Charges

With the adoption of the Council's Long Term Plan 2024-34, the following changes are effective from Monday 1 July 2024: 

  • Holds are now free for all library members
  • You can place a maximum of 15 holds on your card at once
  • Meeting room hire charges have been increased to cover inflation
  • Annual subscription for non-city residents has increased to $154 (the cost for a 6 month subscription is $77)
  • All other fees and charges remain the same

Fees and charges

What’s free

There is no charge to residents and ratepayers of Christchurch City Council for the following library services:

  • Using and enjoying the library facilities.
  • Borrowing of general collection books.
  • Accessing and searching the internet and sending email.
  • General information services.

Check charges on your card using My Account. We accept phone payments using debit, Visa or MasterCard.

Find out how long you can borrow items for.

Key charges

Holds are free for all library members from Monday 1 July 2024.

Borrow bestsellers

Adult, youth and concession $3 per item for 7 day loan.

Audiovisual

  • DVDs $3 per item for 7 day loan (non-fiction DVDs are free)
  • DVDs $6 per set for 14 day loan (non-fiction DVDs are free)
  • CDs, audiobooks $3 per item for 28 day loan
  • CDs, audiobooks $3 per set for 28 day loan

Printing and copying

  • A4 $0.20 per page
  • A4 colour $1 per page
  • A3 $0.40 per page
  • A3 colour $2 per page

Replace a membership card

  • Adult $5
  • Youth and Concession $2.50

Lost or damaged item

Replacement charge plus processing fee of $21 per item.

Schedule of fees and charges

Borrowing                                                                

Borrowing charges

Replacement membership cards

A membership card is required for borrowing items from the collection. If the card is lost, it will need to be replaced to continue borrowing from the library.

Costs to replace membership cards

  • Adult $5
  • Youth $2.50
  • Concession $2.50

Lost or damaged item

The charge made for a lost or damaged item is calculated from the item cost which is recorded on the library catalogue record and reflects the cost to the library of replacing or repairing the item. A processing fee of $21 per item is added to the lost item charge. Charges for the repair of damaged items will be set at actual cost recovery.

Customers who have total unpaid debts of $30 or more will be unable to borrow (as per conditions of membership).

Barred cards

As per conditions of membership, customers are unable to borrow items, place holds, or use eResources if:

  • Items are 28 days or more overdue
  • $30 or more is owed in unpaid charges
  • Any unpaid charges are owed for 21 days or longer

Outstanding amounts sent to Debt Collection Agency

If an outstanding amount on your Library Account is referred to a Debt Collection Agency, you will be liable for any collection costs incurred to recover the amount owing.

Bestseller collections

All items located in any bestseller collections attract a charge which reflects the premium nature and immediacy of access provided by these items. The charge applies to all library customers: $3 per item for 7 day loan.

Audiovisual collections

There is a charge to borrow items from the DVD, audiobook (all formats), tape and CD general collections. This charge reflects the additional costs involved in the library providing (and supporting) AV resources.

DVDs

  • $6 per set (14 day loan) (non-fiction DVDs are free)
  • $3 per item (7 day loan) (non-fiction DVDs are free)

CDs, audiobooks

  • $3 per item (28 day loan)
  • $3 per set (28 day loan)

The charge applies to adults and youth when they borrow items in the general collection, but items in the children's and young adult collections are free. All non-fiction DVDs are free to borrow. There are no charges to borrow AV items (CDs and DVDs) that are located in the Ngā Pounamu collection in recognition of the significance of providing access to this collection.  Vinyl LPs must be brought in from storage so a $2 hold charge applies. There is no additional borrowing fee on LPs.

Interlibrary loan

For information about the borrowing conditions of interlibrary loan, refer to the Interloans Policy.

General conditions

For requests supplied from within New Zealand, the following charges apply.

Non-urgent requests: $13
Urgent requests: $43
Standards: $35 per standard

Items supplied from New Zealand sources are charged for on a partial cost recovery basis. This reflects that the Library is not able to hold all resources that members may wish to use, but supports their access to national collections.

For requests supplied from overseas

All items supplied from overseas cost $20 — $60 (approximately).

Overseas items are charged for on a cost recovery basis, and vary according to country of origin, exchange rates, agents charges and method of delivery. Members will be advised of charges before proceeding with a request.

  • If library members request more than 25 items in one calendar year, an increased charge applies for each item after the 25th.
  • Occasionally additional charges may be imposed by the supplying library. These will be passed on to the customer.

