.
Wi-Fi on the Bookbus
The Bookbus plays a significant role in ensuring as many of
Southland’s residents have access to physical collections on a regular
basis. It could play a much bigger role in promoting and providing access
to the libraries online collections and showing customers how to download
materials to their own devices. This can be easily and relatively cheaply
achieved by introducing Wi-Fi for the public to the bus and having a couple of
tablets for customers to use.
Council systems
We were advised that the connection to SDC’s computer
systems at some libraries is very slow and there is inefficient use of staff
time due to lag in computer processing. This may be because of SDC
distance from the servers or the way SDC connect to them. Systems are
slower than in other SDC departments.
Recommendations: (a) Join
Kōtui for provision of the LMS and to take advantage of collaborative
opportunities; connect Stewart Island to the LMS at the time of going live
with Kōtui or earlier if this is not likely to happen in 2016/2017.
(b) Use
Enterprise discovery layer as the SDL’s website and link this from the
Council’s website; budget $15,000 for a one-off design cost to get the
template properly designed.
(c) Plan
for and fund the introduction of RFID within the next three years.
(d)
Introduce Wi-Fi on the Bookbus and use with tablets to
promote access to eBooks and databases, and provide access to the internet for
users of the Bookbus.
(e)
Investigate the slow connections to Council systems.
8.4 Content and
collections
eBooks and eAudio books
The main challenge with collections and collection
management is to ensure that the right balance of digital and physical
collections is maintained. It can be a ‘chicken and egg’
situation for libraries in moving more fully into eBooks. It may be that
users are not asking for the format and those items that SDL does have are not
circulating very much. However, without a good size selection of
eBook titles it is difficult to grow the use of this format. Experience
of other libraries in New Zealand has shown that having a good range of
materials and a sustained promotional effort to show people how to access the
materials, will pay off in circulation growth. As already noted
materials in eformat delivered across the internet is one way of meeting the
needs of rural users. Many readers of print books become readers of
eBooks as well and use either depending on their situation at the time. 
EAudio
books are a boon for those with a sight impairment as are eBooks with the
ability to enlarge the font size.
SDL is part of a South Island group of 12 other councils for
the purchase of eBooks through a library supplier called Overdrive.
Kōtui enables eBook records from Overdrive and also from Wheelers (a NZ
based eBook supplier) to be discoverable through a single search of the
catalogue. This would also help take up as anyone searching the catalogue
from home could be routed to the eBook with one click. Currently they
have to log on to the eBook website separately from the SDL’s catalogue.
The other area that SDL should investigate supply is for
eMagazines from Zinio, a specialist eMagazine supplier. We suggest
investigating whether the South Island consortium for Overdrive could also look
to purchase these for a better discount.
Shelf ready collections
Some 18 months ago public libraries throughout New Zealand
formed a consortium to bulk purchase books and the contract for this is with
Baker and Taylor - a well-respected international company holding rights with
all major publishers. A large number of public libraries have joined the
consortium while large libraries such as Auckland and Christchurch have their
own direct deals with suppliers. The opportunity for Southland to join
the consortium remains open. A New Zealand supplier, Wheelers, also offers
this service and it would be wise, given the time since the consortium deal was
struck, to get a comparative quote for shelf ready materials.
There are benefits of purchasing in this way. Whilst
the actual discount involved is not too much different to that currently
received, the base cost price can be, and this can be used to offset the cost
of having stock delivered shelf ready, fully processed with RFID tags and the
catalogue record already entered into the SDL’s system. The
approximate costs for processing each item is in the range of $3-3.50.
For every title the cost is $1.25 to add holdings and $3.90 for full original
cataloguing. If Southland moved to Kōtui experience shows that less
than 20-30% of the titles ordered require original cataloguing. As
Southland currently buys considerable number of duplicates this cost would only
be applied to a small proportion of items ordered.
