Dunedin City Council libraries staff have proposed a shared membership deal, allowing non-residents across Otago and Southland free membership at Dunedin's libraries.
That would replace the requirement for non-residents to pay $105 for a special non-resident family membership, and allow someone from as far away as Invercargill or Queenstown to borrow a Dunedin library book.
It would apply to all Otago and Southland residents living outside Dunedin, and could lead to reciprocal arrangements allowing Dunedin residents access to other centres' books, a report by Dunedin City Council library services manager Bernie Hawke said.
Out-of-town members would still have to return their books to the Dunedin library they borrowed from, as an inter-city returns service would drive up costs. The change would appeal to those non-residents visiting the city frequently, he believed.
The proposal won support from city councillors at a recent community development committee meeting, despite Cr Kate Wilson questioning whether non-residents should have access to the same service as Dunedin ratepayers.
"How do you feel about that being fair and equitable?" she asked.
Mr Hawke said the scheme would be "cost neutral". Savings of about $100,000 a year had already been found within council library operating budgets, thanks to closer co-operation between southern library services.
In particular, the establishment of the SouthLib consortium in 2009 - comprising eight local authorities in Otago and Southland - had helped reduce operating costs through shared services, such as the Symphony library management system, his report said.
It was hoped the change would also bring benefits for Dunedin residents wanting to use libraries elsewhere, he said.
Shared membership would be extended to all eight councils, together covering Dunedin and Invercargill and the Queenstown Lakes, Southland, Central Otago, Clutha, Waitaki and Gore district council areas, he said.
That would allow residents of those councils' areas free access to Dunedin library services, and it was hoped reciprocal arrangements would follow, he said.
The Waitaki District Council already offered free membership to Dunedin residents, while the Invercargill, Southland, Gore and Clutha councils had their own reciprocal memberships in place, he said.
The council regularly received inquiries from residents as close as Waihola, Berwick, Taieri Mouth and Palmerston, who contributed to the city's economy but did not have access to free library services, he said.
The change would need final approval by councillors at the next full council meeting on May 16.
