I would like to update you on what is happening in Macmillan Brown now that Jo has moved on to her new role in Archives.
Caroline Syddall has kindly agreed to be Acting Manager, Heritage and Macmillan Brown Library until Christmas   Caroline will be working full time during this period.
Caroline has indicated she wishes to return to her existing position in January to prepare for teaching.    As a result we will soon be advertising  for a Acting Manager fixed term for four months in 2021.   The fixed term role will be reporting to Helen both as a trial and as this will provide more capacity for coaching and support.
When senior management roles are vacant it is a chance to review possible options.  We will consult on and review the AUL Learning and Teaching role and this role, with the focus on the AUL role in the first instance.
Ngā mihi nui,  Anne

There will be a GSRR round this year but it will be limited due to the current financial situation of the university

The step progressions below the merit will proceed as usual. The 3% increase agreed as part of the collective negotiations for union members in 2021 will also go ahead. Accelerated progression below the merit, progression above the merit or bonuses will be limited to a few very exceptional circumstances across the university.

I appreciate that even in a normal year GSRR only touches the surface of all the great work being done in the Library by all staff. Thank you to each and everyone.  You have have put in an extraordinary effort to connect people with Library services, to implement all the changes required and support colleagues during 2020 in what has been an eventful year.

Ngā mihi nui
Anne

This is follow up to the All Staff communication from Paul O’Flaherty.

It is important for your wellbeing to take leave. Many staff have taken less leave this year due to COVID. 37 staff will have more than 110 hours or equivalent at the end of December, that is more than 8 weeks leave to use in 2021 if you are to get to zero by 31 Dec 2021. If you are in this situation please consider taking some additional leave this year. It will be beneficial for you and your colleagues.

You will be aware that UC is expecting that international students are unlikely to return in any numbers in 2021 although this is expected to change in 2022. This has created some significant budget challenges for 2021 that the university is working on addressing. One way that we can all contribute is to reduce leave balances.

All libraries will now close on 18 December. It is expected that everyone at UC will take annual leave for 19-23 December, expect for some critical staff such as Security and payroll. In the current financial situation this is a much better option than redundancies and it is good for staff to have a long break given the year we have had. Other universities, including Waikato, Massey and Lincoln, are also expecting staff to take annual leave over the Christmas. Please start entering this leave into PeopleSoft.

“All” leave refers to annual leave. Long Service leave is not included and does not have an impact on budget, so please take your annual leave first. If you have long service leave expiring in the next two years and a lot of annual leave talk to your manager about the options.

Staff are expected to put their anticipated annual leave into PeopleSoft by 31 Jan 2021. AYO staff can do this after their return to work in February. This leave can be changed as circumstances change and there will be some flexibility on when the leave is taken depending on personal circumstances. You can cancel and move leave in PeopleSoft up to the current pay period (around 2 weeks). Once the leave has been calculated for the current pay period you need to fill in a form because it is a manual process to change.

Let me know if you have any other questions. We are all in this together.

Ngā mihi nui, Anne

I have been asked a couple of questions about the official names of Libraries, particularly the Central Library.  You would think this as an easy question but it took some digging to get an answer.

Q: Has the name of the Central Library been changed officially to the Puaka – James Hight Library?  PJH Library appears in our Library pamphlet.

Q: What are the official names for our branch libraries? In particular, Central seems to have more than one moniker. I have seen references to the ‘Puaka-James Hight Library’ and also ‘PJH Library’ in official communications, yet on our website it is Central. And then there is the reference to ‘Puna’ in some places. (Pānui question)

A: There are multiple names for the Library and the branches.  The UC Library is also Ngā Puna Mātauraka o Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, sometimes this is shortened various ways including UC Puna.   The Central Library is Te Puna Mātauraka (te, single; ngā plural).   EPS Library is Te Puna Pūkaha me te Pūtaiao and the Macmillan Brown Library is Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown.   These are the official library names as indicated on our website.   UC Communications usually refers to the Central Library (Puaka-James Hight Building) in external communications.

Central Library has been around at least since the main library moved from the town site in 1974 to join the Engineering and PSL Libraries.  Sometime in the 2000s the te reo names were gifted to us. Things became complicated just after the earthquakes when a new UC practice on naming buildings was put in place by Facilities Management to get away from the previous practice of naming buildings after the departments that inhabited them, giving FM the flexibility to move people into any safe space available.   As a result Central Library as a name disappeared from the outside of the building and from external signage, and was replaced by James Hight.   In 2014 the UC Naming Rights Policy was approved by Council and Ngāi Tahu gifted the name Puaka to the “UC Library building”.   The building officially became Puaka-James Hight.   Over time the lack of the term “Library” on campus signage was confusing to students and visitors so it has crept back into UC signage in a number of places in a variety of ways including Puaka-James Hight (Library).   We have also been increasingly using Puaka-James Hight Library or PJH Library for the Central Library, particularly on social media, to give prominence to the bicultural name that has been gifted and help also differentiate us from other Central Libraries as a Marketing strategy and to increase impact. We still occasionally get enquiries confusing the Central Library for Tūranga

