Another rents its computer lab to a community college for classes. Renting out spaces like this does bring in some revenue, but it also requires libraries to expand their business role.
That often means that staff have to change their focus as well. Some libraries also sell other items to patrons in hopes of making some money. These products can include USB drives, coffee or snacks, and more for printing services. Still other libraries have sought out donations and grants.
They participate in programs like AmazonSmile , which allows Amazon customers to donate. Those fees then support library programs and services. Still, it is heartening to know that so many people are dedicating their energy to preserving libraries.
How can a library make money? Category: 3. Planning for Library Transfer - Getting Started. Topic s : Business planning. Your answers Most recent Highest Rated. Order: Asc Desc. Annemarie Naylor wrote Your rating: None 1 vote.
Featured Content. Developing Enterprise Guide This document gives an overview of the steps involved in Developing Enterprise.
On crowd-funding, the advice was to involve your community as early as possible to help you decide what people would find acceptable to use this for.
Tags: masterclass. Comment by Frances Hendrix posted on on 16 June The short answer to my question is, that they expect a place that offers them the chance to browse and borrow a huge and interesting collection of books. There are many libraries now trying to raise very small amounts of cash with commercial services inside the library.
This is not their role, not their job, and I am pretty certain the profit is, if any, are minimal!! Locating a library adjacent to a major shopping outlet or within and shopping Mall, especially if reduced or no rent can be negotiated, is a much better idea. But such a location would increase footfall for the main purpose, of borrowing books or using reference, and IT services.
Use of staff not trained or wishing to sell goods, detracting from the main business and recouping tiny amounts. Museums however, make a great shopping experience. They are separate stores within the museum. They cover major exhibitions, with artefacts etc. It is excellent for gifts and high class items for homes, birthdays etc. Often jewellery etc.
But in really good accommodation with properly trained staff and a wide range of top quality goods for all ages and all occasions. The people who go to museums usually visit the shop, and often the very good tea rooms. People also go to the museum shop if not the museum, to get unusual and good quality gifts. A Library does not have these attributes. Stick to what you know!
Why is the Task Group even bothering with this unrealistic marginal area!! While they fiddle with silly ideas, libraries are falling like raindrops!! Mobile: 55 Comment by Tim Coates posted on on 16 June This post and the whole stream of work it describes fails to show any understanding that one of the fundamental features of a public library is that it is a place where people can go without feeling they are obliged or likely to have to spend money.
That is true of small families, school children, people out of work , and people who value reading as a pastime and libraries as a place in the community. Of course there have been places where library services try to raise cash - but not only, normally, do these endeavours cost more money than they raise but there is often legitimate objection from local small businesses who complain that the council is subsidising competition to what they do and how they earn their living.
For that reason most sensible councils will not operate services of this kind. Even charging for rental of films and music actually generally costs more than the income it provides- so such activity is not helping to raise funds - even though, of course this is perfectly valid and important work for libraries.
Nobody could make a valid case for the investment of public money with the intention of raising cash in a public library. Making even small amounts of money in a local business - enough to pay a willing family member who will work all hours - is not easy at all.
It is very hard to generate cash in a small business, as high streets all over the country show. These ideas for generating money in public libraries have been explored over and over in recent years as the briefest look in the Task Force filing cabinet would have revealed. To raise them yet again is a serious distraction from the work that library managers and councils need to undertake at the present time. There is no evidence that they have done anything but waste public money.
Examples from museums, arts centres and places like the British Library, are completely irrelevant to public libraries around the country. Comment by juliachandler1 posted on on 16 June In reply to both the comments above: The Taskforce are concerned about the financial pressures that libraries face, and while income generation is not going to be a solution to all these, we are aware that many library services will have been set income generation targets.
Where this is the case, we want people to be equipped with sound information and advice so they can make realistic decisions about what they take forward based on the best evidence and good practice available. Once people have found out about the investment that is needed for a particular project, or the levels of return that can be achieved they may decide that particular approaches are not for them.
But we have heard of some activities which surprised even the people who put their plans together, with initiatives performing beyond expectations.
One particular cafe, which is run on a franchise model, has proved so successful that the local cafe owner who took it on has now closed his original cafe to concentrate on the library site. Regarding the workshop itself, we asked if people would be interested in the opportunity to hear from a range of speakers, and to discuss the topic, and they said yes.
We were over subscribed and could easily have run more in other regions. As that is difficult in practice, our approach is to run a session for as many people as we can accommodate, then write up and share the information covered on the day so others can at least read about the topic.
It is relevant to the work libraries do, and we are happy to share it. Comment by frances Hendrix posted on on 16 June I have quickly scanned this report, but cannot find any financial information, e. Any surplus, profit? Julia - thank you I think it would help if you would acknowledge that you face a hierarchy of priorities. The first responsibility is to ordinary people who choose either to use or not use libraries They already pay huge amounts for the library service - and they are entitled to seek much better value for the money they pay than they receive at present.
Your first duty is to share that concern with the councils whom you have been asked to advise. I don't see you doing that anywhere. The second priority is to ordinary staff who have no control over what happens but work very hard to do the best they can. And the third and least priority is to give service to what we call 'the library sector'.
They are the departments you talk to and the chief librarians, managers and professionals who might be interested in your seminars. These are the least important people and whether they are interested to listen to you is of little importance and should not call on your time as they do. Nothing in the paper above indicates that any enterprise has actually contributed significant money to the proper operation of a library service - you have shown no complete figures. Nor have you anywhere analysed how money within councils is actually spent nor given any guidance about where costs can be saved that do not damage the service to the public.
I stand by all I said -- the library service is in serious imminent crisis - use will again have fallen significantly during the last twelve months and so far The Task Force has taken no effective steps to halt or reverse this decline. I think you don't know how to. Comment by Tim Coates posted on on 17 June Julia - I make no apology for labouring this point because I think you need to change your approach. If income targets have been set which are an increase on those of previous years- the proper approach and only one that will be successful is to strive to increase use of the library for its recognised purposes - that is how income in a library derives.
It is not sensible in any way to introduce new ventures in which the library staff and managers have no previous experience or expertise. Comment by Shirley Burnham posted on on 18 June It is particularly appropriate now to reflect on the value and relevance of what is being discussed.
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