Upper Hutt Library Changes

Jan from Ebdentown

ONGOING
Director Community Services UHCC – Mike Ryan re: UHC Library
I wrote to M. Ryan on 2/4/17 asking for the statistics and data from other NZ Libraries using this ‘fiction non genre philosophical trend’ and how many there are, how it was working for them and how many were still operating it?
I quote word for word a part of his 11/4/17reply to me:
“we have subsequent to your letter asked libraries throughout New Zealand to provide an indication re the non-genre based philosophy’’

His reply to me of 28/4/17 began by largely repeating the (now discredited) research mantra and also had list of sources of their information, not anything new, no stats, no data, no comparisons, in effect nothing)!

I quote again verbatim:
“This was qualitative research and this indicated very clearly that New Zealand Libraries had largely moved away from the genre based classification system’’

“The subsequent poll undertaken that I referred to in my letter off the 11/4/2017 was done to provide you with specific figures/statistic (quantitative) data”

What followed in that letter was a list of 38 libraries 32 who run non genre adult fiction and 6 who don’t.
• Not one figure, not one comparison, not one enlightening comment not one of my questions answered. Just a list of names!
I believe there are some 300 libraries in NZ, which was also not mentioned, so more non research.

I had also asked the Mayor, Mr. Ryan and the Library if the Library was logging/registering/counting
• Over the counter requests for help?
• Over the counter/verbal complaints?

I have never even had those questions acknowledged or answered.
I have now requested all the above information under THE OFFICAL INFORMATION ACT – so we will see! I requested the UHCC by mail on the 28/7/17. I have not had an acknowledgement to date.
• Councillors McArthur and Gwilliam - I believe have not met their obligations to me as they have sworn to do. Councillors Lambert, Wheeler and Griffiths have been demonstrably derelict in their sworn duty.
I first contacted my elected representatives by email on the 24/4/17 the last time 1/8/17
• I will not contact them again, instead I am now going to research all my lawful options on how to redress this situation in regard to their failure and repeated refusal to engage with me or willingly represent me.
I am assuming that Angela McLeod is still not well or catching up from the backlog being unwell created. Get well soon – we need you to represent out issues and concerns to Council.

As an aside, the Core business of Libraries is books, publications and a reading room etc.
• Being a drop in centre is (since the internet) a relatively new incarnation.
DVDs. Public Computers, reading only and other diversions such as Wi-Fi are counted as visitors and people who take out books as issue numbers – issue numbers were not dropping at the same rate as visitor numbers which declined some 3% more than books. (If you can trust them, who knows how they collected and collated and then measured it?).
• Surely a Library should be only counting books issued to borrowers?
A member is not a visitor - regardless of whether they study, read only or just come in out of the cold.
Other groups who share the space are visitors and co use the Library space but are not the Library and may not even be members – and as such should be counted as a group on their own?
• Either we have a Library that is one accessible by all as before or we don’t have one, what we have now is not a Library as Librarians would understand them!!