Puaka, also known as Rigel, is a blue supergiant star seen above the constellation of Tautoru in the constellation of Orion.   It is an important star to Ngāi Tahu as it marks the end of the Tītī (mutton bird) and tuna (eel) season.   There is some useful background about the gifting of the name Puaka in this recent video posted to Tū kihi te tahi about Matariki. It says: “Here on campus, Puaka is the name given to our UC Library building – Puaka-James Hight, and Matariki is the name of our central Registry building.  Alongside other UC buildings which carry the names and narratives of navigation and exploration, the characteristics of whetū and celestial bodies have been overlaid across our campus in order to provide a map for our ākonga (students) and kaimahi (staff) as they journey through campus, their studies and experiences here with us at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha.”  The video. adds more depth and is worth watching.   (And yes, I have told Jeanine that Hight is spelt incorrectly and they hope to fix this soon)

If you know more about the history, feel free to add to the comments.    Anne

There has been interest from Library staff in the Working From Home.   I am looking to set up a small Working Group very soon to look at the new Working From Home Guidelines on the HR website. The group will recommend some principles for the Library to guide managers and staff.

There are two categories

1. One off occurrences
2. Regular pattern of work

I am expecting a couple of meetings in the next two weeks with the outcome discussed at the Library Managers Operational Meeting on 26 Aug.   I will make the final decision after a discussion with HR.

So far the group consists of Sara (H&S hat), Jenny (Manager hat), Tim O (CS and TEU hat), and Anne.   I am looking for someone who is band 2-4 from LAC or MB, and a band 5 from LTR or MB to join the group, but I am open to other offers.   If you are interested then please email me before 12 noon on Monday 10 Aug.

Ngā mihi, Anne

Kia ora koutou,

The next staff forum will be a little different as it will be focused on our strategy, vision, mission and values.   The session will be repeated twice, Tuesday 4 Aug 10.30am in PJH 210, and Thursday 6 Aug 2pm in Poutama.   I would like to encourage everyone to come to one of the sessions.   Please indicate you are coming by accepting one session and declining the other.

We will work together on how the Library connects to the UC Strategic Vision 2020-2030.  I will give a short presentation, which will be followed by an interactive exercise to help you to understand how you contribute to the Strategy.  We will ask you to work with someone you don’t usually work with, to talk about the work that you do and how it contributes to Education, Research and People.

You may find it helpful to read (or re-read) the UC Strategic Vision prior to the forum.   We’d also like to encourage you to watch the UC Cultural Narrative which provides a Māori view of UC.  It’s interesting to see how the Library appears.  For those who like time to think and reflect, you are welcome to read the presentation (the link works in the appointment) beforehand, about how the Library connects to the UC Strategic Vision.

I am aware this will limit the time for staff to ask questions on the strategy or on other topics.     As an alternative Moira will setup a Slido poll before the sessions and it will run for a week.   The questions will be collated and depending on the question will be answered either on Counterculture or in an FAQ.   Alternatively you can send questions to Kim.

I have also asked Catherine Moran to speak to staff on her priorities in Learning and Teaching and how these relate to the UC Strategy on Wednesday 2^nd September at 11am.   This will probably be a combined Zoom and face-to-face meeting.

Ngā mihi,  Anne

There has been a number of requests from staff to work from home.    I am currently waiting for the final updated policy and guidelines from HR.    SLT have requested some changes but I am told it should be available by the end of the month.

Once the policy is available I will put a small team together to look at the principles for the Library.    This will be the opportunity for staff to feed in your ideas.    WFH needs to be in the best interests of UC, the Library and the staff member, and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.    The opportunities will not be equal as there are  positions in the Library that by their nature will allow few options for WFH.

In the meantime I have been talking to CONZUL about the options at other universities.   There is quite a continuum from encouraged at University of Auckland to no way at Otago who see their strength  as a campus based experience.

Ngā mihi, Anne

There have been a number of questions from staff about the budget challenge and staffing.

In the UC Staff Forum Keith talked about the budget challenges and the savings that needed to be achieved.   Cheryl said that is it not always about the money, where there are significant opportunities for growth UC will take them.    We all agree that the priority is to protect the jobs of current staff as much as possible.    In comparison to other universities UC is in a relatively good space but responding to the impact of COVID-19 has required some significant and ongoing belt tightening.

What does this mean for the Library?   We have three budget challenges for 2020.   An existing $176K staff vacancy gap, a $68K opex challenge, and, in the last two weeks, a further $100K COVID challenge.   There are further savings required in areas such as travel, catering and consultancy; and staff are being strongly encouraged to use their leave.   A vacancy gap means that positions cannot be filled until the savings are made. Capital projects such as the Horizon Replacement and the Archives Shelving are on hold or have been extended out a number of years.

