High school students 18 and older were given the chance to clear their fines in person. In fall 2017, the three systems were given a $2.25 million grant from the JPB Foundation for one-time amnesty for kids and teens 18 and under they had their library fines automatically forgiven and blocks on their library cards lifted. Studies show that students with fine-free MyLibraryNYC cards, issued to participating New York City Department of Education schools, check out an average of 30 percent more items than their peers without the cards, with less than 2 percent higher loss rates. Since 2010, New York City’s three library systems have researched what it would take to eliminate fines and fees and implemented pilot initiatives such as “Read Down Your Fines” programs. This is even more pronounced for patrons under 18 about 30 percent of blocked accounts belonged to children and teens, and a 2017 assessment found that 80 percent of blocked youth cards were located in low-income communities. The ten NYC branches with the highest percentage of blocked cards are all in high-need areas. In New York, high-need communities, with median household incomes below $50,000, account for six times the number of blocked cards as other areas. “New Yorkers and people throughout the country love and trust their library-they understand it's a public good, they respect it, and they bring their books back.” “The simple fact that the library community knows well is that fines are an antiquated notion that doesn't work,” NYPL President and CEO Tony Marx told LJ. While eliminating fines cuts a line item out of many libraries’ revenue, most have discovered that the loss could be absorbed-and that getting rid of fines raises circulation numbers, brings lapsed users back to the library, and boosts goodwill. They also contribute to material attrition, as a patron who can’t afford to pay the fine on a late item may not return it at all. The rationale is simple: Fines and fees present a barrier to library use among the communities that need access most. Since then, many systems, both large and small, have removed fines and fees on late materials-inspired by a number of studies and statements, including the Colorado State Library’s 2015 white paper “Removing Barriers to Access: Eliminating Library Fines and Fees on Children’s Materials,” and a resolution added to the American Library Association (ALA) policy manual in 2019 stating that the association “asserts that imposition of monetary library fines creates a barrier to the provision of library and information services.” In 2017, 92 percent of libraries responding to LJ ’s Fines and Fees survey indicated that they collected fines. Branches will be holding giveaways and special programs all week, which will be listed on the individual systems’ websites. Cards will be blocked from borrowing additional physical materials if users accrue a replacement fee from $50 to $100-the threshold varies from system to system-but they can still access computers, ebooks, and other digital services.ĭuring the week of October 18, patrons are encouraged to come by their neighborhood libraries and reconnect, returning any materials they may have at home free of charge. Patrons will still need to pay replacement fees for lost materials, which will be considered lost after being overdue for one month if materials are returned, however, no fees will apply. New Yorkers of all ages will not need to pay late fines on overdue materials, and the three systems have cleared all prior late fines from patron accounts, unblocking about 400,000 cards frozen because holders had accrued more than $15 in late fees-more than half of them in high-need communities. On October 5, the three New York City library systems-Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), New York Public Library (NYPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL)-announced that they will no longer charge late fines on books and other circulating materials, joining libraries in other large cities including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Baltimore, and many more.
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