Whanganui libraries drop fiction fee, hikes price for late returns

Borrowing a book from Whanganui's libraries just got cheaper. Photo/ Stuart Munro

Whanganui bookworms can now do what most around the world have always been able to do - borrow a fiction book from the local library for free.

Whanganui District Council has scrapped its 50c fee for adult fiction books as it revamps its charges to shift the cost on to late returns.

The 50c fee for magazines has also been dropped, along with the $1 charge for requests and holds.

A council report said "Whanganui District Library has historically been an outlier among public libraries in being one of the few to impose charges to borrow parts of its main collection".

The changes aimed to "remove financial barriers to access".

Non-fiction has always been free, as have children's and teen fiction.

In the past year the library collected $42,000 from its adult fiction and reserve charges and $17,000 from overdue fees.

To balance the removal of borrowing fees, the charge for late returns will more than double from 20c to 50c per day, with late CD and DVD returns rising from 50c to $1.

Council expects the changes to be "broadly neutral" in terms of revenue.

Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall supported the change.

"History is written about the famous people but, in fact, there's history in the fiction that is written about people who don't have a voice ... it's the ordinary history of living day to day.

"I'm totally happy about this. I think it's the best news since sliced bread."