There could be some negative impact on local business
through such an arrangement and for this reason we would suggest phasing in the
outsourcing solution over a two-three year period if this a significant
concern. The benefits of speed to shelf and staff time which can be
reallocated to more direct customer and community engagement services make this
beneficial in overall terms.
We would recommend the staff time is retained and applied to
other areas of customer service such as improved programming, website and
social media development, and building digital services (See Section 8.7 for a
fuller discussion).
Selection and acquisition
Selection of materials can also be outsourced but at this
stage we do not recommend that as an approach, mostly from a cost point of
view. However, more popular fiction and non-fiction can be sourced
through standing orders with the preferred supplier which means that they will
come automatically from the supplier. As a rule up to 80% of a
library’s titles could be provided outsourced with a good number of those
being supplied on standing order. Those that are not on standing
order can be selected from the supplier’s database and ordered directly
online.
There is a significant amount of duplication of fiction
titles with in some instances a copy being purchased for every library.
There is an expectation by the branches that they will always have a copy
immediately of a new title of the most popular authors because of the funds
that are supplied by their community board. This leads to titles being
“read out” in a very short space of time and then having to be
withdrawn from the shelves and disposed of through book sales and other
means. There can be criticism from the public at what they see as very
new books being disposed of. We recommend fewer copies are purchased and
that libraries take it in turns to receive the first copy of a new book.
At the least libraries could be ‘twinned’ with another library, or
the smaller libraries be part of a three way share. This would enable a
greater range of titles to be purchased providing more variety. As well
some of the funds spent on collections could be assigned to increase eBook
materials if no additional operational funding can be found. Before
introducing this change in practice SDL need to consult with the various
community boards and/or libraries to make them aware of what is proposed, the
reasons for it and the anticipated effects on levels of service.
The supply of physical magazines has been
problematic since the collapse of a national supplier. Other libraries
appear to use a mix of local supply such as a Paper Plus store, Ebsco subscription
service and specialist suppliers such as ISubscribe (https://www.isubscribe.co.nz/) and AllBooks (http://www.allbooksnz.com/ ). We recommend getting comparative pricing and talking with
other libraries about their experiences.
Collection management
The size of the various libraries in Southland District
means that the collections need regular weeding and stock rotation to keep a
fresh collection. The librarians exchange books from a centrally held
collection on a regular roster. However, we did observe in two of the
libraries visited that significant collections were being held in the local
library out in the workroom. This may be because the books are regarding
as ‘belonging’ to that library rather than viewing the collection
as a whole.
Recommendations: (a) Increase
the range of available eBooks and eMagazines and begin to promote this as a
viable option particularly for those remote from libraries. This will
need a sustainable campaign and good education and training of staff to be
effective. As part of this campaign have tablet and/or eBook readers
available for use in libraries so that staff can demonstrate these to
customers.
(b) Outsource
up to 80% of collection supply to shelf ready and develop standing orders for
fiction and selected non-fiction based on community profiles. Phase this
in over a
two-three year period if necessary.
(c) Reduce
excessive duplication of fiction titles after consultation with affected
community boards.
(d) Get
comparative pricing from two or three magazine suppliers, including the local
bookseller such as Paper Plus.
(e) Reduce
stack collections in branches and return to central stack for selection by
other libraries.
8.5 Libraries as
community hubs
For many in the community, libraries are a place not only to
find something to read or get an information need answered, but a place to meet
others, do business with the Council, attend a programme or learn a new
skill.
The challenge
for libraries such as Winton, which does twice the amount of business than any
other of the libraries, is the size of the building. There is no
community meeting room which can double as an activity space and insufficient
seating or study space, or place to use one’s own laptop. Winton is
the SDL headquarters and the rotational branch collections and library
collections store are housed in a separate substandard building. As
Winton’s population is projected to have a high growth scenario it is advisable
for SDC to begin to factor in a new facility in the next
5 to 10 years.