There is a UC wide staffing freeze at the moment. Positions can be filled but they need a much stronger case detailing why this position is essential to get approval and the department must have an agreed way of meeting their budget challenges with their SLT manager (Ian Wright) and Finance.

We have four positions that are currently vacant, two retirements in August, and a small number of further retirements likely in the next six months.  We will use the savings from these positions to make up the $100K and the remainder of the vacancy gap for 2020.  We are likely to have four or five positions unfilled for the remainder of 2020 when typically we would have three.    Some of these positions will be filled in 2021 but not all, and in some cases the position will be different from the original.  Library Managers are reviewing services and staffing in each area so we can see where we most need staff resources given the demands on our services are changing.

If I reduce my hours will they be lost?  Are there opportunities to increase hours?

If you reduce hours it will depend on the individual circumstances and if it is a temporary or permanent change. If the hours are essential they will be replaced in some way, otherwise they will be part of the vacancy gap decisions.  We are adding staffing to respond to urgent service need.   Two fixed term positions have just been filled in Customer Services after COVID delayed the appointments. Cover for Gabrielle has been approved while she is filling in for Nekerangi.   Kim Hall is working in Customer Services 15 hours a week for 10 weeks to support Rā and provide a training programme for CS staff.

What has happened to Lyndsay’s position?

We all miss the contribution that Lyndsay brought to the AUL L&T position and to the culture of the Library. Currently the position is providing salary savings to help meet the budget challenges while we try out other options and before a decision is made to replace it or not. In the meantime Te Paea, Sara and Stuart are reporting to Anne. Some of Lyndsay’s tasks are being absorbed by Anne and Helen. Moira is working 15 hours a week to help cover some of the areas that would normally be covered by Anne, Helen or Lyndsay.  Sara is focusing more on the strategic Learning and Teaching issues, including OER; liaising with groups such as Academic Skills; and has picked up Health and Safety.  She covered for me at the Learning and Teaching Committee last Friday.   Stuart is working more closely with Helen in the Research space.  Te Paea is focused on the changes in Customer Services, the MakerSpace developments, and the Chatbot development. Tim and Jo have picked up more of the culture and staff wellbeing.

I am aware that these vacant positions are having an impact across the Library both on workload and culture, but it does mean that we are able to retain staff in continuing and fixed term positions.  COVID has increased the rate of change at UC, and in the Library we are adjusting our services to meet these changing priorities. There will be more online teaching and enquiries. The move to online and open resources is continuing at a much faster pace. The people and budget impacts from COVID are rippling across UC, other institutions, vendors and funders.  We are looking at what are the most important services to resource, what opportunities we wish to take advantage of such as OER, and to what level.  With fewer staff overall this means some hard choices about the services that we can let go, automate, self-service, or provide in some less staff intensive way, and yes that means a lower quality service in some cases. We are being expected to pick up other work in copyright, data analytics and research impact to a greater degree than before.

How do we support changes in learning practice, different student cohorts, research impact, changes to publishing and student success?   Now that things are settling down a little we have the opportunity to reflect on the UC Strategy and consult more widely with Library staff on what this looks like going forward.

Ngā mihi, Anne

I have just been to Academic Board where  Cheryl singled out the Library as the most desired service that students wanted when they came back to campus.  She said that the queues she saw reinforced her view that the Library is the heart of the campus.   Academic Board passed an affirmation for the Library for all our services as part of these comments.   Well done everyone.   Ngā mihi,  Anne

The most important reason to regularly take leave is for your wellbeing.  This is encouraged by UC, the TEU and me.  I am aware that COVID has disrupted plans to take leave this year especially if it involved international travel.   This is the year to see New Zealand, take those extra few days to visit those places you have not been for a while (put some suggestions of your favourite places in the comments).

Over a third of our staff have excess leave at the moment as it has been harder to take leave over Easter.   Excess leave is leave greater than your annual allocation as at 31 December, for example if you normally have five weeks leave and work full time you can carry over 187.5 hours of current leave.  The normal expectation remains that all excess leave is taken before 31 December unless there is a really good reason.   If you are unsure if you will have excess leave by 31 December ask your manager.

There is also a financial reason to take leave.   The UC budget will be tight in 2021 and 2022.   Outstanding leave is a cost to the university that has to be accounted for in the budget.   The higher the budget deficit expected in 2021 the more likely we will have a staffing challenge.   With the current pressure on the university finances the best thing staff can do to help is to plan to take leave and get the leave approved in PeopleSoft.

Please discuss your leave plans with your manager.   If you have excess leave please decide when you wish to take this leave and put it in PeopleSoft before 30 June. Remember you can always change you mind if circumstances change as long as you have taken any excess leave before the end of the year.

Ngā mihi, Anne