Australian Broadcasting Corporation to Cut 58 Librarian and Archivist Jobs

From The Guardian:

Archivists and librarians at the ABC are in shock after management unveiled plans to abolish 58 positions and make journalists research and archive their own stories.

Reporters and producers working on breaking news, news programs and daily programs like 7.30 will have to search for archival material themselves and will be expected to log the metadata of any new material into the system.

Sources told Guardian Australia there are a further 17 contract positions in archives that will be abolished and that some of the archive staff affected are based outside the major capital cities.

The research library staff will continue to help investigative programs like Four Corners and Background Briefing, but will not be available to assist daily news or ABC co-productions.

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“After thoroughly assessing and considering all aspects of this organisational change, we have determined that work being performed by some of our ABC archives team members is no longer required, has evolved, or can be combined with other roles that fit into our plans for the future state of ABC archives,” staff were told.

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See Also: Statement From ABC

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