An Overdue Consideration
Rethinking library fines
Libraries are transforming alongside their users' 21st-century needs. In the face of these changes, and of stark income disparity in our communities, a conversation about fines — and how fines can change your library's accessibility — is a conversation worth having.
The long and short of it
Fines are a form of gatekeeping and can prevent community members from accessing other resources, such as computers, wifi, and material that they need for school or work.
There is an amount of shame and uncertainty that comes with owing fines — patrons and students may feel like they will not be welcome in the library if they have fines or overdue / missing material.
Eliminating fines can be a process-improvement choice. Assigning, clearing, negotiating, collecting, and documenting late fees are minute tasks, but they still take up time and require logistics on the behalf of library workers.
- “We’re excited that our library staff will be spending less time negotiating fines and more time connecting Jackson County residents with information and experiences,” says Jamal Rahming, director of the Jackson County Library in Oregon.
There isn't a uniquely right way to reduce the fees charged for overdue items. Considering the available options, and understanding why your library charges fines, may help you connect with patrons and design a better library mission.
Beyond cold turkey: incremental methods of fine revision
There are many ways to limit fine-charging — and they might not all work for your library! Below are several methods from which to draw inspiration; some of them may be better-suited than others to serve your library's community.
San Jose Public Library instated a low maximum-owed amount per item so that fines could not accrue indefinitely, or to exorbitant amounts.
Libraries commonly stop charging daily fines for overdue items, but continue to "freeze" patrons’ accounts if an item is out long enough to be considered lost (and bill them for the lost item unless it is returned).
Many libraries have performed single-issue fine “wipes” for their patrons, eliminating all fines accrued up to that point, but without eradicating them altogether.
Brooklyn, New York, and Queens Public Libraries, supplemented by a grant from the JPB Foundation, erased the outstanding fines of their under-18 patrons.
One month after carrying this out, NYPL found an 11% increase in library use among school-age patrons.
Some libraries erase fines for certain groups of patrons and/or types of material — for example, not requiring senior citizens to pay fines, or not charging for children's material that is overdue on a child's library card. Among the libraries who have implemented this measure are Six Mile Regional District in IL and Portage Public Library in MI.
Some libraries, like the Los Angeles Public Library, set up systems for children to “read off” their fines. The Omaha Public Library has a similar program in place, with the option for kids older than fifteen to volunteer at the library in lieu of paying fines.
Especially around the November/December holiday season, many libraries encourage patrons to donate non-perishable food items in exchange for a reduction of their late fees.
Meridian Public Library, Phoenix Public Library and others have scripted their catalogs to automatically renew books that stay checked out past their due dates. As long as there are no additional holds on the material, this courtesy can be repeated several times, or until the item is deemed lost.
F.A.Q.
“Why would anyone return their books on time without late fines as incentive?”
Fines may not be the best form of encouragement for patron responsibility after all. Instead, they inspire guilt, sometimes to the point of deterring a patron from entering the library.
Work, school, and childcare schedules do not always overlap with libraries' operating hours. As a result, patrons who are fully aware that their books are due may still accrue fines for multiple days due to calendar conflicts.
- “We’ve had 150 years to try to teach customers timeliness or responsibility, and I don’t know that that’s our greatest success story,” -Patrick Losinski of the Columbus Metropolitan Libraries
- “I’m not advocating a system with zero accountability…. I’m advocating a system in which a family does not need to choose between dinner and using the public library. And so I must ask—what is truly the greater moral hazard? Having fines or not having fines? In my view, teaching kids that the library is not an option for the poorest among them is absolutely unacceptable.” -Tony Marx, president of the New York Public Library
You know your community cares about your library — that's why they're using it! In fact, the library exists to be used by patrons, students, and faculty. Trusting them to return material in good condition and on time, to the best of their ability, may encourage them to love the library even more than they already do.
"Fines are part of our library’s budget. How can we afford to do this?”
The amount of overdue material, and the cost it generates for your library, cannot be precisely predicted — patrons' behavior and availability are always subject to change. By and large, relying on late fees is not a sustainable practice. If your library could not continue providing its services and salaries without the revenue of fines, the budget may need to be reevaluated in a much larger sense.
Libraries that have forgone fines to some degree remark that fines only composed a small percentage of their overall budgets.
Columbus Metropolitan Library (OH), after eliminating fines for its 23 branches, says that they “stick by [the notion that] eliminating those fines is a big customer enhancement.”
