Cull of Library staff – Barnet Libraries Restructure

This week Barnet  libraries management  announced to library staff their plans for the service.

To view report click here

Front-line  library staff numbers are to be cut and more self–service machines will introduced. The number of staff carrying out the duties of professionally qualified  librarians will be cut from 24.5 post to 6 and these 6 will no longer work directly with the public. 

 

The librarians are the staff who select the books, CDs and DVDs for libraries and  ordering books that readers request. They have developed and taught the IT sessions for beginners.  These staff  run the childrens rhyme and story times, organise events such as author talks. The Librarians developed and maintained  Barnet’s digital library and on-line reference libraries, they visit schools and host visits by schools to libraries. They also run programs promoting literacy such as World Book Night, and the Summer  Reading Challenge, as well as dealing with the more complex queries asked in public libraries every day.

 

Those front-line staff remaining will also suffer a pay cut.as their weekend allowance for working  Saturdays is removed. This will not affect senior management and administration staff who don’t work weekends.

 

Despite the reduction in front line staff and Barnet Libraries having two less building to run with the closure of Friern Barnet Library and the handing over of Hampstead Garden Library to a local resident group, the number of senior management posts remains the same and administration staff posts increased by two. In addition a temporary project manager to enforce further cuts is proposed.

 

This restructure will result in a library service with less staff available to serve the public and with less expertise and skills.  The choice of stock available in the libraries may decline and service and activities previously delivered by trained and experienced staff will be done by volunteers. This restructure represents a worsening of conditions for staff and an inadequate service for the public. UNISON Barnet are challenging this proposal and will strive for a library service whose workers are justly valued and treated and one that will provide the people of Barnet with a service they deserve.