The libraries of the Oil Region Library Association have stopped charging fines for overdue books.
“For fine-free, we’ve officially launched,” said Dan Flaherty, executive director of the Library Association in an email correspondence with the newspaper. “We are mainly doing this to promote access and encourage further use of our resources.”
Flaherty said that overdue fines have been a deterrent for library patrons. He is hopeful the new policy will have a positive impact on library use as it has on other libraries that have adopted the fine-free system.
For years, revenue from overdue book fines has been declining, said Flaherty. The money raised now comprises less than 5% of the libraries’ total revenue.
“We’ve always treated them more as a form of ‘behavioral modification’ rather than a revenue stream anyway,” Flaherty said.
“We’ll still charge for unreturned or damaged materials so individuals will still have incentive to bring them back,” said Flaherty.
“People generally self-police. They want materials available to them when they use our libraries so they will return the materials they check out,” said Flaherty. “People steal our stuff less than they steal from stores,” he added.
Rental fees for hot spots and interlibrary loan books will remain in place.
