Library fines

Re “Eliminate library late fees? It’s an idea worth exploring” (Our Views,

Jan. 26): As director of public libraries in Virginia Beach, I read this editorial with much interest. It’s an idea that we at the Virginia Beach Public Library have been exploring for some time. Our findings show that eliminating overdue fines would provide several benefits for our community.

These include improved access for children; fines disproportionally affect children in our city’s poorest areas. About half of VBPL’s youth cards have some amount of unpaid overdue fines.

Children who live in areas with a poverty rate of over 6.5% are twice as likely to have their accounts blocked due to overdue fines, meaning the children who could especially benefit from library access do not have it.

There would also be minimal fiscal impact. Fines provide less than one percent of VBPL’s budget, and less than 1⁄100th of a percent of the city’s revenues (0.005%). Additionally, collecting fines requires valuable staff time. Payments of cash alone require around 680 hours a year; plus, another 300 to resolve disputed fines.

The mission of libraries is to provide equitable access to information and resources. Overdue fines create a barrier to this mission. At this time, fines are still part of library service in Virginia Beach, but in the future, there could be a different story.

Eva Poole, director of libraries, Virginia Beach Public Library, Virginia Beach