While not too unhappy with the way the
debate is going no-one has yet answered the original question, 14
months ago I was asked a similar question & here is my reply :
"I'm checking with our operational
people but for the 5 I know of they are so quiet that it only activities
that are a potential problem & extra staff are drafted in for these.
To illustrate :
Allerton Bywater open 10 hpw annual
issues 6700
Ireland Wood 10 hrs, ai 5700
Lofthouse 8 hrs, ai 6100
Methley 12 hrs, ai 9300
Shadwell 15 hrs , ai 9900
Our 2 mobiles which visit homes &
centres are single staffed & our other 3 are some of the time but they
all have half a day off the road for the admin & are double staffed
when visiting certain areas of the city.
There are at least 3 other branches
where the level of business would allow single staffing but for staff safety
reasons are not."
The original enqurirer was not asking
about grades but the branches are all staffed by basic library assistants
(S1/2) the mobiles by at least one Scale 3 (& no-one higher).
It might be noted that only the City
of London, Manchester & Gateshead have more library staff per 1000
population than Islington & only a handful amongst the counties &
unitaries have less than Bradford. Bradford has 24 more service points
than Islington & only 20 more staff. My view, as a near neighbour of
Bradford, is that the staff have a superb job over the past 10-15 years
under the most difficult circumstances in terms of funding & staffing
& are only again seeking to be realistic about their circumstances
(they have also been very imaginative during this period).
As an aside
My 1st professional post was Assistant
Reference Librarian, Stoke Newington Reference Library (now closed but
under 2 miles from Alan Wylie's). We were open 68 hours per week &
I was then expected to work alone from 5-9 pm 2 nights per week, I was
paid AP3 which directly equates with Scale 4, the library assistant who
worked alone on Friday evening I think was on scale 1 - times change!
Lionel Aldridge
Performance Manager
Leeds Library and Information Services
0113 395 2350
National Year of Reading has finished, but who cares: I have just started
Jasper FForde's First among Sequels & it has started well even if I
tend to prefer his Nursery Crimes series. I might as well shamefully confess
to reading First among Equals many years ago on holiday!
Hi
Whilst I am a child of the sixties myself and not known for an over
insistence on political correctness I think 'staffing' would be the more
correct, up to date and particularly in the case of libraries accurate
terminology to use.
Alan Issler
Neighbourhood and Enterprise Manager
Brighton & Hove City Libraries
Jubilee Library
Jubilee Street,
Brighton BN1 1GE
tel:01273-296948
mob: 07795336492
fax:01273-296976
'e' mail: [log in to unmask]
website: www.citylibraries.info
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Keith
Patterson/CEXEC/STHMBC
Sent: 19 March 2009 14:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Double manning in branches
Alan,
What David said ...
It's more complex than your message suggests, and it all depends on
local
circumstances. There is not necessarily anything wrong with single
staffing, providing a proper risk assessment has been carried out and
measures put in place to remove/mitigate or plain manage any risks
identified. Of course, in some circumstances a risk assessment will
reveal
issues that cannot adequately be managed, particularly in urban
environments, and single staffing would not then be acceptable.
Salaries - managing a branch library can be defined in different ways.
We
have a supervisor for each library, supported by Cluster Managers
(Librarians) each responsible for several libraries, and a Support Unit
and
Management Team to provide further support and back-up. Many of our
supervisors are paid Scale 3, some with additional responsibilites are
paid
Scale 5. A model along these lines seems to make best use
of
higher-paid
staff - there are other models where each library is managed separately.
Keith Patterson
Operations Manager
Libraries Management Team
Chester Lane Library
Four Acre Lane
St Helens WA9 4DE
tel: (01744) 677487
fax: (01744) 677082
David Tanner
<David.Tanner@NOR
THYORKS.GOV.UK>
To
Sent by:
[log in to unmask]
"lis-pub-libs: UK
cc
Public Libraries"
<LIS-PUB-LIBS@JIS
Subject
CMAIL.AC.UK>
Re: Double manning in branches
19/03/2009 13:53
Please respond to
David Tanner
<David.Tanner@NOR
THYORKS.GOV.UK>
Alan
You must have a very strong Unison branch indeed ... Sc4 is a fairly
common
grade here in Yorkshire to be a Assistant in charge of a small part time
branch. Its not bad practice its hard economic reality. Librarians start
at
5/6.
--
David Tanner
Manager: Stock and Systems
Adult and Community Services (Information)
North Yorkshire County Council
Library HQ
21 Grammar School Lane
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL6 1DF
Tel: 01609 533814
Fax: 01609 780793
email: [log in to unmask]
I am reading and enjoying "Matter" by Iain M Banks.
http://www.iain-banks.net/
>>> On 19/03/2009 at 1:28 pm, in message
<[log in to unmask]>, Alan Wylie
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I would certainly hope that no library authority would leave a member
of
> staff
> alone for any amount of time, this is a basic H&S issue, and I
am sure
that
> UNISON would love to hear about this!
> Also I am very surprised that a Sc/4 is put in the position of 'Team
Leader'
> and
> off managing a branch, small or large.
> This seems to me like a classic case of asking someone on a relatively
low
> grade to take on work and responsibilities they are not paid for.
> I am afraid that it all sounds like very bad practice.
>
> Alan Wylie
> Asst Librarian
> Islington Central Reference Library
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