Figure B1
Victorian council library services

We have consulted with Alpine, Buloke, Boroondara, DELWP, ERLC, MAV and Mornington, and we considered their views when reaching our audit conclusions. As required by the Audit Act 1994, we gave a draft copy of this report, or relevant extracts, to those agencies and asked for their submissions and comments.

Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.

Responses were received as follows:

While each library finds ways to make its services more efficient and effective, LGV and MAV have a role in supporting the Victorian library sector through statewide initiatives. LGV also supports the sector through distributing state government funding.

If they are to meet community needs in a financially sustainable manner, councils and RLCs need to find ways to deliver more efficient and effective services. This requires library services to:

If they are to meet changing community expectations for library services, councils and RLCs must make more efficient use of their limited resources. Some councils approach this by sharing services with other councils or organisations.

We compared the efficiency of Victorian libraries to identify whether sharing services helps councils to deliver more efficient library services.

The council library is an important social asset. In addition to offering book lending, internet access and a free, accessible space for the public, libraries increasingly provide other resources and programs.

For councils, meeting changing community needs in a financially sustainable way is challenging.

This audit examines whether council libraries deliver services efficiently and if the state government's existing support for council libraries drives statewide service improvements.

Context

Council libraries deliver a range of important services to the community. In addition to book lending, libraries offer a free, accessible space for the public, and deliver educational programs for children and adults. Libraries also provide access to the internet and electronic resources (e-resources), as technological advances change the public's expectations of their services.

Acronyms

The Victorian Auditor-General’s Annual Plan 2019–20 was prepared pursuant to the requirements of section 7A of the Audit Act 1994, and tabled in the Victorian Parliament on 27 June 2019.