I appreciated Salt Lake City’s article about The Fine Free Library: One Year Later. I am very grateful to work at a fine free library! I have seen the positive effects on patrons, especially families, disabled patrons, and low income patrons. I understand the need & purpose for fees for lost or damaged materials, but I have seen how this can become a barrier for low-income patrons. After one of our regular patrons who is currently unhoused, had the majority of their belongings stolen, including two library books, it struck me at how even lost fines create barriers. She couldn’t afford to pay the fines, and the only person authorized to waive fines is the branch librarian and only for our branches’s materials. It felt so awful to have to tell this patron who was experiencing a serious hardship, that she should email the branch librarian of our branch and the library in the sister consortium to explain what happened and see if they would waive the fines. It felt the only options were for her to have to replay her trauma and be vulnerable to two people (one she never met) or not be able to use any of the library’s services. And to me, the unhoused community is one of the populations who needs/benefits from the library the most!! 

I plan on doing more research, but I want to know how libraries are finding ways to forgive lost or damaged fines for low-income patrons. San Jose Public Library has a program where patrons can volunteer at the library to clear charges at a rate of $20 an hour. I think this is a fantastic option! 

Potential ideas for solutions I have been marinating on:

• Raise the limit on fees before materials cannot be checked out. 
  • For example, Mendocino County Library is $20, while Sonoma County Library is $100
• Have a forgiveness application form- patrons can apply to have certain amount waived, could have limits like $100 per decade or something 
  • I’ve seen the branch librarian forgive patrons lost charges for materials lost in fires, etc. It would be more equitable to have an official policy with info on the website. I’ve seen people with charges from a wildfire from 2017 that didn’t know they could get waived, so they didn’t get to use the library for 8 years!!!! 
• Patrons with an EBT card can waive a certain number of materials or amount per calendar year 
  • MCL currently has a card for educators that forgives 4 books per school year there could be something similar to this 

The City Library. (2018, August 9). The Fine Free Library: One Year Later. https://slcpl.medium.com/the-fine-free-library-one-year-later-d28c69743c15 

San Jose Public Library. (nd.). Volunteer Away Your Fines.  https://www.sjpl.org/vayf/