Kia ora koutou

An action-packed week, a highlight of which was the managers’ field trip to Rolleston to visit Te Ara Ātea, following recommendations from the ELS team who visited recently as well. 

This is a simply beautiful space, and it was so uplifting to see how many people (library kaimahi included) were using, treasuring and enjoying all that was on offer.  I took a screed of photos, and will be sharing an approved selection through IFLA Library Building channels in due course.  We’ll look forward to the chance to share some of these images and our experience of this visit, at the next Staff Forum, as well.

Library managers also engaged in a TMP (Team Management Profile) workshop, facilitated by People & Culture colleagues.  This was a great chance to come together to understand more deeply each other’s preferences and styles, and to see how and where we complement each other across the team.  We’re keen for P & C to undertake further TMP workshops with all staff, so stay tuned for developments!

My week was also filled with a number of very positive meetings, with regards to finance and 2024-2026 budgets, Facilities Management planning for future maintenance and upgrade works in our physical libraries, and the Library Committee with its updated Terms of Reference and new Chair (Arindam Basu, as announced in last week’s update).  Great progress on all counts!

For now, happy and safe weekend all,
Kat