Page 113 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes buildings and the initial expenditure on fittings and books covering the basic stock needed
as a nucleus for library activities.

6.2.2 Public Libraries

The main sources of public library revenues are subscriptions, a library cess, and grants from the
government and endowments. Considering the library subscription as a source of funds is
widely disputed. An equally forceful opposite view is that subscription defeats the whole concept
of a free public library service advocated by Ranganathan. The report of the Advisory Committee
for Libraries, Government of India (1957), also supports the inadvisability of considering
subscription as a source of revenue. The Advisory Committee describes such subscription libraries
as “stagnating pools.”
Of the five States of the Indian Union which have library legislation, some, viz., Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, have provision for a library cess. Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh Library Acts have provided for a cess in the form of a surcharge on land and property
tax at the rate of six per cent. The Karnataka Act has provided for a library cess in the form of a
surcharge at the rate of three per cent not only on land and house tax but also on octroi duty,
vehicle tax and professional tax. In addition to the library cess, Karnataka public libraries
receive a grant from the government equivalent to three per cent of the total land revenue
collection. The other two states i.e., Maharashtra and West Bengal, have not proposed any
library cess. In these states the respective governments have made provision for grants for
public libraries. Experience shows that library cess/rate alone cannot be sufficient to meet the
continuously growing needs of public libraries. Besides, the taxable capacities of various local
areas differ, thereby making standard and uniform public library service throughout the country
difficult.
A public library service should be totally supported by regular budget grants of the government,
just like education, public health and so on. Unfortunately, in many countries including India,
this is not the position. As a result finances for public libraries have become inadequate. Only
library legislation at the national level can change things for the better. It would be proper for
the government to provide for the initial expenditure, while recurring demands of the libraries
should be met from the proceeds of library cess, etc. Moreover, the local authorities should be
encouraged to collect more funds by giving them matching government grants.
Endowments, charitable trusts and private benefactions could be another source of public library
revenue. In countries like the USA this is a common feature, whereas in India it is not so. The
financial demands of the libraries are recurring in nature whereas endowments may not be so.
Hence endowments and benefactions, though welcome, should not be taken as a permanent or
continuing and adequate source of income. Endowments can best be used for constructing
library buildings, acquiring furniture and fittings and so on.
Other sources of public library revenue are fees and fines, gifts in cash or kind. The income from
these sources is generally very meagre and cannot be considered a significant source of revenue.

6.2.3 Special Libraries

Special libraries get their funds from appropriations made by their respective parent
organizations. Whenever the parent body takes up a new project or programme, which needs
library and information support, adequate finances may be provided to the library to meet the
special support facilities. The library is expected to ask for funds for any additional or special
services which are usually examined before funds are provided for such services. In addition, ad
hoc grants from governmental agencies are obtained for specific purposes. Of late, special
libraries have been seriously considering the ways and means of generating part of their own
resources.

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