Corporate services

Items received on interloans for corporate members can be supplied by post. The charge for this service will be based on cost recovery and includes the cost of postage.

Non-City borrowers

Most library members are Christchurch City Council ratepayers or residents. Non-residents who comply with the conditions of membership are eligible to join the library as subscription members.

The charges apply to both adult and youth non-city members. However, some trusts (e.g. Gammack Trust) provide for free membership for youth in adjacent districts.

Subscription members

For subscription non-city members:

  • 12 month membership $154
  • 6 month membership $77

This subscription enables non-city members to access the services of the library on the same basis as ratepayers and residents, e.g. the same bestseller, holds and audio-visual item charges will apply.

Subscription members can use Christchurch City Libraries' electronic resources except where license restrictions prevent access to non-city members.

Printing and copying

The Library provides facilities for customers to print and photocopy resources for their research and private study needs. The costs of providing these services are similar.

  • A4 B&W $0.20 per page
  • A4 Colour $1 per page
  • A3 B&W $0.40 per page
  • A3 Colour $2 per page

Digital image reproduction

The terms of use on the library website indicate where copies of images may be taken by customers for their research and private study. In these cases, there is no charge for the customer in taking a digital copy. However, where assistance from staff is required and/or where the image is not immediately available for download from the library website, the following charges apply.

  • Electronic delivery of image $30.00 per image
  • Image delivered on CD $30.00 per image
  • An administration charge of $65 per hour will apply after 30 minutes.

Scanning

Where customers use library equipment to scan copies for their own use there is no charge. However, where customers require higher resolution scans using specialist library equipment then cost recovery charges (including staff time) will apply.

Information delivery

Research consultations

Assisting customers to find and use information resources is a core service of the library therefore quick reference enquiries, research searches that take less than 30 minutes and enquiries that involve staff assisting a customer to use the resources of the library are provided free of charge. Where the research question is more in-depth, then a charge will apply to staff time over 30 minutes.

  • First 30 minutes - Free
  • After 30 minutes - $75 per hour (charged in 30 minute increments of $37.50)

Library staff will ensure that customers are advised of likely costs for additional research before the chargeable work begins.

The customer will also be charged with any additional costs associated with the research e.g. photocopying, printing, faxing or postage.

In-depth research is not a core library service, therefore where research is likely to take more than two hours of staff time, customers may be referred to use a specialist research service.

Public programmes

The principles underpinning the fees and charging policy apply equally to the programmes offered by the Library and Learning Centres. Charges will be based on the actual programme being offered and will be advertised with the programme.

Programmes offered at no charge

No charge applies to programmes designed and delivered by the Library and Learning Centres that promote the:

  • Use of the libraries physical and virtual collections.
  • Practice of reading for enjoyment and help emerging readers extend their reading experience.
  • Principles of information literacy in the effective use of library resources – print, digital and the web.
  • Use of digital literacy to ensure the management, retrieval and use of electronic information for frequent tasks.
  • LTCCP community outcomes e.g. promotion and protection of heritage.

Programmes where customer pays

The customer will pay (on the basis of cost recovery) for programmes designed and delivered by the Library and learning centres that extend beyond the core provisions. These are programmes that provide:

  • ‘Value added’ with a focus on a creative production process and/or take home product e.g. some holiday programmes.
  • ‘Value added’ learning for an existing provider or business e.g. teacher professional development courses, specialist school programmes, customised programmes.
  • Specialist skill focus courses using applications or software not readily available on a home computer or with limited frequency of use e.g. 3D programmes using 123 Design, Film school using iMovie.

Subsidised programmes

Some programmes will be subsidised. Subsidisation is where the Library offsets the full cost of the programme. Programmes considered for subsidisation include:

  • ‘Pilot’ programmes offered with the view to future rollout.
  • ‘Trial projects’ either by the Library or in partnership with other learning providers.
  • A project developed within a research context where the research will assist with Christchurch City Council strategic objectives.
  • Specialist programmes based around the testing and development of a new technology tool, learning theory or ICT application.
  • Learner support programmes that ‘bridge the gaps’. The focus is on supporting learners develop basic lifelong learning skills.
  • Specialist programmes that include an information literacy component as part of the learning process.

Meeting rooms and public spaces

Christchurch City Libraries has a number of meeting rooms and public spaces available for use by groups and organisations in the local community. Rates are charged per hour.
View the Christchurch City Council list of fees and charges for library meeting rooms and bookable spaces 2023 / 2024.

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