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Presentation to Libraries NI Board on the Proposed Closure of Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch
12/02/2010
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1. NIPSA was formally advised on 14 December 2010 of this Board’s decision to commence a consultation process with staff and their union, NIPSA, on the proposal to close Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch with effect from 31 March 2010.
2. NIPSA believes the Board took this decision on the recommendation of Libraries NI Officers and the Business Support Committee based on the information contained in the Economic Appraisal – Review of Future Arrangements for Libraries NI’s Administrative Centres – Final Report dated November 2009.
3. NIPSA would suggest Libraries NI did not need to go through this charade of a exercise as the Terms of Reference for the Economic Appraisal were a self-fulfilling prophecy ie:-
“Gain efficiencies through coherence and co-ordination of planning by reducing the number of regional administrative centres from five to four. It is anticipated savings will be achieved by a reduction in operating costs and eventual property disposal.”
4. Set against this back drop and the South Eastern Education & Library Board’s gradual stripping of functions and posts from their Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch over the last 5+ years it was fairly clear that this would have been the outcome. NIPSA does not accept however that this is a fair or just outcome.
5. NIPSA would argue that the Board were not in receipt of the full facts of the case on which to make such an important decision which will have long term effects on staff and service delivery.
6. NIPSA notes that the Board were advised at their November meeting that work was ongoing on proposals in relation to a permanent location for a Regional Headquarters for Libraries NI which is due to be considered by the Board at the meeting today or March 2010. NIPSA were also advised of this at the Negotiating Committee meeting on 14 December 2009. For a variety of reasons which are set out later in this paper NIPSA would recommend that the Board rescind their decision to commence a consultation on the closure of Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch until the Board have been presented with the facts and proposals in relation to a permanent Headquarters location which NIPSA understands includes Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch. The rush to complete the current exercise by 31 March 2010 would make any consideration this Board of Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch as a Regional Headquarters null and void and would have asset stripped the current roles and functions carried out there.
7. One of reasons given in the Economic Appraisal for the closure of Ballynahinch rests with the type of functions currently retained at the 5 Regional Administrative Centres. This concludes that Stock Services are carried out at each of the 5 Centres; Mobile Services in 3 Centres; Schools Libraries in 3 Centres (which is not a Libraries NI function) and therefore has been given undue weight in the proposals. Omagh and Belfast were ruled out early in the Economic Appraisal.
8. The decision appears to rest primarily on the under utilisation of space and the number of staff currently located in that building. As stated there are currently 20 staff working in the Ballynahinch building including those work out of it in mobile services. NIPSA do not believe this is good reason to therefore select Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch. In fact NIPSA is not arguing that another Regional Administrative Centre should close to keep this one open.
9. Following a request for information from Libraries NI, NIPSA were advised that the rates, rent and other utility costs of Haslem’s Lane and the Sidings – ie the current temporary Headquarters – were £80K pa. This is comparative to the same utility costs of Ballynahinch at a cost of £89K pa. NIPSA would strongly argue that savings could have been made by Libraries NI by not taking on the rented accommodation at The Sidings in Lisburn but relocating staff from Haslem’s Lane to Ballynahinch. NIPSA is aware that senior finance staff did visit the Ballynahinch site to look at the accommodation but it would appear they didn’t like it or thought it did not suit their needs. This is despite 10 computer links being immediately available, linked to the Libraries NI system. NIPSA is aware that the current lease at Haslem’s Lane could be ended within the next couple of months and there is an option to extend for up to a further 2 years. NIPSA believes the Board should not approve the extension of the lease and instead direct the staff to move to Ballynahinch which would be an immediate saving to Libraries NI in rental costs. In the current economic climate with Libraries NI being required to realise savings in the region of £1.2m per year resources cannot afford to be squandered.
10. The Economic Appraisal quotes the residual value of the building £757,000. NIPSA believes in the current economic climate that this is a gross over-estimation and should be discounted. In any event the money would not automatically come back to Libraries NI but would be re-diverted back to the Department and possibly the NI block grant for redistribution.
11. Another significant issue to support the retention of Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch is the fact that 2 mobiles, 2 delivery vans and 2 staff vehicles are garaged at this site. The major garaging issue relates to the mobiles which are large vehicles which require specific size of garaging which is not readily available. Officers have already indicated to NIPSA that, to date, they have not identified suitable garaging and in any event secure garaging space would have to be rented or purchased, most likely rented. At this point in time NIPSA has not been provided with the costs of suitable garage rental but NIPSA would contend it is a cost that does not need to be incurred as it is currently incorporated into the utility and running costs of Library HQ, Ballynahinch. In a time of economic prudence this needs to be a significant consideration.
12. Currently there are in excess of 25 staff working out of the Haslems Lane premises. NIPSA would regularly attend meetings in these premises and our initial observations are that the accommodation is overcrowded. Therefore a move to Ballynahinch Library HQ would also resolve an overcrowding issue and immediately provide more space for filing and storage.
13. One significant function currently retained in Ballynahinch is Stock Services. Currently the building is in NIPSA’s opinion suitable for the work carried out by the relevant staff. There is a purpose built loading bay and is fit for purpose. NIPSA understands the current proposals are that Business Area C would be bereft of a Stock Services Centre as Libraries NI are proposing to move the Stock/Receipting areas to Ballymena, Belfast Central, Londonderry and Armagh. NIPSA is concerned there will be no receipting/stock function in Business Area C yet two in Business Area D.
