4.1 National context
4.2 Role of the public library in New Zealand
4.3 Auckland City
4.4 Auckland City's strategic aims
4.5 Treaty of Waitangi
4.6 Ki Mua
4.7 Auckland City delegations
4.8 Managing for outcomes (MFO) at ACL/TPK
ACL/TPK works within a regional, national and international network of public libraries, guided by global and national associations such as UNESCO, IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) and LIANZA (Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa). These groups provide standards and guidelines for public library operations. Benchmarks are also provided by groups such as Metronet (Metropolitan network of public libraries in New Zealand).
ACL/TPK is a member of eLGAR (Libraries for a Greater Auckland Region), a co-operative grouping of 5 public libraries from the greater Auckland region, Auckland City, Manukau, North Shore, Rodney and Waitakere. The eLGAR libraries are working through a joint evaluation of new computerized library management systems called the Smarter Systems project. Opportunities may emerge to build on this cooperative venture to benefit collection management at all member libraries.
4.1 National context
Auckland City is a local authority as defined under the Local Government Act 2002.
iii
The purpose of this Act is to provide for democratic and effective local government that recognizes the diversity of New Zealand communities; and, to that end, this Act -
- States the purpose of local government; and
- Provides a framework and powers for local authorities to decide which activities they undertake and the manner in which they will undertake them; and
- Promotes the accountability of local authorities to their communities; and
- Provides for local authorities to play a broad role in promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well being of their communities, taking a sustainable development approach.
[Local Government Act 2002]
Section 601(4) refers specifically to Libraries:
The council may make such charges as it thinks fit for any services, facilities, or equipment provided pursuant to this section, subject in the case of a library to the following provisions:
- The right to join the library shall be open to the residents of the district free of charge; but
- The council may by resolution make charges for lending books, sound recordings, video recordings, films, paintings, or prints out of any library under its control.
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4.2 Role of the public library in New Zealand
The role of the public library is to collect, organise, preserve and provide access to resources in a range of print, audio visual and/or electronic formats for information, self-education and recreation. To fulfil this role, the public library provides access to facilities and services, without discrimination, to all residents and ratepayers of the local authority. The public library is also a repository for unique collections relating to the local history and cultural memory of the community. The library also provides a public space for the community to meet and a focus for the access and distribution of information by and about the community.
The public library has a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of a democratic society and supports culture, education, and economic and personal development. It provides assistance and support to individuals to access and effectively use the library materials regardless of format. The local public library is an access point to the collections and services of other libraries throughout New Zealand, and the international network of libraries.
[LIANZA Standards for Public Libraries, 2002.] iv
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4.3 Auckland City
Public library service in Auckland city is provided by Auckland City Council.
Auckland city, including 65 islands in the Hauraki Gulf, covers the largest land area (63,174 hectares) of the region's four cities and is built on a narrow isthmus between two harbours. Governed by Auckland City Council, Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with a population of approximately 401,500 in May 2004 within the city boundary.
Auckland city is ethnically diverse, containing 181 different ethnic groups, in marked contrast to other parts of the Auckland region and the country as a whole.
English is the main written and spoken language, with Maori, Polynesian and Asian languages also being spoken by ethnic communities. Auckland City has a lower percentage of New Zealand Maori than the region as a whole and New Zealand but the second highest actual numbers of New Zealand Maori in the Auckland region. It also has a higher proportion of Asian population than the region as a whole and New Zealand.
Auckland city experienced rapid population growth during the early 1990s, peaking at a 13% increase between the 1991 and 1996 censuses. The rate of growth slowed between 1996 and 2001 to 6.4% (21,966 people). This is an average annual increase of approximately 4400 extra people (1.2%) each year, which is consistent with the city's long-term growth trend since 1981.
Over the 10 years from 1991, the population increase within Auckland City Council's jurisdiction was larger than for any other local authority in New Zealand. The increase of 61,527 people was 4000 more than in Manukau city, which had the second highest recorded increase numerically.
The population is expected to increase under the medium model option to 468,400 people by 2011, an extra 100,000 and a further 60,000 over the next 10 years to 530,600 people by 2021.
By 2050 the total population of Auckland city is expected to be 575,000.
The average age in Auckland city is younger, and there are higher proportions of working age groups, compared to the rest of the Auckland region and New Zealand.
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4.4 Auckland City's strategic aims
The management, operation and development of the library collections are guided by the principles, values and outcomes stated in the Community Vision and Auckland City's strategic plan.
The Community Vision is:
Auckland is Tamaki Makaurau, many peoples united in a proudly Pacific city. It moves ahead with confidence - constantly growing, creating opportunities and prosperity. It is New Zealand's first city of commerce and culture - sharing energy, growth and creativity. It is as unique as its volcanic cones, as sparkling as its waters and as beautiful and diverse as its islands. Auckland values its past, acts in the present and creates the future.v
From this Community Vision, Auckland City's guiding principles are seen as being the Treaty of Waitangi, democracy with participation, and equity.
