My original message - We are looking at ways of paying for our IT costs once
our NOF money is all spent! Is anyone considering charging for access to
PCs? Do you already charge? Do you have other ways of making money to
cover running costs?
I would be very interested to hear how libraries are going to manage future
IT costs.
Replies.
We charge for printing, b/w - 10p, col - 50p, and 50p for floppy discs (25p
concessions).
1. Every local authority has to be developing an e-government strategy to
meet the Government's targets for 2005.
We are trying to get sustainability through this route. All that people want
at the moment is the Internet. This will change.
Chris Wildridge
Wiltshire
2. I asked this question about 4 months ago on Lis Pub Libs and from the
replies it was clear that about 50% of authorities were managing to find
funds to cover the costs - mostly new money but one or two from current
resources.
We had hoped that there would be some DCMS money, but that prospect has
receded, and won't come forward again f 50% of authorities are finding their
own solution.
I investigated charging and felt it would bring in about 10% of the total
amount needed. We didn't feel this would help much and would be a very
negative step, so it was rejected as an option. Instead, we are integrating
our PN with the corporate WAN and gaining some corporate funds to support
sustainability - at least it looks like that at the moment, but the budget
is still to be confirmed.
Liz Dubber
Gloucestershire
3. I'm not sure that I want to go publicly onto the list on this, but we
are discussing making the first hour free and thereafter charging 50p per
half-hour. Normal concessions to disadvantaged groups will apply and
registered learners doing courses will be exempt.
Anon.
4. We believe that our elected members will wish us to initiate some form of
charging
structure within the next 12 - 18 months. Once the May 2003 elections are
out of the way, they will certainly be looking at this as a future income
stream to help offset costs, and I suspect that we might be charging per PC
by April 2004 - with appropriate social inclusion caveats.
Anon
5. Would be interested to hear about this. One of the ideas we banded about
was hiring the PC's out to colleges/companies etc when the library is
closed. - It could actually probably be classed as hiring the library out
and make it easier to sit with the free access to the PC's.
Dawn Browning
Bath Central Library
6. I would argue that you would be in breach of the terms of the NOF funding
principles of access time is charged for. I know that some authorities do
charge for some parts of access e.g. first hour free subsequent time
charged. I have no idea of the exact legal position.
We do charge 20p per A4 for printing (colour or b&w) to cover ink costs.
Richard Young
Harrow
7. In Luton, we provide 35mins free per day to library users. These 35 mins
can be taken in bits and pieces if customers for example just want to check
their e-mail throughout the day Additional time beyond that is charged for
at various rates providing there is no queue. Charges for additional half
hours are £1.50 full rate; £1.00 with an A card (benefit card for Luton
residents) and 50p for children or customers with concessions. Most of our
use is in this latter category. Non members can use IT providing they can
show proof of id and are charged £2 per half an hour ..Printouts are 10p and
20p.
We stated v clearly in our PN bid to NOF that we intended to allow some free
time and then charge and the bid was approved.
We had quite a lot of IT prior to PN thanks to 2 DCMS/Wolfson awards and had
charged for that. The income went to upgrade equipment and fund a member of
staff and had risen to c£50K a year. With the intro of mostly free access
its dropped £1000 a month which although won't solve the problem of
upgrades, will help.
Jean George, Libraries Manager
8. While we offer the network free, and intent to keep doing so, we are
looking for income streams from corporate users. For example we have a
scale of charges for organisations to use the PCs in the library out of
hours as an addition to hiring the library. Also, we are negotiating
offering ECDL for library users in partnership with the local college and
will be pressing them for an income stream derived from their income for
each learner, to support our network which is delivering the product.
All other ideas warmly welcomed!!
Liz Dubber
Gloucestershire Libraries and Information
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