July 14 2003
From: Those in charge
To: Those who aren’t
Re: "User Fees"
It has come to our attention that there has been considerable public confusion regarding the nature and purpose of the recently implemented "user fees" for patrons of the Glenbow Archives and Library. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify matters.
First, critics of the decision have argued that the daily admission fee ($11 for adults, $8.25 for seniors) will have a deterrent effect on the public’s use of the Archives and Library. Well, of course it will! It had come to our attention in recent years that, in addition to "serious" researchers, far too many members of the general public were simply "dropping in" to see what went on up here on the sixth floor.
Such casual visits and the queries they inevitably generated – what is an archive?, why is it so quiet here?, where are the bathrooms?, etc. – were a mounting imposition on our staff’s time and energies. It was hoped, therefore, that a modest fee might deter this category of visitor, who has no real purpose in being at the Library or Archives in the first place.
This leads us to a second consideration. Notwithstanding the above, critics of the new fee argue that the Glenbow is not a private club, but in fact belongs to the people of Alberta. Indeed, it is true that a small fortune in taxpayers’ dollars has been spent over the years on establishing and maintaining the institution. What those critics fail to understand, however, are the implications of their own argument.
"The Glenbow belongs to the people of Alberta." What, all four million plus of them? What if they all wanted to visit on the same day? What if they all wanted access to the same book or set of documents at the same time? What would we do then? Some manner of limiting – though we prefer the word "directing" – the public’s use of our finite collection had to be devised. A small admission fee seemed to be the most reasonable solution.
We might also add, in passing, that if the Glenbow does indeed belong to the people of Alberta, then they are noticeably absent every time it comes to cleaning up the building, repainting the walls, adding on an extension, and so forth. Come on, people, do chip in once in a while!
That brings us to the third point we wish to make. The everyday running and maintenance of the Library and Archives are complex, onerous affairs at the best of times. There are collections to catalogue, inventories to update, photographs to restore, books to re-shelve and so on. Having to also deal with the public only makes this Herculean challenge all the more difficult for our overworked staff.
In a perfect world, we would eliminate patrons altogether. This would greatly simplify the day-to-day operation of the Glenbow and would significantly improve our efficiency. Moreover, all Albertans – yes, all of them – could rest happily in the knowledge that their treasured heritage was receiving the full and undivided attention of the staff here!
This gets us to the heart of the matter. The real reason why critics object to the new "user fee," of course, is that they themselves are precisely the group who will have to pay it. The admission charge can easily be avoided by simply not seeking admission! And believe me, the vast majority of Albertans has no intention of visiting the Glenbow Library and Archives. Why not? Because there’s so little to do here – other than read and do research, that is. And the fact that we used to let people in for free was, in our view, an admission that this was, after all, a pretty boring place to spend time in.
Not any more. By putting a dollar price on the cost of a trip to the Archives, we have actually done the public a service. They now know just what each visit is worth, and so will appreciate their time spent here all the more. And at just $11, we still compare favourably to, say, a day spent at the zoo or a night at the movies.
In closing, we would like to remind people of that delightful Kevin Costner movie – Filled With Dreams, I believe it was – in which he says, "If you bill them, they will come." Quite so. In that spirit, then, let us forge ahead to a brave new future. |
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.