The State Library of Victoria has retracted its controversial restructure proposal, following intense public backlash. The plan, which aimed to cut jobs and shift focus towards tourist-oriented digital experiences, was met with outrage from writers, researchers, artists, and the public. The library acknowledged the unintended concerns caused by the proposal. The now-scrapped plan would have halved the number of public-facing reference librarians and removed many publicly accessible computers. Staff members had expressed concerns about the lack of public consultation before the changes were decided upon. Acclaimed writer Helen Garner and a petition with over ten thousand signatures had also spoken out against the changes. The librarys management withdrew the proposal after considering feedback and stated that any revised proposal would be informed by the feedback and focus on strengthening services and modernizing operations. The union welcomed this decision, attributing it to the collective efforts of their members, the writing community, and Victorians supporting their public library.

The Daily News Now! - Every city. Every story. Powered by AI.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.