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16/02/2005
Currently
Currently I'm working in a state gov dept library. Libraries within the state gov are generally grim at the moment. A couple of years ago library staff within the public service won a big pay case but it seems the response of the Premier to this has been to close libraries and reduce staff wholesale. Since the beginning of the financial year 5 or 6 libraries have closed outright, including one of the biggest busiest ones. Most others have had to reduce staff and are working with one or two people. One library I know is down from seven staff to two, we are down from four to two and I'm an outside contractor. My manager tried to have my status changed to a temp public servant (better conditions, I'd get sick and recreation leave etc) but it wasn't approved. If I'm an outside contractor I can be put off with a moments notice. It also means they haven't made a decision about this library yet. The rumors were flying thick and fast for a while but it's all slowed down and now it's just a waiting game.
The both of us working here are looking for other jobs, but there's so little going there isn't much hope.
The staffing levels in most state gov libraries are so bad that promotion isn't being done. There just isn't time. We still do the talking-to-individuals type but that is about all we can manage. We can't increase the services we offer because we don't have the resources or the time and a lot of the staff don't even know what we can do at the moment. That is probably a good thing - if we had a lot more people coming in we wouldn't be able to cope with the workload! On the other hand if everyone keeps on thinking the library is just where you go to get books (and most of them don't need books for their day to day work) then they won't use us and then we will close. Catch 22.
To the shame of governments everywhere is this wonderful story I found on another library site yesterday:
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