 Borrowing then, as now, was free to ratepayers; those outside the area paid 10 shillings in 1949, and fifty years later, a $100 for an annual subscription.Initially one book was issued to each member, with 2-3d charge for additional items.Newer books were more expensive, as much as 6d Rental charges on fiction were dropped in 1990; though the late 1980s saw them on items such as cds, a practice which became generalised across other multimedia items like cd-roms and DVDs.