Turning Back the Clock

In March of this year, the British Government's Office of Arts and Libraries published a consultative paper, Financing our Public Library Service: Four Subjects for Debate, which proposed, initially in England alone, the limited 'privatisation' of library services. Borrowers (renamed 'customers' by the green paper) would not be charged for reference materials, books and comparable printed matter, but it is proposed to raise money by introducing a subscription service whereby readers who can afford to do so may receive new novels and biographies on demand. Other suggestions include: the pursuit of joint ventures between public libraries and private businesses; the encouragement to contract out parts of the library service to private companies; and the restructuring of current powers to charge for 'non-basic' services, such as the provision of non-print materials.