Kia ora koutou

Lisa, Fiona and I have been working away on the library values, and after a few circles, I think some are shaping up.

We’ve been working from the draft values and the values in Ngā Awa e Rua which generally match up well. Lisa has also gone through all the feedback to ensure that the major ideas have been incorporated- this has contributed to what we’ve written about diversity under Manaakitanga.

I’ve attached the latest draft  (filename below in case the link doesn’t work )-the material in italics is very  much a work-in-progress but we are interested in feedback on any of it. Please ensure this includes recommendations for improvements!

file://K:/LIBR-Library/Management/Planning/Libr-Values-2015-2016/Values-Revision-2016-08-18.docx

We are having much discussion about Ngā Kohikohinga-Collections and Kaitiakitanga-Guardianship, including whether Collections are a value- they’re not a personal value but they are definitely a core thing we value professionally.

On that note, we are using the OED definition of values: ” the principles or moral standards held by a person or social group; the generally accepted or personally held judgement of what is valuable or important in life”. So I would say, taking the library as the social group, collections fit the latter part of that description though not the former.

We have not included ‘environment’ as a value as we believe that although physical spaces are important to the customer experience they are not something that define a library as different from other services whereas collections are. The human part of the environment or the experience in a library environment is encompassed in Manaakitanga.

I am liaising with Nekerangi to ensure that our English explanations of the concepts fit with the Māori concept- and that the Māori term is not just a translation of the English idea. I will also liaise with Ripeka from AVC Māori to ensure that our work fits with the Rautaki Whakawhanake Kaupapa Māori.

Don’t hesitate to contact Fiona, Lisa or I if you have questions or suggestions or would like to discuss any aspect of the project.

Ngā mihi

Caroline S