Hertfordshire County Council

County Hall

Pegs Lane

Hertford

SG13 8DQ

Telephone: 01438 737555

Fax:

Textphone: 01438 737599

Email: [Hertfordshire County Council request email]

Date: 24^th June 2009

Reference number: COR / 06/09/1329

Dear Ms Lauder

On 21^st June 2009, we received the following request for information from you:

could you tell me how profitable the lending of DVD-films

throughout HCC's libraries are. In particular, I would like to know

how many times a film has to be relent before it has repaid for

itself (i.e. how many of such films make a net profit for HCC?), and

also, to what extent does HCC subsidise less popular (but still

very worthy) Arthouse and Foreign Language films.

Your request for information has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that Hertfordshire County Council holds the information you have requested and that the information is set out below.

The lending of films on DVD by Hertfordshire libraries is used as a mechanism to generate income and is a profitable enterprise. In the financial year 2008-09 for every £1 spent on the purchase of DVDs the library service received £2.50 in income. Due to the varying unit costs of different titles, the number of loans required for a title to be self financing varies. Obviously some titles will be more popular than others and generate more income than others. However we do not purchase any title that we do not believe will be self financing and cover the cost of its purchase.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting the reference number on this letter. To find out more about Freedom of Information, please visit www.hertsdirect.org/foi.

If you are unhappy with the way the County Council has handled your request for information, you may complain through the County Council's complaints procedure available from http://www.hertsdirect.org/havesay/hwtocom?page=3

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaints procedure you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your complaint. You should write to: FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Jane Apling

FOI Practitioner:Libraries

Hertfordshire County Council