Archived decisions

REPORT OF THE

EXECUTIVE MEMBER

RECREATION AND HERITAGE

PART II

LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION REPORT

1. The Executive Member has approved the Libraries and Information report which outlines the proposed changes to the organisation of the library and information service. It has been prepared following extensive consultation with the staff of the service and follows the best value report of 2001 which concluded that the service was good but unlikely to improve without change and innovation.

2. The resultant reorganisation is part of the progress being made to ensure that the service is able to grow and develop the services it provides and builds on existing quality and aims to harness the abilities, commitment and enthusiasm of the staff in a more effective way. The reorganised structure is based on providing a customer focussed locally based management of the library buildings and mobile libraries together with teams of professional librarians freed from day to day administration and a strong strategic management for the service. The present arrangement of four geographically based divisions will be replaced with 20 service units each managed locally by a library manager and to facilitate liaison at District Council level librarians will be organised into 8 teams, broadly coterminous with current district boundaries; these teams will each support two or three service units.

3. The service will be strategically managed by the Head of Libraries and Information Services, supported by a Head of Operations, a Head of County Services, a Head of Strategy and Performance and an ICT Manager. Specialist support, including central stock purchase and management, will form part of the new County Services Division.

4. A new vision statement for the service was launched last December and outlined the aims and objectives of the service. These included, inter alia, having a clear customer and quality focus, providing services in ways and at times which customers find convenient and operating buildings which are bright, vibrant and attractive. The service delivery will be socially inclusive and focus on children, young people and families, those most in need, reader development, local studies and lifelong learning.

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