Tasmanian Consolidated Acts Tasmanian Consolidated ActsSCHEDULE 4A - Criteria for Preparation of Guidelines
1. Basic library services
(1) No fee is to be charged for the provision of a basic library service.
(2) Basic library services include, but are not limited to, the following services:
(a) membership of the State Library Service;
(b) access to the public areas of library buildings and mobile libraries;
(c) access to catalogues in respect of the reference and lending collections;
(d) access to books of the reference and lending collections for use on library premises;
(e) the borrowing of books from the lending collection;
(f) primary assistance to locate information or sources of information;
(g) if the facility is available – the home delivery by volunteers of books from the lending collection to sick or disabled persons;
(h) if the facility is available – the use of library buildings for study purposes.
2. Practical library services
(1) A fee may be charged for the provision of a practical library service.
(2) Practical library services include, but are not limited to, the following services:
(a) photocopying;
(b) hiring of meeting rooms, auditoriums or theaterettes.
3. Value-added library services
(1) A fee may be charged for the provision of a value-added library service.
(2) Value-added library services are those services which, through some action on the part of the State Library Service, provide a library user with an additional level or degree of benefit to that which is already available to the library user free of charge as a basic library service.
(3) The additional benefit will typically be in the form of either increased convenience or time saved for the library user or in the provision of a product that the library user may retain for his or her personal use.
(4) A value-added library service may typically involve or require –
(a) the allocation of library staff for an extended period of time; or
(b) the allocation of more than one member of the library staff; or
(c) extensive research on the part of library staff; or
(d) the provision to the library user of notes, synopses, bibliographies or other explanatory material; or
(e) the provision to the library user of material that is likely to be of commercial benefit.
4. Administrative and policy criteria
(1) Fees charged for library services are to be calculated, as far as it is reasonably possible to do so, according to the principle of cost recovery.
(2) A fee for a library service may be charged in accordance with –
or by any combination of those methods.(a) an hourly rate; or
(b) a set charge for a specified service; or
(c) an agreement made between the State Library Service and the library user –
(3) The guidelines may provide that a class of persons specified in the guidelines is –
(a) not to be charged a fee for library services or a specified library service; or
(b) charged a discounted fee for library services or a specified library service.
(4) The requirement to pay a fee for a library service is to be made known to the library user before the service is provided.
(5) Notwithstanding subclause (4), the guidelines may provide that where a person is being provided with a free library service a fee may be charged for the continued provision of that service after a certain time if –
(a) it is apparent that the service is no longer a basic library service; and
(b) the person is advised accordingly.
(6) A charge for a library service is to be made at the time, or as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 14 days after, the service is provided.
(7) A library user may, in such circumstances as may be specified in the guidelines, pay for a library service in advance.
(8) A library user who is charged a fee for a library service is, in such circumstances as may be specified in the guidelines, to be provided with an invoice in respect of that service.
(9) A library user who is charged a fee for a library service is to be provided with a receipt on payment of the fee.