Canada Post maintains Library Book Rates for a fourth year

Canada Post will continue to support Canadian libraries by maintaining the reduced postal rate for mailing printed library materials by libraries to their users and other libraries. The current Library Book Rates, which have been in effect since 2005, will remain unchanged through 2009.

There has been no increase in the Library Book Rates since January 2005, despite the fact the inflation rate since then has risen by 8.7%.

Libraries are required to use the electronic shipping tool to continue to access the Library Book Rates. These rates continue to apply only to printed library materials.

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 science 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.