Perspectives concerning user fees in public libraries
| Date | 01 August 2000 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120010327605 |
| Published date | 01 August 2000 |
| Pages | 298-306 |
| Author | Charlotte Egholm,Henrik Jochumsen |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Perspectives
concerning user fees in
public libraries
Charlotte Egholm and
Henrik Jochumsen
Introduction
At the threshold of the so-called information
society, public libraries, in common with
other cultural and public institutions, face a
host of new challenges. These challenges call
for either increasing resources and/or for
libraries to take a more careful and conscious
approach to selecting from the increasing
volume of new materials emerging from
across the spectrum of media, and in filtering
the overwhelming information that public
libraries can now make available to citizens.
In confronting this dilemma, many politicians
and officials have sought to introduce user
fees, or raise existing user fees, in recent years.
This tendency has been observed in both
Europe and the USA (Jaeger, 1999). The
reasons for discussing user fees may be
characteristic of the late 1990s, but the debate
itself has a long history ± in Denmark as well
as in other countries (Jaeger, 1999).
Two years ago, the debate about the
introduction of user fees in public libraries
emerged again in Denmark with the
publication of a report prepared by a
committee under the aegis of the Danish
Ministry of Culture. The mandate of the
committee was to examine and present
recommendations on the future role of public
libraries in the information age and at the
threshold of the information society. The
report recommends changes in the Danish
Library Act, which would allow the
introduction of user fees in Danish public
libraries for the purpose of co-financing the
increasing costs of new media, information
and communication technology, new services,
etc. Political negotiations on the proposal for
a new Danish Library Act were prolonged
with one of the most controversial issues
being the issue of user fees. At last, in
September 1999, a new Danish Library Act
was proposed. On the question of user fees,
the core principle remains ± in contrast to
recommendations in the report ± one of
services being provided free of charges.
However, the intention is to ease the libraries'
access to additional income from services not
included in the so-called ``core-services'', such
The authors
Charlotte Egholm is Associate Professor at the Royal
School of Library and Information Science, Denmark, and
is currently Study Counsellor.
Henrik Jochumsen is Associate Professor at the Royal
School of Library and Information Science, Denmark, and
is attached to the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies.
Keywords
Public libraries, Values, Fees, Library users
Abstract
New challenges facing public libraries require increasing
resources and/or a more systematic approach in selecting
from the increasing amount of new materials and filtering
the overwhelming information glut. In facing this dilemma
one idea could be to introduce user fees. Reports the
results of investigations into the nature and level of user
fees established in public libraries in several countries.
The article discusses six general perspectives concerning
user fees related to the future role of public libraries: the
financial rationale underlying user fees; the willingness of
users to pay; user fees as a means of collecting
information on user preferences and controlling/limiting
its use; the impact on the social distribution of library
services; aspects of rethinking the modern welfare state;
and aspects of enlightenment in a post-modern society.
Electronic access
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This article is a revised and improved version of
``Public Libraries and User Fees ± Some Essential
Perspectives''. In: Proceedings from AIMAC '99 ±
5th International Conference on Arts and Cultural
Management in Helsinki, Finland, June 13-17,
1999.
298
Library Management
Volume 21 .Number 6 .2000 .pp. 298±306
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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