January 27, 2022 · 0 Comments
In order to provide more equitable and accessible services to all its members, the New Tecumseth Public Library (NTPL) has announced it will permanently remove overdue fines as of January 21, 2022.
“The NTPL is happy to join the many libraries across Canada who have gone fine-free in recent years,” said NTPL CEO Jessica Mole. “Fines from overdue materials can have the unintended consequence of disproportionately impacting patrons from lower-income, marginalized and/or minority populations. In order to more successfully fulfill our core priority of supporting education and literacy for all, it was necessary to reassess the impact overdue fines can have on our community.”
Mole told The Times getting rid of fines has been on the Library Board’s agenda before now, but with the overdue fines being cancelled during the pandemic anyway, she thought it was a good time to bring the idea back.
“We appear to be in the beginning stages of getting back to normal, and this is a great bit of good news for our patrons!” said Mole. “The nearby libraries who have gone fine-free include the Barrie Public Library, the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library and the Collingwood Public Library.”
Existing fines for overdue materials will be wiped from patron’s library cards; however, Mole says that borrowed materials need to be returned by their due dates as the NTPL is still charging fees for any library materials that are lost or damaged.
“If you need more time with an item, you may renew it by logging into your account through our website or by calling your local branch,” said Mole. “However, if we contact you about an item that is needed for a hold or has been kept long after its due date, we kindly request that you return it as soon as possible as a courtesy to other patrons.”
As for the financial impact, Mole says it’s negligible compared to the benefits of going fine free.
“I presented a report to the Library Board on the financial impact of removing this source of revenue at NTPL, and our numbers were comparable to those reported by the Ontario Library Service – that overdue fines in general account for roughly one per cent of a library’s total revenue,” said Mole.
Mole says she believes the loss it is worth it because: “Fines disproportionately impact those with young children, newcomers and visible minorities, which results in decreased access to books for those of different socioeconomic status. This conflates with our mandate of promoting lifelong literacy for everyone.”
She also added that “Fines come with hidden costs, such as staff time and library resources.”
“No overdue fines means more equitable provision of library services across New Tecumseth and its reciprocating areas, as well as improved patron relationships with the Library, as interactions related to payment transactions are reduced.”
Mole said evidence from studying the 270-plus libraries in North America who have successfully transitioned to a Fine Free model has shown correlations between the fine free policies and the increase of circulation and active library members. Some libraries have even recorded a drop in their amount of late returns.
By eliminating the requirement to collect fines, Mole says NTPL staff will be able to focus more of their time delivering reference assistance, programming activities, events, and other important services that the NTPL provides to the community.
Such activities include: regular book clubs and writing clubs – now offered online, such as the Men’s Book Club, Genealogy Club, Cookbook Club and Wordsmiths.
“We also have a special Money Management online event titled Holiday Money Hangover (Wednesday, January 26 at 6 p.m.), and a special writers club event called Finding the Path to Publication (Wednesday, February 9 at 7 p.m.) coming up, which anyone is able to attend,” said Mole.
“Assuming everything goes as planned, after January 31st the Library will be bringing back limited in-person programming and events, such as The No. 1 Ladies Knitting Circle & Literary Society, who meet in the Tottenham branch.”
Library membership has other privileges too, such as access to free books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines, eBooks, eAudiobooks, information databases (Home Improvement, Auto / Small Engine Repair, Canadian Business & Current Affairs, etc.), online courses (Linkedin Learning), National Park passes and more.
“If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your local library branch in Alliston, Beeton or Tottenham for more details,” said Mole. “Any donations you are willing and able to give are always greatly appreciated. You can donate by cash or debit at your local branch, or through our website’s donation page: (ntpl.ca/your-library/gifts-donations).”
By Wendy Gabrek