Eliminating Fines On Information
If you’re like me, one of the most confusing situations of your young life involved asking your grandmother for money. I was 8 or so and had just been told that I owed money. I didn’t think that was right, but I didn’t argue because again, I was 8. I didn’t have any on me, (did I mention I was 8?) so I went to my Granny and asked for it. She said sure but asked what it was for. That’s when I had to confess, the librarian said I had a late fee. If memory serves, it was 75 cents.
At the time, I was embarrassed. I frequented the library and was diligent about getting my books back. I remembered returning the book that was late, (something about humpback whales) but could have sworn I returned it on time. More than the fee itself, I felt like I had let the library down. I knew what it felt like when I was looking for a book and couldn’t find it. I didn’t want someone else to go through that because I couldn’t follow a two-week routine.
As it turns out, that feeling of mutual respect and consideration is common among library patrons. Returning a book has more to do with communal living than it does late fees. At least that’s what the New York Public Library System is finding out.
Like a number of Library systems around the country, the NYPLS recently eliminated late fees. According to the president of NYPLS, Tony Marx, it was a simple decision once they accepted that late fees simply don’t work. Late Fees don’t bring books back and in fact can scare people from returning the book they forgot about.
When the Chicago Public Library eliminated late fees in 2019, the number of overdue books returned per month nearly doubled from 900 to about 1,650. Each of those books would have been a lost asset to the library. By eliminating the late fee, the library was able eliminate the stigma that can accompany the fine.
After fines were eliminated, the CPL also saw a rise in library card renewal for those who had accrued fines. Not only was the library reclaiming its books, but it was also reclaiming its patrons.
In New York, the library also cited demographics for why eliminating late fees was the right call. As some of you may have guessed, late fees disproportionately impacted the poorest neighborhoods.
Also significantly impacted were minors. In Queens, 65% of accounts that were blocked due to fees of $15 or more, were under the age of 17.
The economically disadvantaged and minors were blocked from accessing their public libraries over a matter of $15. Public access to diverse information is one of the purest expressions of the American Dream.
By virtue of being a citizen, you can learn and experience through a collection of literature and periodicals. There is no barrier to entry to this trove of information. If anyone should have access to it, it’s the economically disadvantaged and minors.
The elimination of late fees does represent a loss of revenue, but I would hope libraries aren’t relying on that. I would also hope libraries have better things to do than keep track of how many absent-minded citizens owe them money.
To my knowledge, that 75 cents was my only late fee. Granny bailed me out and I could borrow my limit in books again. I returned those books on time, but it wasn’t because I was afraid of a fine. I returned my books because knowledge is meant to be shared.
