News Release: Canada Post continues to support Library Book Rates
Posted by CLA Govt Library and Info Mgmt Professionals Network on 2011/11/28
(November 28, 2011) Canada Post will continue to support Canadian libraries by providing the reduced postal rate for mailing printed library materials by libraries to their users and other libraries.
On January 16, 2012, Canada Post will increase Library Book Rates by a weighted average of 5.0%.
There has been no increase in the Library Book Rates since January 2005, despite the fact the inflation rate has risen by an estimated 13.9% since then.
Even with the increase, the Library Book Rates remain very economical and will continue to be substantially lower than the most discounted commercial parcel rates. A 1.28 kg package mailed at the Library Book Rates today costs $0.92 to cover both the sending and returning of the book; this will increase to $0.97 in January 2012. Without the Library Book Rate, the same service of sending and returning of the book would cost $18.00 if mailed at a post office.
The reduced rates remain well below Canada Post’s costs to ship library books, and Canada Post receives no Government appropriation or compensation of any kind for the reduced Library Book Rates.
Canada Post is committed to continue working with the library community, through the Canadian Library Association (CLA) and the Association pour l’avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation (ASTED), to ensure that the library community’s concerns are understood and that their needs are considered in the future.
