Jackson District Library to End Overdue Fines

(August 2, 2021 4:00 PM) Jackson District Library today announced they will stop charging patrons fines for overdue library materials as well as retroactively remove any overdue fees that current library patrons have.

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 1, overdue materials will no longer accrue fines. JDL patrons are still responsible for replacement charges for lost or damaged materials.

“Fines do not encourage the on-time return of materials, and contrary to what some may believe, fines  don’t make the library any significant amount of money either, accounting for less than .5 percent of our budget,” JDL Director Sara Tackett said. “What fines do is prevent access for patrons who cannot afford to pay those fines. We wanted to remove as many barriers to access as possible, especially for our patrons who struggle financially.”

Patrons are still responsible for returning materials, library officials said. Any materials that are 30 days overdue will result in the patron’s account being blocked until the items are returned. Once materials are returned, the entire bill is removed from the patron’s account. If materials or lost or damaged, a fee to cover the cost of replacing the materials will still apply.

“Interestingly, libraries that have eliminated overdue fines have found that return rates actually go up,” Tackett said. “By removing the possibility of accumulating late fines, people are less likely to avoid returning to the library and more likely to bring back any overdue items they’ve checked out. No late fines mean more people are using the library more often.”

Library officials said they are joining thousands of libraries across the country in the elimination of fines for overdue materials. JDL saw a significant decrease in fine revenue after they moved to automatic renewals for materials, and removing overdue fines entirely won’t have a significant  impact on their annual budget.