Library services support council’s 2004 Community Vision outcomes of:
- Strong and healthy communities.
- Celebrating and recognizing diversity.
- Economic prosperity.
And support council’s strategic plan for community infrastructure through strategies of:
- Providing equality of access.
- Becoming a successful multicultural city.
- Providing opportunities built on knowledge, technology and a skilled workforce.
- Supporting community participation in the knowledge society and economy.
The libraries provide free and equal access to relevant, current information and reading, as well as heritage and cultural identity, through library collections.
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4.5 Treaty of Waitangi
Through its Strategic Plan
Taonenui Tuatahi o te Moana nui a Kiwa - The First City of the Pacific Auckland City commits to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and acknowledges the Treaty as the historical foundation of the bicultural society.
Auckland City acknowledges that three iwi; Ngati Whatua o Orakei, Ngati Paoa (Waiheke) and Ngati Rehua (Great Barrier) have ahikaa (enduring occupation and authority) and exercise mana whenua (through meeting traditional requirements, earned exclusive right to an area of land) over lands within Auckland City boundaries.
The goal is to ensure that the interface between the Maori communities and the organisation is mutually effective and satisfying, every time Maori are invited here or choose to come of their own volition, as customers or staff.vi
ACL/TPK recognizes the unique place of Maori as the indigenous people of Aotearoa - New Zealand and reflects this in a bicultural approach to service design and delivery.
The bicultural partnership is outlined in He Awe Mapara. He Awe Mapara – the Maori Services Business Plan is the kaupapa at the heart of the Tamaki Pataka Korero – Auckland City Libraries offer.
He Awe Mapara also describes the role of Te Ropu Ratonga Maori, a specialized Maori Services team located on the Heritage floor of the Central City Library. They care for the Te Kohinga Matua Parent Collection. It is a Maori reference collection and includes material on tribal histories, genealogy, Maori language and Maori issues. Nga Mataturanga Maori Knowledge collections are lending collections found on the ground floor of the Central City Library and at community libraries. The Pou Arahi Taonga Maori Collection Development Specialist has overall responsibility for maintaining and developing the Maori Collections held at ACL\TPK.
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4.6 Ki Mua
Auckland City Libraries’ business direction, Ki Mua – Towards Tomorrow,
vii identifies four principal roles for the library:
| Role |
Key words and phrases |
| Book Library |
- Reading, heritage, experience.
- A publicly available resource for people to borrow, return, reuse.
- Access to materials that are no longer in print, and materials that have special value due to their rarity or association with a person, time, or place.
|
| Information Gateway |
- Knowledge, access, choices.
- People finding answers to their questions for leisure, work, study, or research.
- Physical and virtual access to organized print and digital resources for contemporary and historical information.
- Evaluating the best resources for purchase and subscription, expertise of staff's information literacy skills, and creation of pathways to information.
|
| Community Anchor |
- People, place, participation.
- People feeling they belong to and are in touch with their local community.
- Meeting place and focal point for community participation, fun, relaxation, and borrowing books.
|
| Learning Centrer |
- Literacy, empowerment, opportunity.
- Opportunity for people to empower themselves with life skills that are essential for participation in a knowledge society and economy.
- Acquisition of information technology and information literacy skills.
|
The libraries’ collections provide access to a range of books, formats and information to support this purpose and these roles. Specific objectives are to create opportunities for recreation, culture and heritage, information access and lifelong learning.
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4.7 Auckland City delegations
The Auckland City Delegations Register outlines the delegated authority for the Group Manager, Auckland City Libraries.
These include the administrative functions of selecting books, periodicals and related material for the libraries; selecting suppliers of books, periodicals and related material for the libraries; disposing of unwanted or surplus books and related material; authorizing use of the Reed–Dumas collection; exchanging duplicate items in the Grey collection; and purchasing major additions for the rare book collection.
Statutory functions include: setting library borrowing charges, and deciding on and receiving payment for damaged and lost books and refunds. The register is updated periodically, and can be found on the Auckland City website at:
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/ in the About the city - Introducing Auckland pages.
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4.8 Managing for outcomes (MFO) at ACL/TPK
Auckland City has adopted the MFO model for reporting budget expenditure and performance measures achieved.
The MFO programme has two objectives; to increase transparency of the services and programmes that are delivered from the group operating budget; and to create financial links between the services and programmes delivered and council's Community Vision Outcomes.
ACL/TPK has established ten group outputs that have been grouped into four organisation outputs. They are:
- Collection acquisition and preservation:
- collection acquisition
- collection preservation
- Collection organisation:
- information and knowledge development
- development and provision of information access tools
- collection organisation
- Customer access to information
- lend collections
- answer enquiries
- provision of events and exhibitions
- provision of information skill programmes
- community meeting place
- LOGIS (Local Government Information Service)
Managing the ACL/TPK collection contributes to all four library organisation outputs.
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