Proposal to cut the Library Enquiry Service in Somerset

Somerset County Council are proposing to cut their specialist Library Enquiry Centre based at Taunton Library, the service deals with 1600 enquiries a month;

"the service relieves other front-line staff

from the weight of reference enquiries normally associated

with a public library service.

70% of enquiries come direct from the public. The remaining

30% come from library staff."

The proposal goes on to outline the savings and the new model of delivery;

"It is proposed that the service should be stopped over two

years, 50% of the budget being withdrawn in 2013/14 and 50%

in 2014/15 (£100k in total)."

"The basis for this savings proposal is that the role of the

Enquiry Service can be fulfilled in other ways, including

through the rolling out of the Council’s Customer Strategy

(including face to face, phone and web access) and the Library

Service Review, and through existing access channels such

as Somerset Direct, NHS Direct, the People’s Network (which

provides publicly-available web access in Somerset libraries),

and relevant websites."

It also states;

"Outcomes for users, in providing them with the information

they need, will be achieved differently but without a necessary

loss of effectiveness."

Four specialist information staff will lose their jobs, staff who have probably spent years training and building up knowledge and experience in order to do their jobs 'comprehensively and efficiently' and the council states that there won't be a "loss of effectiveness" in cutting them!

"Capacity issues will arise for front-line

library staff unless effective mitigation is put in place to offset the loss of the service."

This is happening at the same time that the SCL, ACE and partners have announced that 'Information' will be part of their 'Universal Offer' to Public Library users, obviously no-one has told Somerset about this?

http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/council/board10%5C2013%20January%2029%20Item%206%20Medium%20Term%20Financial%20Plan%20-%20Cabinet%20MTFP%20Report%20-%20Appendix%20I.pdf - see 13.211
http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/council/board3c%5C2012%20December%2012%20Item%208%20Libraries%20Service%20Review%20Appendix%20A%20-%20D.pdf