We recognise that a new building is a significant cost to
the Council and we would recommend that Council look for opportunities to
partner with other community, commercial, educational or health organisations
who might also be looking for improved space in the town.
Te Anau is in a purpose built library which originally
contained the Council services as well. These are now separate and the
whole building of around 400 m2 is given over to library
services. Recent changes have seen the computer area put into a separate
room which has eased the pressure in the library from visitors wanting to use
the internet and access the free Wi-Fi. Managing this space could prove
difficult as the connecting door with the library is not open and it does not
enable a free flow from the library to the Wi-Fi area.
Recommendation: Seek
opportunities to develop a new community hub and library/service centre in
Winton in partnership with other community, commercial, health or educational
organisations. Fund for this redevelopment in the next 10 Year Plan.
8.6 Service delivery
challenges
All but two of Southland’s towns servicing populations
of 500 or more (at the 2013 census) have a library service. The
exceptions are Wallacetown which is only 13 km from Invercargill and
Edendale which is 4 km from Wyndham where there is a library and service
centre. The Bookbus serves both of these towns. A review of Council
services in Edendale and Wyndham by Venture Southland is currently underway and
library and information requirements need to be factored into the review.
Stewart Island
Stewart Island is not connected to the LMS and this has
already been recommended. Stewart Island already provides access to the
internet and Wi-Fi as it has APNK.
Once connected a wider range of services can be offered and
we recommend a community meeting to determine their greatest needs, whether
that is for recreational reading, community learning opportunities, high speed
access to the internet or support children’s learning and reading.
It may be possible to trial a self-service model in Stewart Island, whereby
registered members can access the facility though swiping their membership card
and self-issuing materials using an RFID kiosk.
Nightcaps
Nightcaps is located in the primary school as part of its
library. The library is only open two afternoons a month from 3.15
pm to 5.00 pm. A staff member has to drive over to the library to
open it (currently done by the District Librarian) and the usage is low with no
new members having joined in some time. The issues for 2015 from
Nightcaps were only
3,202 items, with the next lowest being Lumsden at 8,249. In exchange for
this relatively infrequent use of its premises the school receives considerable
benefits: the LMS hardware and software and any necessary support, the
library furniture for both the school and public, and cataloguing of all the
school stock. They also receive a top up of their collections from time
to time. We do understand the political and social ramifications if a
different service model was adopted. It could have an impact on a
community whose population is declining but this does seem to be an expensive
way of providing library services to the community. The Bookbus stops at
Ohai and presumably could make a stop at Nightcaps with some rearrangement of
the timetable. Alternatively the few users of the service could be
accommodated with a personal postal service and a phone call on a regular
basis. The situation can probably continue while the current
District Librarian is able to drive there and service the stop twice a
month but should she leave an alternative arrangement may need to be found.
Voluntary libraries
SDC has three voluntary run libraries. Manapouri and
Gropers Bush are very small and receive book grants each of $1,250 and $500
respectively per year. In each case there is a small user group of
several families who have access. Tuatapere is run by an independent trust
(The Waiau Memorial Trust) and receives much greater support. They
receive a grant of $6,500 per annum and the Council is responsible for all the
repairs and maintenance on the building. They also do book exchanges and
use the Council’s interloan system. However, they are not
connected to the LMS (we understand they use a different system) and supply of
accurate data on number of issues, membership, new members is not always
available. We believe there is a membership fee charged to belong.
Services such as access to the internet and PCs for public use which are
provided at other libraries are not available. An agreement was set up in
1989 but it does not appear to have been reviewed since that time. The
library service at Tuatapere sits in a sort of ‘half-way house’ -
neither a full community library nor a small voluntary library. It may be
timely for Council to meet with the people of Tuatapere to determine the level
of service needed to meet local needs and certainly should the Council at
any time be reviewing what is required for this part of the District by way of
community and council services, the library should be included in any such a
review.
