Arlington Public Library announced in a news release last week that it has eliminated all overdue library penalties.
“All library card holders will be free to read, watch, and listen to items in our collections without fear of late fees,” read the release.
The goal is to help eradicate any financial constraints to library access and encourage people who want to spend quality time reading and learning, the library said.
Arlington Public Library also took the added step of eliminating delinquent overdue accounts, stating, “[We] would like to welcome back patrons who have been unable to use the library due to late fees. To make that happen, overdue fines currently on patrons’ account will be waived.”
Library director Norma Zuniga stated, “This is a significant step in removing barriers to access. Becoming a fine-free library is our commitment to leveling opportunities for all patrons.”
“By eliminating overdue fines, I hope we can reconnect with patrons who have not visited the library in a long time,” she added.
Since time immemorial, fines have been used to encourage patrons to return library materials by the due date so that other prospective readers could enjoy the item.
The library’s recent move is in step with a trend among public libraries all over the country, eliminating fines in the name of “equity” and trying to remove any barriers to their providing service to patrons, according to NPR.
Speaking to NPR about library fines and his own community library in Baltimore, Mark Mitchell lamented the policy change:
“[Fines] encouraged me to return the books or the DVDs in a timely fashion rather than just keep them. As it stands now, you won’t be fined and you can return the DVD — or the book, or what have you — more or less whenever you want, I guess.”
He added that his library deserves all the revenue it can get.
For its part, Arlington Public Library is urging its patrons to return their items promptly so that other people can gain access to them, however, it is unclear whether the policy change could encourage scofflaws and limit the number of items in circulation.    Â
Mesquite Public Library did that years ago. However, I don’t agree when it comes to unreturned books. They should not be able to check out more books until that book is returned or pay a reasonable fee. Otherwise, you’ll have people checking out books and sell them to Half Price Books, etc.