The State Library of Victoria – recognised this year as the third most popular library in the world – is proposing major cuts to staff and services. The number of reference librarians will be cut from 25 to ten. Children’s and family engagement officers will be axed, as will digital access officers.

The number of free computers available to the public will be “dramatically” reduced, too. Some of our most vulnerable citizens depend on library digital access for basic services. Some staff told the Age they “disagree” with arguments apparently made by senior management that removal of these computers will “address safety issues”.

These decisions have been made by a mostly acting executive team and board, with limited library administration experience or qualifications. Perhaps most disturbing is the lack of transparency. The changes draw on the recommendations of the “SLV Strategic Reorganisation Change Proposal” by as yet unknown authors.

The proposed changes go against a recent report that found Australia’s public and state libraries are providing vital community services – and thriving, partly due to cost of living pressures.

The State Library of Victoria, founded in 1854, boasts 2.8 million in-person visitors, with an extra 4.5 million online user sessions. Its reach is vast, though its reputation is in recovery after recent ideological conflicts over programming, resulting in

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