Partnering Public Libraries in Queensland Our Framework and Model

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx

Libraries in Queensland 73 local governments 346 libraries Funded by local government with State grant support IndependentCLSIKCs Governments312910* Libraries

Regionalisation - history History of regional services Began to disaggregate in the 80s Last region dissolved in 1995

Regionalisation - reform Amalgamations in 2008: 73 local government areas 30 of these are regional councils 69 CLS libraries in 29 local governments Total CLS pop. < 100,000 (was 380,000) Total CLS grant – $500,000 (was $2M)

Governance Partnership between state and local governments Sound governance framework Protocols SLAs Standards Advisory mechanisms

Governance - protocols Roles and responsibilities of: State and local government in QueenslandState and local government in Queensland Developed jointly by Qld Govt and the LGAQ in 2006 Queensland and local government in managing public librariesQueensland and local government in managing public libraries –Developed jointly by SLQ and LGAQ in 1997

Governance – service level agreements Triennial Service Level Agreements List obligations in providing library services Current SLA term is 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2014 Council reports required to receive SLQ funding

Queensland Public Library Standards and GuidelinesQueensland Public Library Standards and Guidelines Robust standards for all kinds of libraries Developed collaboratively (PLSSG) Ensure consistency Provide performance criteria Governance - standards

Public Libraries Advisory Group Advises Library Board Represents public libraries and local government Members from: Large and small libraries Local governments Queensland Public Libraries Association Local Government Association of Qld Governance - PLAG

Governance – Expanding Horizons

Local (88%) and state governments (12%) State Library funding includes: Cash grants Book stock and support services Support for IKCs Specialist resources and databases. Funding

$ million Up to 30% discretionary 66% per capita 30% population growth 4% based on indigenous population Location and dispersion Indexed for population growth Independent libraries

$ 584,503 Council allocations use same methodology Shelf-ready library materials Small annual cash grant CLS libraries

$ million Services for IKCs Shelf-ready materials, library management, program support Staffing costs State Library / Indigenous local governments Indigenous Knowledge Centres

Hope Vale Indigenous Knowledge Centre with Shirley Costello

$ 944,000 Language, literacy, audio books (economies of scale) Free access to 9 databases Centralised collections

$ 600,000 Queensland web content Information-rich communities Queensland heritage content, information, and learning opportunities OPAL funding

$ 250,000 State-wide Expanding Horizons projects OR to local governments for initiatives in specified areas 2010/11 – 8 family literacy projects. Expanding Horizons grants

Late 2008 by Synergies RowlandSynergies Rowland State-wide consultation No major change for next 3 years* Grants methodology review

Outcomes-based by 2014/15 Demonstrate tangible benefits Performance measurement Advocacy skills Grants methodology review

State Library will: Review Expanding Horizons Develop measures Study of the value of public libraries Support remodeled CLS Grants methodology review

In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim. Linton Weeks

Minimum 1 item/capita in core collections Populations <1000 min. of 1000 items 1000 items for each additional branch Quarterly stock exchanges Sliding scale by population Stand-alone Aurora LMS (most) Union catalogue (some) Country Lending Service – current stock provision

Mostly untrained staff Limited opening hours Some co-located with other services State Library support: Learning opportunities and forums Brisbane Regional online Country Lending Service – training

New service delivery model Current 3 tier model:  Independent  CLS  IKC New 5 tier model:  Capital city  Urban regional  Rural regional  CLS  IKC Direct service to each CLS branch Service to nominated CLS ‘headquarters’ library

Multi-branch CLS services Manage internal stock rotation Support from State Library: Transitional financial package Training and logistics assistance Upgrade of LMS to web-based catalogue* Collection analysis Boutique collections

Targeted services Digital resources Community / library capacity building Lifelong learning Resource sharing (Aurora 1) Advocacy skills development Benefits - general

Benefits – remote libraries My childhood library was small enough not to be intimidating. And yet I felt the whole world was contained in those two rooms. I could walk any aisle and smell wisdom. Rita Dove

Benefits – remote libraries  Sustainability  Scalable model  Local input into collections  Regular networking  Resource sharing (Aurora 1)  Low financial commitment for small local governments  Economies of scale for small libraries  Cost-effective use of in-demand resources  Rotation enhances range of materials  Training / support for non-librarians

Staffing issues Short opening hours Bandwidth limitations in some places Small councils most difficult to regionalise Reduced CLS funding High travel & freight costs Limitations and challenges

Diverse range of needs Geographic / social disadvantage Distances / decreasing populations Embrace digital Grow capacity of librarians Consultation with government Advocacy for libraries Strategic planning Conclusion