Toronto Public Library to Earn $20,000 From Ads on Date-Due Slips, 6-Month Trial Will Begin Soon

Note: We first shared news about the Toronto Public Library’s plan to sell ads on date due slips a little over a year ago (February 27, 2012). Our post includes link to an environmental scan of advertising policies at libraries in Canada and the U.S. that TPL made available. 
Here’s today’s update.
From The Toronto Star:

Beginning in late March or early April, every date-due slip will have an ad on the back. By handing over this untapped real estate to an ad-sales company for a six-month trial period, the library will reap $20,000 in savings.
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During the six-month pilot, a company, Receipt Media, will pay for the slip paper in exchange for the right to sell ads and keep the money.
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Library officialLinda Hazzan said she cannot name the “five or six” advertisers who have signed on to date. She said they include a newspaper, a continuing education institution, and a cultural production — largely companies “that are sort of aligned with what we do,” she said.

Read the Complete Article (Includes Comments Pro and Con From Two Board Members)
See Also: Full Text of TPL’s RFP for “Date Due Slip Advertising Services” (82 pages, PDF)
Dated July 6, 2012.

Filed under: Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Public Libraries