Loan time of music CDs to be shortened in Helmet libraries

The public libraries of the Helmet network are shortening the loan time of music CDs from the current four weeks to two weeks. The reason for the change is the desire to speed up the circulation of popular records with long reservations queues.

The shorter loan time will enter into effect on 2 March 2020. Cutting the loan time in half will shorten the amount of time that customers have to wait for a record to become available for loan.
The loan time change will only affect music CDs. The loan times of CD audio books, vinyl records and cassette tapes, which is currently four weeks, will not be changed. The number of times that a CD record loan can be renewed will also remain the same at five times.

The change in loan time is based on broader changes in people’s music consumption habits. Music is now being consumed more than ever, but instead of listening to physical records, more and more people are using various streaming services. These changes are also reflected in people’s music borrowing behaviour. The total number of CD loans has decreased, while borrowing is heavily concentrated on recently released records. The most popular records often have long reservation queues, in response to which libraries are now aiming to speed up their service.

The public libraries of the Helmet network want to ensure that their range of music remains as diverse and high-quality as is economically viable in the future as well. In addition to their own music collections, the network’s libraries also offer customers the chance to listen to music on the Naxos Music Library service. There are over two million songs available on the service, and the selection is constantly expanding.