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National Library News |
by Carrol D. Lunau,
National and International Programs
The Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Post Corporation are renegotiating the library rate (commonly called the library book rate). The current contract expires in March 1999. The program, first introduced in 1939, was originally intended to assist in extending library services to rural areas. The postage paid by the library at the time of mailing covers both the outgoing and return postage. The subsidy is paid directly to Canada Post by the government as compensation for revenue lost while offering lowered rates for mailing library books.
In late 1997, Canadian Heritage approached the National Library and requested background information on the use of the current program by Canadian libraries to assist them in preparing for the negotiations. A three-person working group, consisting of Carrol Lunau (National Library), Leacy O’Brien (Canadian Library Association), and Pierre Daoust (Association pour l’avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation), was established to report on library book rate usage and make recommendations for the program.
A survey was mailed to 850 libraries. The goal was to gather information from both program users and non-users; consequently, the survey was made available at several library conferences held during the spring and summer of 1998. A total of 347 responses were received from all regions of the country. These responses indicate that the program is very important to small and medium-sized public libraries and is highly valued by the library community. One respondent from Alberta indicated that "our participation in provincial and national resource sharing initiatives is dependent on the reasonable rate for delivery." This opinion is shared by a librarian on the other side of the country in Halifax who stated "costs for ILL and mail-out services to the homebound and rural users would be much higher without the library rate and would probably mean a reduction of these programs."
The typical library book rate user is a public or regional library (74.06%) which has been using the rate for more than three years (90.72%). These libraries send fewer than 1000 parcels per year (73.89%). Their use of the program has increased over the last five years (89.9%). The majority of program users are satisfied with the program (95.53%) but 79.04% have experienced difficulties and 66.32% think the program should be improved.
How is the program being used by libraries? Sending or returning books on interlibrary loan is, by far, the predominant use. Other uses cited by significant numbers of respondents included:
One of the survey questions of particular interest to Canadian Heritage was the percentage of material using library book rate compared to other means of dispersal. The answer to this question is virtually impossible to determine since exact figures on the number of parcels sent are not available and the interlibrary loan data included in the national core library statistics are incomplete due to a lack of standard data. Nonetheless, these figures were used to estimate that the number of parcels sent using library book rate is 15 percent or less of the total number of books lent on ILL.
Over 50 percent of the respondents identified three major issues which must be resolved within the parameters of the renewed program. The first is that staff in postal outlets frequently do not know about the program. Indications are that some libraries have been charged for the return of books even though they had the correct return label on the package. Mail has been returned to libraries stating that postage is due because the Canada Post staff were unaware of the program. One library has its staff carry a copy of the library rate listing sheet every time they take parcels to the post office to ensure that the right rate is charged. Libraries have also found that local post offices did not have the information necessary for them to register for the program or were unable to tell them current rates when rate changes were introduced.
The second issue is the lack of information available for libraries and for mail room staff on the program. Many of the non-users who responded to the survey indicated that they did not use it because they didn’t know about the program or didn’t understand how it worked. In some cases, librarians are aware of the program but mail room staff are not. Some users are ignorant of the program. One library responded: "from your description of this library rate program, it seems we have not used it correctly and, therefore, probably have not taken advantage of this potentially lower rate."
A third issue is the exclusion of non-book materials from the program. This is a long-standing issue which was first raised by CLA in 1974 when the association failed to convince the government to allow special postal rates for mailing 16 mm film to patrons. A second attempt was made in 1984 when CLA asked the Department of Communications to include any library materials which could be mailed: audio and video cassettes, phonodiscs, films and microfilm. 1 The proposal made to the Department of Canadian Heritage in November 1994 again asked that the definition of a book in the library book rate program be changed to incorporate all formats of material.
This is an important issue, especially for libraries mailing materials to homebound users. As stated in the 1994 proposal:
Audio and visual formats are especially useful for those who have difficulty using printed materials. These include seniors who may have difficulty physically holding or reading a book, those with low literacy skills, children who need the opportunity of hearing stories to develop a love of books and reading, and those who learn most easily from visual and auditory presentations. 2
It is ironic that a library can mail a novel to one patron using the reduced postal rate but must pay full postage to mail the same novel in the form of a talking book to a print-handicapped patron.
Other issues mentioned include the need for a one-way library rate and faster delivery times. The one-way rate is needed to cover the return of material that may have been borrowed from a library which does not use library book rate or from a library which did not include the required return label.
The survey responses provide an indication of trends and changes in ILL among smaller public libraries. The influence of the Internet and the efforts which federal and provincial governments have made to connect Canadians are evident. Some libraries indicated that their use of library book rate had increased because, now that their catalogue was on the Internet as part of a provincial network, they were lending for the first time. Network developments in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba were mentioned in this regard. The development of the courier service by SOLS (Southern Ontario Library Service) in Ontario was cited as the cause of a reduction in the use of library book rate by Ontario public libraries. Other factors identified as impacting on ILL were library re-organization and, in some cases, centralization, through which a library may have been newly designated to handle ILL for a group.
The use of electronic delivery (Internet, fax, or Ariel) was not cited as a significant cause of reduced use of library book rate by these libraries. Small decreases were noted, however.
In summary, it can be stated that the library book rate program is essential for small and medium-sized public libraries. The working group will recommend to the Department of Canadian Heritage that steps be taken to overcome and address the issues identified here and that the program be further strengthened to meet the needs of libraries while containing costs to libraries.
It is fitting to conclude this brief overview about library book rate by listening to the users’ voices. The following three statements capture the realities of many program participants:
"We would need to cancel our ILL program to 44 rural branches if we were to pay the entire fourth-class rate."
"Overall our network of 96 public libraries uses the library book rate very effectively. The savings on mail charges help us successfully share our limited library resources."
"Please keep the book rate for libraries. It is crucial for the survival of our libraries."
Additional information about the library book rate program can be found on the Web at www.cla.amlibs.ca/lbr.htm or www.asted.org/publications/autres/tlb.html.
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1
2
Proposal to the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Continuation of the Library Rate (Postal Subsidy), November 1994. Association pour l’avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation, Canadian Library Association, National Library of Canada. p. 8.