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Pam is responsible for selecting much of the fiction for the Library. She leads the
Mystery Book group at Main Library and visits residents of Library Court apartments
to facilitate their book groups. You can find Pam at the Adult Information Desks at both
Main Library and Woods Branch.
Shaker Library Goes Fine-Free
Shaker Library is now fine-free. At its July meeting, the Library Board of Trustees voted
to eliminate fines for all overdue books and material, making Shaker Library one of 13
CLEVNET libraries that have eliminated fines. Additionally, the American
Library Association has called upon public libraries to remove “all
barriers to library and information services, particularly fees and
overdue charges.”
“The Board is always looking for better ways to serve our
community,” says Board President Brian Gleisser. “By no longer
charging fines, we hope to make the Library an even more
welcoming space for all. And eliminating fines builds on the
Library’s previous successful initiative of removing fines on
children’s material.”
During the past year, Library staff studied the impact of
Fines
overdue fines and found very little evidence that charging fines
has any effect on the timely return of material. In fact, the experience
of libraries that eliminated fines suggests that without the threat of an overdue fine,
cardholders are more likely to bring items back.
Research also indicated that fines actually deter people from using the Library. This
barrier to access falls disproportionately on lower-income families. Eliminating fines can
increase usage by all residents.
Revenue from fines is less than one-half of one percent of the Library’s operating
budget. Decreased administrative costs
for fine management, savings realized by
having to purchase fewer replacements
for unreturned and missing items, as well
as revenue from the Library’s passport
services, more than offset the nominal
revenue loss.
Eliminating fines does not eliminate
cardholders’ responsibilities for the items
they check out. If an item is not returned
within a designated amount of time past
the due date, cardholders are billed for
the cost of the item. When they return
the item, that charge is removed
from their account. The focus is on
having library material returned
for others to use, not on punishing
cardholders. The Library encourages
those with overdue items to bring
them back, no questions asked.
The Library’s mission is to
strengthen our community and
transform lives by bringing together
people, information, and ideas. “This is
the kind of policy change that profoundly
affects access for our community,” says
Library Director Amy Switzer. “Our
community is strengthened when
everyone has free and open access.” SL
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