Open letter signed by Helen Garner, Trent Dalton and others expresses alarm

Signatories also include musicians Paul Kelly and Tim Rogers, Professor Peter Doherty and Brit Tom Holland, co-host of the podcast, The Rest is History.

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The letter reads: “We the undersigned writers and researchers esteem the State Library of Victoria, and believe strongly in the importance of its public mission. We are therefore alarmed at the unilateral cuts to its workforce proposed in October 2025’s ‘Strategic Reorganisation Change Proposal’, in particular the halving of the number of reference librarians. We recommend a public meeting where the board explain their plans and reasoning in detail. We further recommend reforming the library’s governance, following common practice overseas, to incorporate the views of stakeholders including scholars and other public users, whose interests have not been considered in the proposal.”

The letter is the brainchild of journalist Gideon Haigh. Having used the library to research his 52 books, he is aware of the critical services it provides, the expertise of the librarians and staff more broadly, and is appalled at the proposed plans. His 84-year-old mother is also a decade-long volunteer.

In The Guardian this week, Haigh said: “The people running the library seem not to see their institution as a library at all, in the sense of furthering the diffusion of knowledge or the nourishment of community. They see it as a cultural destination or an events space, the books and artefacts serving a largely scenic purpose. This would explain present trends, whose logical conclusion being a library without librarians – the perfect counterpoint to Yes Minister’s hospital without patients.”

The library executive team includes acting CEO John Wicks, previously chief operating officer; an acting chief operating officer, Kath Brown, also head of People and Culture; Roxanne Missingham, acting head of collections (who is based in Canberra and commutes to Melbourne); Joel McGuinness, head of engagement; and Paula Bray, head of digital.

In a recent statement to this masthead, a State Library Victoria spokesperson said the organisation had an obligation to review its provision of services.

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“We are currently reviewing how to best support the needs of our visitors, users, and the community now and into the future,” the spokesperson said. “We are consulting with staff and have shared a proposal for feedback; we value the professionalism, expertise and contribution of our staff and look forward to continuing to receive their input.