Library Materials in the Mail: A Policy History

Abstract

Through the postal service, the U.S. federal government has promoted the dissemination of public information since 1792. The special rate for library materials began in 1928 with a fairly narrow objective. Proponents argued that a preferred rate would make library materials accessible in rural areas lacking adequate library facilities. Despite increasing use of the low rate for other purposes, this original rationale remains important, partly because it mobilizes a potent constituency, rural Americans. In the 1950s and 1960s, policymakers made the library rate more attractive to scholars who used it to borrow specialized resources from distant repositories. Finally, in 1976, Congress allowed publishers to mail books to libraries at the preferred rate, which extended the postal subsidy to some commercial enterprises. Congress is now reassessing the public policy benefits of the library rate.

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