- Dunedin Public Libraries

From July 1 2009, all books and magazines that were formerly 50 cents to borrow are now available at no charge.
Why has this charge been abolished?
The 50 cent rental charge only applied to certain authors writing certain types of fiction and to some magazine titles. This meant the charge was discriminatory, unlike Hot Picks for example, where items are also available for borrowing from the general collections at no charge. This anomaly has been removed.
What impact will the loss of the revenue from the charge have on the library’s budgets?
The loss of revenue from the 50 cent rentals has been offset by savings in other areas of the library’s budget. Other ways of generating revenue from existing and new services are also being considered.
Does this mean I still have to pay 50 cent rental charges incurred before July 1 and not yet paid?
Yes, the removal of the charge is not retrospective.
Why do the former 50 cent rental books still have a $ symbol on their spine?
We considered covering the $ sign on the spine of these books but rejected it because: it would be a very big job as there are many thousands of these books. covering one label with another would look untidy. No new books will have $ signs on them and old books with $ signs on them will gradually disappear through natural attrition.
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