The number of service points
As already noted in the benchmarking section Southland has a
large number of small service points with short hours of opening and few
staff. Winton, Te Anau and Riverton are the three biggest; Wyndham,
Otautau and Lumsden form a second tier of libraries and there is a case for
bringing Stewart Island into this group with the installation of the LMS.
While the second tier libraries serve relatively smaller populations
(fewer than 1,000 in the towns) there will be some rural users in the vicinity
also using these libraries.
In the interests of greater consistency of service level,
aligning the hours of opening of the three biggest libraries may be a good
strategy. Similarly aligning hours of the other four may also be
appropriate and this might require a small number of additional hours. We
have not recommended closing any of the above libraries as the impact of
closing a service on small towns is considerable.
There needs to be ongoing monitoring of use however, to
ensure that the service provided does not fall below viable levels, as may be
the case in Nightcaps.
Other service delivery
options
As noted earlier providing recreational reading and
information sources online is considered the best future strategy to meet the
needs of Southland’s far flung rural population. However, what are
the options for those who still prefer their reading to be in hard copy and who
do not have easy access to a library or the Bookbus? Two possible options
could be explored. One would be using a local store to provide small
collections of recently cancelled items still in good condition which could be
used on a swap basis and refreshed with new stock from time to time.
The other is a more formal scheme which has attained attention recently in New
Zealand media[15]
- the Little Free Library movement or Lilliput libraries. This requires
an energetic local person to be responsible for the small library but it is an
option that the library could co-ordinate, again using cancelled books stock,
if communities were interested. Before expending too much energy and time
on either of these ideas more understanding of local community needs is
needed.
Recommendations: (a) Consult
with the Stewart Island community to investigate whether a self-service model
would be worth trialling in some form at this library.
(b) In
collaboration with the Nightcaps school and community investigate whether
alternative service models would be acceptable.
(c) At
such time as the Council may be reviewing the community and service needs of
Tuatapere and surrounding districts, work with the community and the Waiau
Memorial Trust to see how a wider range of library services could be
offered. In the meantime instigate a regular annual meeting with the
Trust to support and review the agreement.
8.7 Staffing
organisation
With the creation of a new Customer Support Team six library
staff (3.16 FTE) from Lumsden, Otautau, Riverton, Wyndham and Winton will
have a change in reporting line and be part of a Council wide team focussed on
improved and seamless customer experience. Nine specialist staff will continue
to report to the District Library Manager (10.95 FTE). Both the
District Library Manager and the Customer Support Team Leader will report to a
new role of Group Manager, Customer Support who is overall responsible for the
Customer Support function.
Under this model the District Libraries Manager has the
responsibility for the strategic development of library services and ensuring
the quality and professional standards are maintained. This will require
a close working relationship with the Customer Support Team Leader to ensure
that all staff who work in a combined library/service centre are able to
provide the full range of services.
This will mean regular training for all and the continued
opportunity for those staff entitled Library/Customer Support Partner, who have
particular collection management responsibilities, to continue with exchange
visits. Once the teams are settled into the new structure, we recommend
that the District Libraries Manager work out the appropriate service standards
in collaboration with the Customer Support Team Leader and develop an annual
plan so that everyone is clear what the priorities are for the year.
Staffing
realignment
· With
these changes in the staff organisation and the proposed changes in
responsibilities following the move to shelf ready collection supply, a
realignment of staff roles and tasks will be necessary. A number of new
responsibilities which require additional or more in-depth skills will be
needed. These include having roles responsible for the relationships with
contract suppliers, web development and social media skills, developing
expertise in the LMS to get the best from using reporting tools and mobile
applications, and a greater level of digital skills to support customers.
A possible approach would be to have the following senior roles:
· Manager
District Libraries - responsibility for the strategic development of library
services and ensuring the quality and professional standards are maintained;
setting direction, planning and reporting; relationships with council,
community leaders and the library sector; budget, coaching and mentoring of
staff.
