Library nixes overdue fees
Beginning in December Northwest Georgia Regional Library System libraries, including the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library, will be trialing a Fines Free pilot project.
The library system will no longer charge overdue fees on books, audio, and videos owned by the Dalton-Whitfield, Calhoun-Gordon, and Chatsworth-Murray County Public Libraries.
Items which are never returned or are too damaged to be used again will face a replacement fee, as well as items which are from other library systems.
“Ever since we reopened from being closed from COVID, we’ve already been doing that,” Brian Latour at the CalhounGordon Public Library said. “This is kind of just making it official for the program.”
Other items such as video games and items on hold from other library systems among others will still have late fees. Receipts given by the library will note which items may accrue late fees and which will not.
Anyone with late fees on their library account can visit any of the three NGRL branches to have those fees removed from their account, though they may still face some lost item fees. Even items checked out at the beginning of the pandemic will have their fees waived.
Latour is pretty confident that the changes to the fee system will not impact item returns. It’s ingrained in most people to get that book back on time or early, he said.
The NGRL appears to share his confidence that removing fees will not negatively impact the library.
“Research from fines-free libraries in other states shows that items continue to be returned without fines being charged and that in many cases, the return rate increases after removing overdue fines,” the system stated on their website.
It’s still too early to know how this change will impact the Calhoun-Gordon library, but time will tell.
For more information, visit the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library or visit ngrl. org/fines-free.