Value of library technicians and technical services in special and

government libraries

EVOLVING

Trish Murphy @tmmurphy10

How are we adapting to our roles and changing our service models to incorporate our staff

losses

• Supporting Police with evidence analysis

• Supporting Queensland Coroners

• Protecting the public health of Queenslanders

• Advanced investigation and risk mitigation

• Statewide clinical forensic medicine

VISION: Excellence in Forensic & Public Health science directly benefiting Queensland

MISSION: Valued for providing specialist analysis and expert, independent advice to improve the health and safety of our community.

Forensic and Scientific Services

FSS Library (or Information Research Services)

Special library and information services

Specifically GOVERNMENT LIBRARIES

What we do clients funding staffing resources networking

Situation as at the start of 2010

From QGALR http://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/publications/categories/reviews/library-research.aspx

VER Change of government and VRs Natural attrition Competition for funding, staffing

RESULT = staffing cuts which required remaining government libraries to reconsider the services they provide, the staffing and roles of individual staff members and the funding models

Factors contributing to staff losses

See: Qld Government Libraries Review http://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/publications/categories/reviews/library-research.aspx

Situation as at 2015

Survey respondents:

Staffing 2012:

Technicians – 22

Librarians - 51

Survey respondents:

Staffing 2015

Technicians – 7.3

Librarians - 32

Anti-discrimination Commission Crime and Misconduct Commission Dept Communities, Child Safety and Disability

Services Dept Housing and public Works Govt Research and Information Library Dept Transport and Main Roads Dept Agriculture and Fisheries Dept of Environment and Heritage Protection Dept of Justice and Attorney-General Crown Law Qld Academy of Sport Qld Art Gallery Forensic and Scientific Services (Qld Health) Qld Museum Qld Parliamentary library Qld Police Services Qld Studies Authority

http://premiers.qld.gov.au.campusguides.com/qgalhome

Who is left?

Staff remaining in the government libraries

LIBRARY TECHNICIANS

• More responsibility

• Engages in organisational activities

• More in line with librarian roles (Snr technicians

• Responded to changing dept and client needs

• Taken on different roles

LIBRARIANS

• More technical/routine/procedural roles (multi-skilling)

Systems administrators Web authors (style guide, marketing, training, html,

metadata, mark-up, liaison with clients, writing for the web etc)

Marketing and communications Corporate card Much more input into the management of the library Managers Cataloguers Manage licenses Archives and records

Special libraries and library technicians

Changes to service provision and business models

How we have evolved How we CONTINUE to evolve

Evolving

Best case scenarios for the future

$ staff

“professional.” [various sources] - Worthy of or appropriate to a professional person ; competent, skilful, or assured ; A person competent or skilled in a particular activity ; Relating to or belonging to a profession ; relating to a job that requires special education, training, or skill

We are all library professionals.