The public library system of Waukegan, IL has ceased to charge fines for books only, a decision which “will translate to the loss of 0.25 percent of its annual revenue.”
“The relatively small income [fines] generated were not worth the cost of turning library patrons away,” says Caitlin Johnson, director of the Schuylerville Public Library (NY).
In the wild: further examples
"Overdue fines are punitive, and can become a barrier to many people, especially young and low-income people who want to use the library but can't afford to pay off their fines or are simply afraid that they're no longer welcome. What we really care about is getting our materials back so everyone can use and enjoy them.” - Nancy Levin, library director, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (OH)
“What we’ve been seeing is that the people most impacted by fines are the people who rely on it the most… But the majority of our programs and services are tailored to those people.” - Ben Zenitsky, marketing and communications specialist, Columbus Metropolitan Library (OH)
“One of the promises we made to the community was to remove barriers to access. We wanted to look at immediate ways to make sure all of the community can access the library and materials.” - Susan Bloom, assistant library director for administrative services, Jackson County Public Library (OR)
"This kind of policy is used by lots of public libraries across the country, and there is trusted documentation to prove it increases the sustained use of the library.” - Sara Jones, library director, Marin County Free Library (CA)
“Libraries are finding nationally that items still come back on time when the fines go away because people really do believe in the greater good of their shared community resource.” - Melody Eisler, library director, Port Townsend Public Library (WA)
“Fines are punitive, not educational tools, and it is not our job to teach patrons responsibility. Additionally, charging fines disproportionately affects low-income members of society, and raises the question as to whether we are truly providing equal service to all.” - Jessica Bergin, library director, Portage Public Library (WI)
"Fines really create an inequitable barrier to service for people who have the least amount of resources.” - Andrew Shaw, communication manager, Salt Lake City Public Library (UT)
“Fines have not been shown to be an effective deterrent to the late return of materials," Bromberg wrote. "However, fines have been shown to act as an inequitable barrier to service, disproportionately impacting children and community members with the least financial resources." - Peter Bromberg, library director, Salt Lake City Public Library (UT)
"We want to make sure that what we're doing is staying relevant with today's users.” - Cindy Fuerst, executive director, Vernon Area Public Library (IL)
Sources and further reading
Agnostic, Maybe: "The Library Reloaded: Fines" by Andy Woodworth
Woodworth "consider[s] the position of fines in the library world and some potential alternatives.".
American Libraries Magazine: "Doing Away with Fines" by George M. Eberhardt
Inspired by a panel titled "To Fine, or Not to Fine?" held by the Library Leadership and Management Association’s Technology Committee of Practice, this article considers financial and logistic issues of forgoing fines.
American Libraries Magazine: "Imagining a Fine-Free Future" by Phil Morehart
A recap of an ALA Midwinter 2018 panel on library fines, featuring Gretchen Caserotti, Sara Houghton, and Peter Bromberg.
Blue Skunk Blog: "Libraries are just fining themselves" by Doug Johnson
Johnson comments on the NYC library amnesty initiative and reminds us that, ultimately, "the goal of the library is not to get back all the books, but all the readers."
Inside Philanthropy: "Towards a Fine-Free Future: A Funder Tackles a Barrier to Public Library Engagement" by Mike Scutari
Scutari takes a closer look at the fine amnesty granted by New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries (and funded by the JBP Foundation).
Journal of Academic Librarianship: "Circulation Policies in Major Academic Libraries" by Duane E. Wilson, Cynthia Frazier, and Diana Harter
Wilson, Frazier and Harter interviewed the directors of 165 Access Services departments at academic libraries. In their findings, they examine the utility of "non-traditional fine" policies in university and academic library settings.
In January 2017, Library Journal conducted a survey to learn about public libraries' approaches to (and uses of) late fees.
The Political Librarian: "Building Support for your Library Budget: A Recipe for Success" by Peter Bromberg
Bromberg, director of the Salt Lake City Public Library, explains how he worked with city officials to campaign for a library budget increase and eliminate library fines.
Public Libraries Online: "The End of Overdue Fines?" by Julia Pyatetsky
Vernon Area Public Library's decision to stop charging fines is discussed, along with several fine-reduction alternatives.
School Library Journal: "Rethinking, and Ditching, Fines for Kids" by Christina Vercelletto
School librarians weigh in on fine policies and best practices among school-age patrons.
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