Australia: “Budget Cuts Will Have a ‘Grave Impact’ on the National Library, Staff Told”

Two reports follow.
1. Budget Cuts Will Have a ‘Grave Impact’ On The National Library, Staff Told (via The Canberra Times)

The National Library of Australia has launched a major review of services, with key programs to be curtailed or cancelled amid staff cuts, as management struggles to deal with the Turnbull government’s efficiency dividend.
The library expects to shed more than 20 jobs by June 30 with additional redundancies to follow in 2017-18. The library will also reduce the number of international print and online subscriptions available to members.

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From ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)

The letter to [NLA] staff, director Anne-Marie Schwirtich wrote the “savings required” of the library would have a “grave impact” on its operations and services.
“Over this and the next financial year the library is required to make $4.4 million of ongoing savings,” it read.
“Sadly, as half of the library’s budget is expended on staff salaries, to make savings the library will inevitably have to reduce staff and the activities carried out by staff.”
[Our emphasis] The largest reduction will come from curtailing the library’s digitisation project.
To balance the books the library will also “rationalise collection processing and … public program functions”.

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