ENGLEWOOD – The city library is doing away with late fines under a six-month pilot program, and kicking things off with a monthlong amnesty on overdue fines.
Director John Arthur said the fine-free program has been in discussions for months and that he looked into its cost-effectiveness and the potential for increased use of the library.
“It’s been successful around the country and there are a lot of larger systems that have done it. Chicago saw an increase in books being returned,” Arthur said.
The library isn’t the first in the area to consider a move away from the traditional approach to dealing with overdue books.
Montclair ended fines last summer, and Hackensack and Ramsey followed shortly thereafter.
In Hackensack, the move was prompted by the American Library Association's resolution calling for libraries to eliminate fines to remove an economic barrier for patrons. In Montclair, officials noticed an uptick people using the library after the policy went into effect.
Arthur said he has talked to officials in Hackensack and other library directors who have launched similar programs and has “heard nothing negative from anyone.”
“The goal for us is to have more people use the library and have people be comfortable. We don’t want to be punitive. We don’t want to limit use,” Arthur said. “People are afraid of fines, [so] they would take only a couple books. We want people to read more and explore more.”
He said fines can create a barrier of access for people. He has seen instances where as fines accumulate, patrons just never come back. This is especially true of children and teens and “just people without resources to pay fines,” he said.
In addition to the new program, amnesty will be offered throughout the month for those with existing fines for overdue books. Lost or damaged property will still be subject to fines, because it will need to be replaced.
Arthur said that in addition to being beneficial to patrons, the program is good for the library and its staff.
“One of the greatest things was the morale boost for the staff because they spent a lot of time dealing with fine-related issues. People are just happy to take the pressure off. Coming to the library should be joyful activity,” he said.
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“Taking that pressure off the staff helps increase services, whether that is organizing programs or just talking about books with patrons.”
The program is set to run initially for six months. During that time, Arthur will gather data on library use, the number of books returned and overall circulation. If this program does improve services, there will be a discussion with the library board about extending it.
Katie Sobko is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: sobko@northjersey.com Twitter: @katesobko
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Englewood joins ranks of fine-free libraries with new pilot program - NorthJersey.com
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