'Here for everyone': Georgina Public Library joins fine-free movement

Georgina Public Library no longer charging late fees for overdue items

Yorkregion.com
May 1, 2023
Amanda Persico

The provincewide library fine-free movement is gaining traction in Georgina.

After an extended fine-free pilot project, the public library is no longer charging late fees or fines for overdue books.

“Research has shown fines and fees don’t actually work,” said library director and CEO Valerie Stevens. “Having fines in place generally doesn’t encourage people to bring materials back on time.

Instead, fines and fees serve as a deterrent to those who need the library most, Stevens said.

“Fines lead to people not coming back to the library -- they feel ashamed,” she said.

And when users stop using the library all together, those fines are not collected.

“Many don’t have the financial resources. People are not bringing their kids to the library because all the kids want to take out books and they don’t have a way of getting them back on time," said Stevens.

“They have three kids who all have late fines and it's not in their budget to pay for it.”

Often, children, teens and seniors are the people who need library resources the most because they don’t have access at home or in school, Stevens added.

And it’s not just books -- the public library is home to a slew of programs and services available for free to library card holders including LinkedIn Learning, a collection of digital courses, as well as streaming services for both movies and TV shows.

“The library is here for everyone,” Valerie said.

Fine-free doesn’t mean a lending free-for-all -- after a certain amount of time, unreturned books are considered lost and cardholders are responsible for book replacement costs.

About 30 per cent of public libraries across the province have moved to a fine-free system.

Overdue books are becoming less and less of a concern as library card users can renew items through the Georgina Public Library app, which allows for each family member’s account to be in one place.

Not to mention, there’s an increase in digital subscriptions and streaming options such as e- or audio books and movies, which are automatically returned via online software.

The town funds up to 95 per cent of library costs, which are about 5 per cent of the town’s overall operating budget.

The other five per cent consists of revenue from fees and fines, room rentals, donations and provincial grants.

Revenue from fees and fines has been on the decline for several years, ranging from about 1.4 per cent in 2015, to about 0.3 per cent in 2023.

Fines actually cost more in administrative fees and staff time than actual revenue for the library, said Dina Stevens, executive director at the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL).

FOPL represents more than 360 public library systems with more than 1,000 branches across the province. FOPL also engages in research for strategic and operational library planning.

“The idea that fines are a key source of revenue for libraries is really just a myth,” Dina said. “As we move more toward digital collections, which don’t collect fines to being with, fines become less relevant.”

Many of the blocked library accounts, as a result of too many fines, belong to visible minorities and a vast majority of accounts with fines attached belong to children and teens, Dina said.

“Fines can be a significant expense to those with low or no income, which includes seniors and children,” she said. “Fines impact communities unevenly and create barriers for those who may need library services the most.”

In fact, removing monetary barriers and going fine-free has increased circulation and library membership.

“The natural reaction when libraries decide to remove fines is to believe you’re removing the incentive to return items and no one will bring books back,” Dina said.

“People are using the library more because we’ve removed that barrier. So, really, fines were keeping people away. Everyone can relate to some kind of embarrassment from an overdue book.”