· Collections
and systems role - responsible for contract management, overall collection
management, expertise in Symphony (the LMS) and reports from the system,
delegated responsibility for resources budget.
· Community
engagement and learning role - responsible for programmes and events delivered
from libraries and in the community, extension activities out in the community;
partnership programmes.
· Customer
service and operations role - overall responsible for service delivery
standards, training of library/customer support people, the Bookbus, housebound
services and online service delivery.
· The
Te Anau librarian could report directly to the Manager District Libraries - or
the Customer Support Team Leader.
· Other
staff members would report in to one of the roles above but would be expected
to work across all areas as the need arose. In this way there is good
cross fertilisation and an opportunity to grow skills in an area which can be
good for skill development.
This is not a restructure but a realignment of
responsibilities and tasks amongst existing staff as the nature of the work
changes. It is important that the roles identified are done by someone
and it makes sense to try and allocate those based on the strengths of the
existing team. All staff will need to have strong digital skills as a
minimum requirement.
Professional development
Maintaining a well-qualified and professional staff is an
important ongoing focus for SDC library services, although not all staff
within the service necessarily require or desire a professional qualification
to perform their roles. It is important that staff have the opportunity
to participate in professional development which might take the form of formal
study but can also be attendance at LIANZA (the library sector professional
body) workshops or meetings, or staff visits to other libraries, etc. The
relative isolation of Southland means that it is important to make the time and
effort to take advantage of these opportunities.
Recommendation: (a) The
District Libraries Manager develops service delivery standards in collaboration
with the Customer Support Team Leader and produces an Annual Plan for clarity
around priorities.
(b) A
realignment of roles is done to clarify the responsibilities and skills needed
to deliver the service following the Customer Support restructure and the
out sourcing of collection supply.
(c) Ensure
staff have the opportunity to participate in professional development and
receive ongoing training, particularly in digital skills and technologies.
8.8 Partnerships
There is an increasing trend in libraries towards working
collaboratively with organisations having similar purposes and in collocating
services in one facility. This is the case in Otautau where other
community services are located in the same building. In other parts of
New Zealand many libraries and Council service centres have formed partnerships
with other agencies, particularly in small towns, to provide a “one stop
shop” concept and promote themselves as a destination for undertaking a
variety of transactions. Whilst this has happened to a small degree in
SDC it could be developed on a more extended scale.
Examples of possible opportunities include partnering with
one or more of the rurally focussed learning institutions to develop a shared
collection and provide the venue and technology for online delivery of learning
via the internet.
Another idea is to allow an office service provider to
operate within the SDL offering services such as photocopying or typing
CVs. Charge them an agreed modest rental for the use of the space.
This frees up SDC staff while still offering a service that is valued by SDC
users. Alternatively SDL could introduce card paying systems for greater
use of photocopiers and scanning, thus freeing up staff time. Many visitors
have large quantities of paperwork due to visa and immigration
requirements. Advertising the availability of such a service will draw
people to SDC facilities and provide them a number of different services in one
location. Obviously however, in developing such
opportunities it pays to have regard to potential tensions with other existing
commercial providers who may feel they are paying rates to have their business
undermined by the Council activities.
Working out which partnerships are the best to proceed
requires clarity around understanding the value to SDL and Council customers
and whether the objectives of the partner are aligned with Council’s
overall objectives.
Recommendation:
Be open to partnership opportunities that are aligned with SDL’s
objectives and bring new users to libraries, eg partnership with rural
education institutions to provide resources and services from library
locations.
8.9 Improved business
intelligence
The move to Kōtui would provide a much greater ability
to use data to drive collection and service development. It will also
provide better information around key performance indicators for accountability
reporting. It is really important that SDL begin to measure all of its
electronic and online use so that trends can be better tracked over time to see
the impact and uptake of digital services.
