Library changes to stay

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 488, 1 June 1993, Page 4

Library changes to stay

When District library charges for the coming financial year were presented to councillors last week as they met in Ohakune to consider the Draft Annual Plan for 1993-94, they were told that the District Libraries operations budget will not change significanlly from the current year's charges. There are now rental charges on all books except on children's books. Some of these charges are as follows: All books $1; National Superannuitants - 50 cents; Family card

(which entitles them to borrow as many books as they wish for 12 months) $80; National Superannuitants Family card - $40; overdue books - $1; to reserve a book - 60 cents; Interloan (from National Library in Wellington) - $1; video hire (for three days - only available in Taumarunui) - $3; compact discs (to send away for discs - available in Taumarunui only) - $2. Councillor Bob Peck said that he was opposed to library charges particularly the $80 and $40 family card fees. He cited an article from Wellington's Dominion newspaper which reported that Wellington

ratepayers were in an uproar over proposed user charges of $25 per adult per year. Cr Ellen Gould said that metropolitan and rural libraries - such as Ohakune's - can't be compared. "We have extra freight charges and the National Library service no longer operates a free loan facility", she said. Chief executive Cliff Houston explained that even with the current District Library user charges the service provided is still largely subsidised out of rates. "Without that subsidy from rates library users would be paying about $300 a year", he said.