Overdue fines get shelved at libraries

Overdue library fines could become a thing of the past at all Franklin County public libraries as early as Oct. 1.

Upper Arlington Public Library announced in its July newsletter that starting Aug. 1, the library will no longer accrue overdue fines. The decision to go fine-free comes after a data analysis revealed a decrease in revenue from collecting these fines, which have only made up 0.5% of the library’s total revenue of $6,125,046 for the past three years, library director Chris Taylor said.

Patrons still will be charged a replacement fine if an item is deemed lost after being overdue for 28 days, but assistant director Kate Porter hopes the move to be fine-free will encourage library patrons to visit more often.

“We want a better experience for people,” Porter said.

“We don’t want to say you can’t do something because you owe money.”

The last library system still implementing overdue charges, Southwest Public Libraries, has been looking into the effectiveness of fining library patrons. Library director Mark Shaw said the group found that overdue fines tend to make people shy away from coming to the library. The staff group that looked into the issue will present their findings to the library’s board of trustees in August.

Shaw said the board “very well” may decide to do away with the fines, and if so, he anticipates the change going into effect Oct. 1. The decision reflects a nationwide trend of public libraries going fine-free, he said.

“It’s a source of tension between our staff members and patrons at times, when they come in and have a fine and they don’t think they should have a fine,” Shaw said.

“(Going fine-free) would ease those tensions between us and the patrons, and encourage people to come back to the library.”

By 2017, Bexley Public Library, the Columbus Metropolitan Library system, Westerville Public Library and Worthington Libraries had all stopped charging overdue fines. Grandview Heights Public Library did away with daily overdue fines in May 2018.

Library materials borrowed from statewide networks such as Searchohio and OHIOLINK will still incur overdue charges in line with those networks’ policies.

Ryan Mcdonnell, director of the Grandview Heights library, said library data revealed that overdue fines there weren’t incentivizing patrons to return books on time, and the fines made up less than 0.5% of the library’s $2,901,002 revenue in 2017.

“The feedback has been very positive,” Mcdonnell said. “Our patrons appreciate that we’re focusing on providing exceptional customer service.”

To ensure that library visitors continue to return books, if patrons have material from Grandview Heights Public Library that is more than 21 days overdue, they cannot check out any new materials, Mcdonnell said.

He said eliminating daily overdue fines has allowed the staff to get back to its primary goal of serving visitors coming to the library.

“Spending time helping customers is really what’s important to us,” Mcdonnell said. “That can be anything from helping patrons on computers, helping them with resumes, homework, schoolwork. It’s just a better use of our time focusing on those things.”

“We want a better experience for people. We don’t want to say you can’t do something because you owe money.”

Kate Porter, assistant director at the Upper Arlington Public Library