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Summary of IOO-report, 2001
Open gateway to knowledge: estimated financial costs of restructuring the public library sector
The Meijer report recommended a new structure for public libraries based on the concept of base libraries, improved infrastructure, support services, co-operation between different levels of government, quality control systems and IT infrastructures leading to new virtual services.
The Institute for Government Research (IOO) together with I&M Partners have provided an estimate of the financial costs of the restructuring.
In accordance with the aims of the co-operating levels of government, the process will last 4 years (2001-2004) and provide an inputus leading to an irreversible change in the public library system.
IOO has pulled together figures from a variety of sources to arrive at an estimate of the costs involved. Structural costs are necessary to maintain the renewed system. These include the creation of the base libraries, management and steering activities, quality and IT factors. These costs are projected to rise from 926 million guilders in the first year to 1102 million in the final year. For the incidental costs, including quality and IT development, a considerable sum of 446 million guilders (in the final year) is necessary to set up the restructuring. Almost half of this will go towards developing new virtual services and implementing an adequate set of IT tools in every base library. The other half will be used to set up a system of quality care and certification and to train staff in such a way that the professionals are able to develop and maintain new and demand-driven services.
Total costs restructuring the public library sector
(millions guilders, prices 2001) |
| Components restructuring | Initial year | t+1 | t+2 | t+3 | t+4 |
| Functions base libraries | 915 | 915 | 915 | 894 | 872 |
| Steering and support | 11 | 17 | 23 | 30 | 30 |
| Quality impulse | PM | 64 | 93 | 127 | 174 |
| IT impulse | PM | 76 | 108 | 138 | 157 |
| Total (x mln. gld.) | 926 | 1.072 | 1.139 | 1.189 | 1.233 |
| Total, index = 100 (initial year) | 100 | 116 | 123 | 128 | 133 |
Source: IOO B.V.
The entire operation represents an increase of 33% in costs compared with the current situation. After 4 years, the costs of incidental investment will no longer be necessary, so the definitive cost increase will be 21-27%.
Through the cost effectiveness of the network of base libraries, IOO estimates that the number of staff can be increased by 17% with an increase in opening hours as well. The stock can also be improved.
The average structural costs per inhabitant are currently: 58,20, of which 80% is covered by subsidy i.e. 46,60. In the future, incidental costs will be 28,80 per inhabitant. Future structural costs will be 73,70. A structural subsidy per inhabitant is estimated in future to be: 58,95, 12 guilders more from all three levels of government together.
The report invites creative thinkers to come up with solutions for gathering the necessary funding.
(1 dutch guilder is 2,20371 euro.)
(Summary and translation by Marian Koren, NBLC)
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6 June 2026
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