Free and for all? A comparative study of programs with user fees in North American and Danish public libraries
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-08-2019-0053 |
| Published date | 07 March 2020 |
| Date | 07 March 2020 |
| Pages | 103-115 |
| Author | Noah Lenstra,Mia Høj Mathiasson |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Free and for all? A comparative
study of programs with user fees in
North American and Danish
public libraries
Noah Lenstra
Department of Library and Information Science,
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, and
Mia Høj Mathiasson
Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract
Purpose –As a research topic within the field of LIS, programs in public libraries are underexplored, and the
question of user fees for programs has not previously been addressed.
Design/methodology/approach –This article compares data collected from two individually conducted
studies of public library programs in North America and Denmark to enrich our understanding of user fees in
relation to programs.
Findings –The comparative analysis shows both similarities and deviations regarding the levying of fees for
library programs.While paying a fee to attenda programis rather normal in Denmark,it is more of a fringe idea
in North America.
Research limitations/implications–By exploring a previously understudied facet of contemporary public
librarianship, this article opens up new avenues for inquiry regarding how the relative accessibility and
availability of programs relate to theoretical discussions about programs as public library services.
Practical implications –This article provides library managers with needed information about how to
conceptualize the roles of programs as public library services.
Social implications –As programming surges to the fore in contemporary public librarianship, the levying
of user fees has social implications in terms of socialequity and the public library ethos of free and equal access
for all.
Originality/value–This article is the first study of user fees for public library programs, as well as among the
first cross-national comparisons of programming as a dimension of public librarianship.
Keywords Library finance, Charging, User fees, Public librarianship, Library programs, Comparative study
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Very often ...charges have been levied for things for which the librarian or the board of trustees was
not really in sympathy (Shoham, 1998, p. 40).
Programsas diverse as reading circles,lectures, community meals andyoga classes constitute
an importantdimension of publiclibraries in the USA and beyond.A 2018 study commissioned
by the American Library Association (ALA, 2018) finds that citizens, and thus funders,
increasingly see public libraries as places that offer “activities and entertainmentyou cannot
Insight into
user fees for
public library
programs
103
The Danish data used in this article has been collected as part of a PhD project within the international
research project The ALM-field, Digitalization and the Public Sphere (ALMPUB), founded by the
Norwegian Research Council. Thanks to the Augustinus Foundation and to Christian and Ottilia
Brorsons Travel Grant for providing founding which made a research stay in the US possible. A special
thanks to the Department of Library and Information Science, University of North Carolina at
Greensboro for being a great host during Spring 2019.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0143-5124.htm
Received 6 August 2019
Revised 23 December 2019
Accepted 14 January 2020
Library Management
Vol. 41 No. 2/3, 2020
pp. 103-115
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-08-2019-0053
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