Lapeer Area View

Lapeer District Library no longer charges for overdue materials


LAPEER — The Lapeer District Library board and staff are pleased to announce that Lapeer District Library will no longer charge fines for overdue materials as of Jan. 11. “Your local library is going fine free,” said Director Melissa Malcolm.

The library board started discussing this issue a year or so ago, when a speaker at a trustees’ workshop presented the issue as one that library boards should discuss. The list of fine free libraries has been growing over the past few years, so the Lapeer District Library is not unique. Libraries in Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Columbus (Ohio), Ipswich (MA), Milton (VT) and Floyd Memorial Library (NY) have eliminated fines and report that the waiting period for popular materials has not increased, indicating that materials are returned in no less a timely manner than with fines imposed for a late return. Close by, Caro Area District Library went fine free within the past year or so. The policy is popular with staff and patrons.

The reasoning behind going fine free is simple: equity and access. One person’s $5 fine may not be a big deal; for someone else, it could be what’s left for food or gas for the week. With current library policy, that $5 fine limits people to online access only, or using materials within the library.

The elimination of fines does not impact the library budget in any significant way. Currently, the amount of money collected from fines is equal to 0.3 percent of the annual library budget.

If materials are not returned within a certain time frame, or are returned in damaged condition, replacement costs will be assessed and the patron cannot check out materials until the bill is paid.

“LDL is also working to help those with outstanding fines return to the library to see everything that is now offered,” said Malcolm. Embarrassment at owing fines to the library has kept people away, so that they are unaware of what the library now offers: downloadable e-books, audiobooks, movies, music, and magazines; programs and classes for people of all ages; wireless printing; payments for copies, faxes and lost materials with debit or credit cards, from home as well; free notary services; free one-on-one computer instruction; book clubs and much much more. “LDL’s goal is to make the library accessible to everyone, without economic barriers.”

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