The library hours campaign
A youth council ran a campaign to extend the public library's opening hours during NCEA exams. The petition gained 450 signatures, but 70% came from one school. A survey of 180 students found 62% said the library was too crowded after school. The library manager says an extra 10 hours per week would cost $18,000, but the council has only $10,000 available. The library already closes at 6pm, and the last bus leaves at 5:30pm. One school library stays open until 7pm, but students from two other schools cannot access it. The youth council wants a six-week trial, while the library manager prefers hiring one extra staff member for four weeks. The council meeting is next week.
1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the youth council's social action campaign.
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The campaign was partially effective. It succeeded in putting library hours on the council agenda and produced a petition of 450 signatures and a student survey, so it built visibility and some evidence. But the petition is weakened by 70% of signatures coming from one school, which suggests a single-school mobilisation rather than broad student demand. The survey of 180 students is more useful because it reports a specific problem: 62% said the library was too crowded after school. However, crowding does not prove that extended hours are the best fix. The campaign did not address the 5:30pm bus, which limits access for students who rely on public transport, or the fact that one school library is already open until 7pm. Its effectiveness should therefore be judged by whether it changed the decision, not only by how many signatures it collected.
2. Recommend what the council should decide and justify your recommendation with evidence from the case.
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The council should not fund the full $18,000 request, because it exceeds the available $10,000 and the evidence does not show that ten extra hours will reach the students most in need. A defensible compromise is a four-week trial using the $10,000: keep the library open until 7pm on the two nights before the largest exams, fund one extra staff member, and provide a supervised space rather than a full service. The youth council should run a short exit survey and collect attendance by school so the council can see whether the trial reaches students beyond the one school that dominated the petition. The bus timetable is a real constraint, so the council should also ask the transport provider about a later service or arrange a school-based study space. This approach tests the claim, respects the budget, and avoids treating a petition as proof of need.