The Bracebridge Library is set to remove late fees for 2023 to “support inclusivity and accessibility to resources in the community.”
The town’s General Committee was unanimous in their support of the idea on Tuesday. However, the decision still needs to be ratified by council at their Jan. 25 meeting.
While overdue fees will be dropped for the year, fines for lost or damaged materials will remain.
In a report to committee, written by Paul Judson, Bracebridge’s treasurer, and Crystal Bergstrome, CEO and chief librarian, it’s estimated the value of the waived fines is $7,221.90. A “large proportion” of the fines are long-standing ones that Judson and Bergstrome believe have “prevented the patrons from returning to the library and have a small chance of repayment.”
“There is mounting evidence that fines for overdue materials have unwittingly added to social inequity and created a significant barrier to providing public library service to those most in need,” write Judson and Bergstrome. “Past rationales for having an overdue fine structure – such as teaching responsibility or preventing the loss of materials – are being examined under a new lens and these measures have proven ineffective in addressing their desired outcome.”
According to the report, fines are no longer a sustainable source of revenue. Between 2012 and 2022, Judson and Bergstrome write revenue from fines has declined by over 56 percent. Last year, the money made from fines accounted for less than one percent of the library’s budget.
“Research on this issue indicates that the removal of fines has resulted in more items being returned to the public library, reducing the amount that public libraries must spend on replacement materials and the effort of collection charges for lost or stolen materials,” it says in the report.
Bergstrome and Judson write there are about 100 libraries in Ontario that have moved to a fine-free model. That includes the libraries in Gravenhurst, Lake of Bays, Orillia, and Barrie.
They believe that eliminating fees will help membership grow, create a more equitable service model, and allow library staff to have more positive interactions as they deal with “thousands” of unpleasant conversations about unpaid fees.