Managing fee‐based public library services: values and practices

Abstract

This article reports the results on a particular management issue of a recent Danish qualitative interview survey on experiences with fee‐based public library services. It also includes a systematic comparison between underlying values, revealed through the survey, and the results of a recent large scale survey of Danish public sector values. The article outlines the evolution of the library charging discourse and investigates to what extent and how values associated with fee‐based services differ and resemble the general public sector values. In particular, it will be examined to what extent fee‐based services facilitate the penetration of New Public Management oriented values into public libraries. Finally, management practices concerning fee‐based services are considered, focusing, in particular, on possible discrepancies between expressed values and actual practice.

Citation

Gustav Johannsen, C. (2004), "Managing fee‐based public library services: values and practices", Library Management, Vol. 25 No. 6/7, pp. 307-315. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120410547977