By GREGG WYCHERLEY
Some of the country's top writers are protesting against the introduction of a renewal charge at Auckland public libraries.
The charge, introduced on October 16 to all of Auckland's public libraries, means readers must now pay $1 to borrow an item for an extra two weeks over the normal lending period of four weeks. It does not apply to children's books.
Twenty-seven writers, including Katherine Mansfield Fellowship winner Catherine Chidgey, signed a letter sent by the New Zealand Society of Authors asking Mayor Christine Fletcher to stop the charge.
Spokeswoman Joan Rosier-Jones said the charge was undemocratic and would disadvantage society's least privileged.
"Our main concern is the principle of charging in a supposedly free public library system - as the owners of copyrighted material we think we have a right to say what happens to it."
The society was concerned the renewal fee would be the first step in bringing in other charges, she said. "While on the surface a fee for renewing a book may not appear to be a rental charge, it is a back-door way of charging for the use of our intellectual property.
"We see it as the thin end of a very thick edge."
Auckland City Libraries manager Barbara Birkbeck said no further charges were planned.
Ms Birkbeck said 610,000 items were renewed in the 1999-2000 year. The fee was intended to discourage people from borrowing more books than they could read. It was not a money-making exercise.
"People were complaining there were not enough books on the shelves - this is a way of keeping stock fresh."
She said the weak New Zealand dollar had caused a $200,000 reduction in the spending power of the library's $2.8 million buying budget, but this had no bearing on the introduction of the charge.
Auckland City spokesman Scott McMurray said the mayor's office had asked Auckland City Libraries for a full report on the new charge.
Library charge upsets writers
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