HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Herrick District Library’s temporary suspension of fines since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is now permanent.
No more fines. going forward. HDL said she’s thrilled the library board of trustees voted to end future fines.
She never liked them anyway.
“I remember paying them as a young person, and hating them as a young child,” she said. (Listen to her complete WHTC interview at .
The change isn’t based on whim, however. She said studies show that fines actually can create more issues in returning library materials.
She said fines also create barriers for low-income families who either don’t want to risk racking up late fees, or simply can’t afford to pay them when a book return is delayed by transportation or other issues.
At a time when digital lending is becoming more typical, there’s no need for a late fee. Digital access ends on the agreed-upon date.
Library officials anticipate that ending the fines will not only increase the number of items returned, it’s a break-even decision, because librarians and other library employees no longer have to handle that financial transaction.
She said people who don’t returns borrowed items could face paying the full cost of the book, CD or DVD, but the way to get around that by getting it back to the library.
With the advent of HDL’s new Library of Things — which allows people to borrow interesting items, from a metal detector or ukulele, a bocce ball or solar kit, among other items. People who borrow these kinds of items are expected to take good care of them, though typical wear-and-tear is expected.
As with books, some use is expected, but people who tear out pages or write in borrowed books would have to pay for the cost of replacing the book.
A string will break on a ukulele from time to time, for example, she said, but if someone smashes the instrument, “then it is beyond the normal wear and tear, and yes, you would be charged to replace that.”
If you owe pre-pandemic fines, library officials would like you to pay up. Kooiker said library officials work with you on this.
Larne more at https://herrickdl.org/library-of-things, or at
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