Restructure on the books
Auckland’s libraries are set for a big shake up with plans to cut costs and reduce staff.
The extent of Auckland Council’s proposal to restructure its library staff and services is expected to be revealed in midNovember.
It comes as the council looks at ways to future-proof its libraries to keep up with changing service demands.
It has been confirmed there are no plans to close any of the city’s 55 libraries.
Libraries and information general manager Mirla Edmundson says the library’s Fit for the Future programme will look at ways to reallocate its resources.
This includes potentially restructuring staffing hours and roles to help respond to the changing needs of those using the libraries, Edmundson says.
‘‘One of our challenges is we need to respond to the changing ways our customers use it.’’
She says an example of this has been the rise in the use of ebooks and slow decline in print transactions.
In other cases, staffing is significantly less during the weekends despite some libraries having the same number of visitors as during the week.
The proposed changes will look at ways to redistribute staff and redefine current roles.
Edmundson says they won’t know the full impact on staff numbers until November.