Public libraries have enjoyed a long-standing reputation as epicenters for knowledge, where the curious, no matter their station in life, have gone to learn something new or practice a burgeoning skill. And, what's more, it's all been mostly free. What you may not know, however, is that before the public library was a thing (over a century ago), there were such things as publicly funded, "Fee Libraries." These institutions housed the same sorts of resources as any modern-day public library but required a membership fee to obtain access to all they had to offer. In this way, communities were able to pool their resources and fund local economies. The library, in effect, helped to financially support the local community through real currency.
These days, libraries offer the same service: a space for the curious and needy to learn, create, think, and do. They still support the local economy, but do so through consumer, workforce, and entrepreneurial empowerment. Those fee-based libraries have mostly fallen by the wayside, with a few relics still in existence (and at least one new fee library being established in the last couple of years). In fact, most librarians will tell you that the absence of fees is an essential pillar to library service, allowing folks from all walks of life to access library services.
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That is, with one noted exception: the overdue fine. According to the Library Journal, about 92% of libraries charge users for items returned after their due date. The reasons behind this policy are clear: 1. To encourage library patrons to bring materials back to the library; 2. To remind library patrons of the value of library materials; and 3. To provide necessary revenue that helps libraries fund free services and programs.
However, many libraries are re-thinking this model. Recent studies show that overdue fines actually contradict the egalitarian ideals of the public library. For many in the neediest pockets of society, library fines represent a blockade to library use, at best discouraging users from returning items at all, at worst, dissuading library use altogether. In light of these overwhelming facts, many libraries have begun to eliminate overdue fines, in an effort to improve accessibility across communities and reaffirm a cornerstone to library service: that information should be free.
In response, the American Library Association passed a resolution that states that fines are antithetical to libraries' mission and should be abolished.
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