Last term, I provided some thoughts on the decline of newsagents focusing on their closures and how is a source of information is being taken away from us, especially access to newspapers and magazines.
But what does it mean for school libraries?
Firstly the closure of newsagents has taken away a source for where schools can acquire newspapers and periodicals. In Sydney, it was possible for schools to arrange for delivery of newspapers directly through the newsagent and could control when it could be delivered, e.g. weekdays. This is no longer possible as newspaper delivery is arranged through the publisher. For the newsagent, it has meant the loss of commissions and revenue through delivery fees (One paid extra on top of the cover price to have it delivered). If a newspaper is not delivered on a particular day, you miss out, and there is no option to have a copy delivered. You get an additional delivery tacked onto the existing subscription. With newsagents, one could call or attend in person if a newspaper was not delivered and it resolved on that day.
Schools could arrange standing orders through newsagents, even if it came at the sacrifice of saving money on a subscription, but it gave the school library control of when they could purchase a magazine. Newsagents could once rely on the standing orders customers made. Not anymore.
Magazine publishers largely control subscriptions and can also be purchased through online distributors such as isubscribe.com.au or Booktopia. While this may bring the cost of purchasing the magazines lower (good for schools), one has to question the reliability at times, especially if it is lost in the post or overseas in transit. The downside is that control of subscriptions for the customer drops. What if a credit card is lost or log in details for the account are lost? Does it mean subscribing forever? Note that subscriptions cover a time period, and you may not be entitled to a pro-rata refund. You have to let the subscription time period end. Some subscriptions auto-renew. If you don't terminate before the end of the current subscription, you may be stuck forever.
Even in this age of technology and access to apps like PressReader and RBDigital, which open us up to countless magazines from around the world, I still will become aware of titles by simply browsing at a newsagency and seeing what they offer. The ones in the Sydney CBD have introduced me to international titles, along with larger or reputable newsagencies in the suburbs. Without newsagents, how will I become aware of good magazines that students can read?
In recent times, I have purchased a copy of titles merely to see their relevance to the students, and this was through a newsagent. If they close, I lose that option. Reading magazines online is not the same.
