Before I share the result of the recent ELS Manager recruitment round, I want to acknowledge Tomo and thank him for all his work while in the secondment role to the ELS Manager position.

I have been impressed by his work ethic, his care and concern for colleagues and his leadership during Covid, the focus on whakawhanaungatanga within the team, his relationship building with our newly located Te Pātaka colleagues and his management of the ELS Team supporting our students in PJH and EPS during unsettled times.

Tomo you have done a wonderful job while in the role, thank you for all of the passion and commitment that you brought to both your mahi and the team. Thank you also for your contribution to the wider leadership team, I know we have all enjoyed working alongside you. Ngā mihi nunui ki a koe Tomo.

The recruitment round was very competitive, attracting a large number of applicants from across the country.

I am very pleased to share that Simon Burge has accepted the offer of the ELS Manager role and will be joining us in late August.

Simon has previously worked at the Auckland Institute of Technology, was the Team Leader of Information Services at the Christchurch College of Education followed by another role at Christchurch City Libraries as the Team Leader of Information Services.  Following this, Simon went on to take the role of District Libraries Manager for Waimakariri District Libraries. In 2011 Simon returned to Christchurch City Libraries where he managed 2 large service delivery teams, the Shirley Community Library team and the Network Library Assistants Team.  Simon then went on to different leadership and managerial roles within the Digital Library Team which included oversight of technical services, systems support and the web (and social media) team. He played a significant role in the development of Te Hāpua, and more recently Tūranga re digital solutions, infrastructure and fit out. Most recently since 2021, following a council wide IT restructure Simon has been managing Digital Technical Services, Digital Service Operations in the I.T. Unit for Council.

I am excited to have Simon joining the team, he is passionate about libraries and brings a huge depth of managerial and professional knowledge and experience from across the sector. He is looking forward to joining us.

This is my first inside Out since I’ve returned and I was pondering what to share with you all so thought I might share a few reflections on my experience over the past 5 months and share a couple of the priorities I am currently working on.

It’s been an interesting time to start in a new role. Covid definitely had an impact on my first few months and I was so impressed with how well everyone worked during this period and by the manaaki and whanaungatanga showed to each other and our students. With a recent return to a slightly more on campus way of working, I am really enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and meet new ones. If I haven’t had a chance to kōrero with you yet please do feel free to say hello, it’s incredibly hard to recognise people at times with masks on and I know there will be other new people out there who I may not have met yet.

Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues outside of the library has increased recently with a number of exciting pieces of work underway.

I am really enjoyed working alongside Helen and Roni Kumeroa who has been newly appointed to the Pou Ārahi |Equity Lead in Te Waka Pākākano. We are currently working through the recruitment process to appoint a researcher to the NZLPP funded He Kupenga Horopounamu project. This project is currently being managed by Jemma, with project admin support from Stuart, who are both doing a fantastic job. This project will allow us to undertake research to understand the perspectives of tauira Māori about factors they feel lead to success for them in tertiary education. It will also explore if and how library engagement contributes to this and where we might have opportunities to further develop our service.  It’s an exciting piece of work to have the privilege to be a part of and will provide some useful information to the wider sector as there hasn’t been a lot of research conducted in this area at present.

Helen and I are now meeting regularly with Kaylene Sampson and Julie Mackay in regards to Te Pātaka and future possibilities. It is good to be involved in collaborative conversations and have the opportunity to speak to library priorities and advocate for our students and spaces.

We are also currently working through a procurement process for refurbishment of Level 8 and 11 and a separate piece of work is happening, looking at some refreshment of our space and furniture on level 2. It will be exciting to see what sort of design concepts and solutions may be presented.

Sara, Caroline and I have recently held a number of hui with the Pacific Advisor Team in Te Waka Pākākano in regards to the Pacific Liaison Librarian role. The conversation and relationship building was rewarding and worthwhile and we are hopeful we will be able to recruit to this role soon.

In the bicultural space, we have been having some positive (and wide ranging) conversations within the management team, with a view to developing our shared understanding of what biculturally responsive professional practice might look like for us. I’m excited by where we are heading, although we still have a way to go.

Finally, I just wanted to acknowledge Anne, who I have so enjoyed working with since being back. Her student centric approach, her advocacy for the Library and her genuine care and concern for colleagues as we have worked through changing times and the Covid experience ensured I felt well supported in my first few months back. Anne you will be missed, but we wish you all the very best with your new opportunities.

I am really enjoying being back and being able to contribute to wide ranging pieces of work that hopefully contribute to supporting our students- both their success and experience of studying here.