14. Another function located at Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch is the Local Studies Service. NIPSA have received numerous letters and contacts from users of this service seeking to build support for the retention of Local Studies from Ballynahinch. Many of the users are appalled at the Board’s proposal to break up the collection which has been put together over many years.
15. NIPSA understands the Chairman and Chief Executive have received a number of letters in support of the retention of the service from this central location and keeping the collection together. Quotes from some letters which have been passed to NIPSA are as follows:-
“The collection, maps, directories, microfiche records of papers, photographs and scarce books of Irish interest so painstakingly put together over the years is such a significant asset for the county that I am appalled at the proposal that it should be dispersed.”……
“As a photographer, historian, published author and researcher myself of many years standing I can assure you that there is incalculable advantage in having the resources of local history centralised. The very proposal to fragment and scatter this collection bespeaks a lack of awareness of the treasure you have.”
“I can well recall the debate in the 1970s about where to locate the county library. The site at Ballynahinch was chosen with care and wisdom to serve the whole community on the account of its central position. The argument about making local studies resources more available by diffusing them to Bangor, Lisburn, Downpatrick and Newry is a receipt for ending the excellence of your present asset, ……. and frankly makes a nonsense of the reason why Ballynahinch was chosen as the site for local studies in the first place.”
Daniel Curran
Another user Patrick Clarke stated:-
“…..I feel that for this local historical archive material to be moved to another location or spread across various locations outside Co Down would be a great inconvenience to researchers. From my own experience when using the Local Studies and History Department at the SEELB Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch, quite often when researching a certain historical topic, it is necessary to cross reference across the various historical sources in the Local Studies and History Department in order to ascertain and confirm that the information you have identified is factually correct and can be referenced to that particular historical source. ……….. Therefore my primary concern is that to relocate the entire Local Studies and History department collection and divide across two or more libraries would have serious implications and would hinder any researcher who is researching from more than one historical source.”
16. Having discussed various options with both users of the service and the two staff employed in the Local Studies Department it is recognised that perhaps to maintain a Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm service needs to be reconsidered. Staff are open to this discussion provided it the Local Studies Library is based at Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch as that is the express wish of the many users of the service they have encountered over many, many years.
17. Initially NIPSA were advised that there were only “8 regular users”. NIPSA understands this information was relayed and recorded publicly to NIPSA, the Minister and perhaps the Board. In the past week the Business Manager, for Area C has confirmed to the staff that this was in fact incorrect information. The staff are very upset and annoyed that this incorrect information is in the public domain. NIPSA are insisting this erroneous information must be corrected and relayed to the relevant people who were misadvised and an apology issued to the staff concerned for the distress caused.
18. Irrespective of the numbers of users who are determined as “regular users” shows an alarming lack of understanding of the nature and role of a Local Studies Department. While there may be users who come on a fairly frequent basis this is not the norm. Someone may come for a period of time, complete their research and they may not come back for weeks, months or even years. It is not a “browsing” library. It is primarily a research and educational facility. The clients of this facility include professional researchers, authors doing research, students, groups from adult education colleges, reminiscence from nursing homes and individuals. In addition the Local Studies Library:-
- Manage a request service from branches – shelf checks can be 30-40 per day;
- Queries – staff need to access the Collection as a whole to answer queries via phone, branches, email which local studies encourage to promote the local studies collection. Contact details are advertised on the Libraries NI website;
- User education – genealogy workshops, family history fairs;
- Visitors – planned and unplanned – local studies is not a “browsing library” and queries cannot easily be answered by “googling”;
- Exploiting the Collection – requires detailed research using sources which need to be at hand eg packs on specific subjects compiled over time for branch libraries and updated on a continual basis;
- Newspaper Collection – on microfilm exploited viz printed indexes. Local studies staff will copy articles if enquirer cannot visit. Local Studies receive email queries for articles from these indexes;
- Map Collection – from 1830 – (previous BELB) do not have these – only PRONI maps used to research growth and development of specific areas;
- Stock purchase and maintenance – research needed to purchase local studies titles on specific areas as well as using Rondo;
- Journals and their management – circulation controlled in local studies unit – requests for articles from all sources;
- Minutes of Local Government – managed in local studies unit;
- Anniversaries – eg Titanic, Ulster Plantation – forward planning required.
19. One other issue the Board should consider is that there is free car parking at the site. While NIPSA appreciate staff are not entitled to free car parking it is a benefit which NIPSA would suggest a number of staff based at Haslem’s Lane in Lisburn would see as a significant benefit as they have to pay for their car parking. A number of senior staff do have car parking provided by Libraries NI, but the majority of lower paid staff do not.
20. NIPSA is firmly of the view that the economic argument of relocating the staff from Haslem’s Lane and The Sidings to Library Headquarters makes economic sense and so do the large number of public who attended the NIPSA organised public meeting I Ballynahinch last night. The current NIPSA proposal have the support of all of the main political parties and community groups etc in the area.
21. NIPSA therefore recommend that the Board rescind its earlier decision to close Library Headquarters, Ballynahinch and reconsider the options put forward by NIPSA in the context of a recommendation on the future Regional Headquarters for Libraries NI. NIPSA believes the one-off costs of updating and partitioning to convert a large space into offices, if required, ensures the most appropriate use of a building already owned by Libraries NI.
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