As well, better information about customers, their needs and
the needs of potential users is essential. This can be achieved through
focus groups, customer surveys, and by talking with like institutions,
businesses or groups that represent particular sectors, to leverage from their
customer groups.
A survey taken sitting outside the supermarket is another
way to get the views of non-users. A number of recommendations in the
report point to greater understanding of what people need so that services can
be more finely shaped. This requires time and focus to get more
comprehensive data gathering and analysis in place.
Recommendation: (a) Develop
a more comprehensive and systematic system for collecting, using and reporting
on library data, particularly around electronic use.
(b) Use
focus groups of non-users, telephone surveys, use data and other mechanisms to
gather information on user and non-user needs for the various communities of
interest to inform service development.
8.10 Funding
As noted earlier the funding for libraries is made up of a
uniform charge, a targeted local rate and some user charges. The targeted
local rate varies throughout the District, based on various historical formulae
which seek to apportion local and district-wide costs. Whilst the rates
paid were once, very loosely, based on the cost of providing the Bookbus
service as opposed to a branch library, these arrangements have become increasingly
vague over time. Staff advise that several communities are now querying
why they pay relatively much more per hour towards libraries which are open
only parts of each week, than other residents who have ready access to
libraries open for much longer periods. It is increasingly difficult to
provide a reasonable explanation to this question.
This contrasts to the district-wide funding approach adopted
by many other councils, including ICC, where each ratepayer pays a uniform
annual charge towards the library service. SDC has adopted this approach
with a range of other services such as sewage, water services and public
toilets and ratepayers appear to accept that it is more about community good
than individual cost.
Queenstown Lakes and Hurunui District Libraries appear to be
the only others which have a funding system as complex as Southland and these
both involve multiple branches with limited/varying hours and days of
opening. In particular, Hurunui has many of its branches associated with
schools and often the staffing is by way of volunteers or using school
staff. This appears to have a bearing on how costs are set, as Ministry
of Education funding does bring another set of conditions.
Despite the large size of the Southland District, the
network of physical libraries and the 40 plus Bookbus stops mean that
residents generally have reasonably equitable access to the service. As
the online services and supply of content grows this will be more so.
The argument therefore for varying funding between different parts of the
District would become weaker.
Recommendation: Consider
reviewing the current funding mechanism for libraries to determine whether the
mix of uniform annual charge and targeted local rate is the most equitable way
of funding libraries.
9 Conclusion
and Recommendations
In any review of services the focus is on what can be done
better and what needs to change. This often means one is left with the
impression that the business has not been well managed in the past. This
is not the case. SDL has been providing a good quality, well managed
library service which is meeting the needs of its current users.
Management has a sound understanding of the business and from discussions and
written input from staff it is clear they know the trends happening in
libraries and want to see their service grow and develop. There is, however,
always room for improvement and in any time of disruptive change it is timely
to take an outside in look at what needs to happen.
The benchmarking work indicates that Southland is at the
lower end of per capita funding and its staffing is also at the lower end of
staff per 1,000 population. Its issues per capita are good given the
geographic spread of its libraries and members clearly appreciate the
collections as the issues per member is high in comparison to all other
libraries except Queenstown Lakes. Again, given the spread of its
population a membership rate of 56% of the population is very good. It is
much easier to build a membership base when the population is concentrated in a
significantly sized town.
Given this situation we have recommended that any cost
saving in staff time resulting from the proposed outsourcing to shelf ready
collections supply be reapplied into other areas as there is a real need for
developments in digital collections and services, in learning programmes and
planning and reporting.
The biggest improvements to how the business operates will
come from taking advantage of the consortia opportunities available for the
running of the LMS and procuring collections. Both of these require
modest additional investment but the benefits in terms of effective and
efficient operations and the customer benefit in easier search options,
improved website and direct to shelf acquisitions will return value on the
investment.
