The service’s 29 staff and its facilities – Jersey Public Library in Halkett Place, the branch library at Les Quennevais School, the Mobile Library and Schools Service – are to come under the umbrella of Customer and Local Services.
Ian Burns, director of the department, who moved there from Social Security, said: ‘The new “one government” structure announced recently means that new departments are being created to enable collaborative working, eliminate silos, improve services, effectiveness and value for money for Islanders.
‘As part of the restructure, Jersey Library will come under the newly formed department of Customer and Local Services. All library staff are aware of the move to the new department.
‘I look forward to welcoming the library team, who will continue to offer a valuable service to Islanders, within our new structure.’
The new departments are core to States chief executive Charlie Parker’s plan to restructure and ‘modernise’ government. Announcing his plans in March, Mr Parker said the overall aims were ‘to better join up the machinery of government’ and ‘break down long-established departmental silos, so that the States can provide better and more responsive services to Islanders, and deliver the agenda of ministers more effectively.’
Jersey Library Service has been part of the Education Department since 2005 . The Island’s first government-funded lending library was started by the Rev Philip Falle, in what is now Library Place, in 1736. An annual subscription of three francs had to be paid to borrow books at the time.
It became a free public library when it moved to new premises in the Royal Court Building in 1886. The Queen opened the current building, in Halkett Place, in May 1989. The Mobile Library was founded in 1962 and the Les Quennevais branch library opened four years later. ‘The Library Service offers a fantastic range of services and programmes that go way beyond books, reading and learning,’ Mr Burns said.
‘We are always looking at ways to improve and enhance our services. Working with our customers and members we will be looking at how these services can also support the wider health and wellbeing needs of Islanders across all
ages.’
