[OPLINLIST] "No-Fine" Libraries

Mon Jul 18 08:34:21 EDT 2016

Penny,

Stark has been operating with a no fines policy since September 2012. We have found that patrons return overdue items an average of 7.8 days past the due date. However, if an item is on hold for another patron, they return requested items a half day sooner on average (7.4 days). The same number of “abusers” exist now as before we started no fines – 250 patrons out of 105,000 active patrons. The incentive to return library materials remains the same – if they are not returned, you must pay for the item. We have found that 97% of patrons return their items on time or within an average of 7.8 days overdue. We are using hard data, not anecdotal stories -- which anyone who works the front line will have. We realized we were setting up all of our rules for the 3% who abuse their public library. We also found that only 8-11% of our collection was “in use,” in the homes of residents who own the materials. We realized we aren’t a book storage company and we wanted to remove what we could identify as barriers to use. The board and administration are very pleased with the results of the experiment and plan to continue to offer no fines.

I would encourage anyone thinking about a no-fines policy to begin by checking what percentage of their collection is checked out. Then you will know if there may be barriers that need to be removed to promote use.

Have a great Monday!

Tena

[SCDL_SA_ADMIN_Logo_email]
Tena Wilson
Executive Director
Stark County District Library
715 Market Ave N
Canton OH 44702
330.452-0665
330.354.8013 Cell
mailto:twilson at starklibrary.org

From: Penny Neubauer [mailto:pneubauer at acdl.info]
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 8:25 AM
To: Wenzel, Mary
Cc: Don Yarman; oplinlist at lists.oplin.org
Subject: Re: [OPLINLIST] "No-Fine" Libraries

I’m curious to know what motivates patrons to return promptly items with holds, i.e. new release movies? Has this been a significant problem?

Penny Neubauer
Assistant Director/Deputy Fiscal Officer
Ashtabula County District Library
4335 Park Ave, Ashtabula, Ohio  44004
440.990.2322
www.acdl.info<http://www.acdl.info>
Great things are happening @ ACDL!

On Jul 15, 2016, at 3:12 PM, Wenzel, Mary <wenzelm at limalibrary.com<mailto:wenzelm at limalibrary.com>> wrote:

Hi, Don,

Thanks for this reply.  I was interested to hear from a no-fine library.  We charge fines (.10 per day for books/$1.00 per day for DVDs and video games.)  Patrons can accrue up to $5.00 in fines before their account is blocked for borrowing privileges, but as long as they keep the fine at or below $4.99, there is no limit on their borrowing privileges.  Fines do not affect a patron's use of Internet computers.  In recent years staff has been empowered to reduce or waive fines at their discretion depending on circumstances, since losing a patron or a whole family of patrons over fine monies that are not excessive is not in our long-term interest.

I’m curious about a few things which I would pose to any no-fine libraries:

1.  If fines are eliminated to make library materials accessible to low income patrons, isn't billing for the full cost of the  item 'relatively soon' more, not less punishing?  What is the time frame for 'soon'?  At our library, patrons are assessed the replacement cost of the item after 90 days and no fewer than three official notices.
2.  What incentive is there to return items in that case?  Does your staff have unlimited discretion to waive fines for all but lost materials?

We've noticed something interesting here in Lima;  Patrons will often complain about being assessed fines, yet every time we offer a fine amnesty day where we encourage patrons to read or look at magazines in house to earn $1 off their fines for every 30 minutes read, or run a canned good drive for the local food pantry in exchange for money off fines for donations--patron response is very poor.  By which I mean, no more than a few patrons (out of our database of 10s of thousands) participating.

Do you experience a lot of positive patron response to the no-fines structure and has it impacted (either positively or negatively) the numbers of items brought back on time?

Thanks for posting!

Mary Wenzel, Youth Services
Lima Public Library

-----Original Message-----
From: Don Yarman [mailto:yarmando at delawarelibrary.org]
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2016 5:54 AM
To: Janel Haas
Cc: oplinlist at lists.oplin.org<mailto:oplinlist at lists.oplin.org>
Subject: Re: [OPLINLIST] "No-Fine" Libraries

How long have you been “no-fine.”

The Delaware County District Library eliminated fines on print materials nearly 20 years ago. Late fees were set at $2.00 per day on VHS tapes, and that price continued on DVDs and videogames until this year, when we eliminated all fines except on items whose policies we do not control (i.e. interlibrary loan fees).

Is it working?

Yes. We bill for the item cost relatively soon after the due date, and that cost blocks the card. But our goal is not to interrupt library use, so staff will find accommodations: renewing items to reset the clock, holding selected materials until the overdue ones are returned, etc.

Do you have a way for people to donate in lieu of paying a fine (a
donation jar at the circ desk?)

We do have a jar where patrons can give us "voluntary fines."

Has it increased circulation?

No.

Any other thoughts you may have.

While fine revenue is not nothing, we all know it doesn't run the library. What it does do is provide a barrier to library services, particularly for the people whose economic situations make our services most valuable. Eliminating fines not only let us stop punishing our poorer patrons, it also clarified our priorities and eased the work on the staff: because we care about the materials, not the penalties, staff had the freedom to waive fines but not lost material charges. This can be confusing both to the staff and to the patrons. Now, balances against patron accounts are only lost material charges, which go away completely when items are returned.

               Don Yarman, Deputy Director
               Delaware County District Library
               84 E Winter St; Delaware OH 43015
               yarmando at delawarelibrary.org<mailto:yarmando at delawarelibrary.org>  740.362.3861

Currently listening to "Last Call" by Tim Powers.

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