Other investment recommended includes funding for the eventual
move to RFID technologies within three years and funding for a new Winton
premise within the next 10 years. We fully understand the need for
prudent use of ratepayer funds and recommend that a 10 year investment plan for
both operational and capital improvements is put together as soon as practical.
In terms of the best governance and service delivery model
our view is that retaining the governance within the Council’s direct
jurisdiction provides the best option for the ongoing delivery of
services. The Council has some unique characteristics and its service
model of offering both Council and library services from the same service
point, and the recent moves by the Chief Executive to strengthen this service
makes this the best option.
Recommendations
1. In
conjunction with ICC and GDC develop a strategy that looks to promote the
notion of “Southland Libraries for all” brought to you by ICC, SDC
and GDC.
2. Grow
the depth and range of digital content and promote this service to rural
residents as broadband spreads through the District.
3. Join
Kōtui for provision of the LMS and to take advantage of collaborative
opportunities; connect Stewart Island to the LMS at the time of going live with
Kōtui or earlier if this is not likely to happen in 2016/2017.
4. Use
Enterprise discovery layer as the SDL’s website and link this from the
Council’s website; budget $15,000 for a one-off design cost to get the
template properly designed.
5. Plan
for and fund the introduction of RFID within the next three years.
6. Introduce
Wi-Fi on the Bookbus and use with tablets to promote access to eBooks and
databases, and provide access to the internet for users of the Bookbus.
7. Investigate
the slow connections to Council’s systems.
8. Increase
the range of available eBooks and eMagazines and begin to promote this as a
viable option particularly for those remote from libraries. This will
need a sustainable campaign and good education and training of SDL’s
staff to be effective. As part of this campaign have tablet and/or eBook
readers available for use in libraries so that staff can demonstrate these to
customers.
9. Outsource
up to 80% of collection supply to shelf ready and develop standing orders for
fiction and selected non-fiction based on community profiles. Phase this
in over a two-three year period if necessary.
10. Reduce
excessive duplication of fiction titles after consultation with affected
community boards.
11. Get
comparative pricing from two or three magazine suppliers, including the local
bookseller such as Paper Plus.
12. Reduce
stack collections in branches and return to central stack for selection by
other libraries.
13. Seek
opportunities to develop a new community hub and library/service centre in
Winton in partnership with other community, commercial, health or educational
organisations. Fund for this redevelopment in the next 10 Year Plan.
14. Consult
with the Stewart Island community to investigate whether a self-service model
in some form would be worth trialling at this library.
15. In
collaboration with the Nightcaps school and community investigate whether
alternative service models would be acceptable.
16. At
such time as the Council may be reviewing the community and service needs of
Tuatapere and surrounding districts, work with the community and the
Waiau Memorial Trust to see how a wider range of library services could be
offered. In the meantime instigate a regular annual meeting with the
Trust to support and review the agreement.
17. The
District Libraries Manager develops service delivery standards in collaboration
with the Customer Support Team Leader and produces an Annual Plan for clarity
around priorities.
18. A
realignment of roles is done to clarify the responsibilities and skills needed
to deliver the service following the Customer Support restructure and the out
sourcing of collection supply.
19. Ensure
staff have the opportunity to participate in professional development and
receive ongoing training.
20. Be
open to partnership opportunities that are aligned with SDL’s objectives
and bring new users to libraries, eg partnership with rural education
institutions to provide resources and services from various library locations.
21. Develop
a more comprehensive and systematic system for collecting, using and reporting
on library data, particularly around electronic use.
22. Use
focus groups of non-users, telephone surveys, use data and other mechanisms to
gather information on user and non-user needs for the various communities of
interest to inform service development.
23. Consider
reviewing the current funding mechanism for libraries to determine whether the
mix of uniform annual charge and targeted local rate is the most equitable way
of funding libraries.
24. Develop
a 10 year investment plan, both operational and capital for the next
10 years to phase in the recommendations in this report.
