RABHYA MEHROTRA PHOTO
Librarians hold bookmarks advertising the new policy.
The kids are off the hook.
The New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) system announced Tuesday that it will no longer collect fines for late items — including from students, who make up a sizable chunk of those pursued for fees.
Librarians and city officials, including Mayor Justin Elicker, gathered outside of the Ives Library on Tuesday morning to make the announcement.
This policy is part of a national trend.
“Across the country, over 200 library systems have adopted fine-free policies,” said Shana Schneider, president of the NHFPL board. “These include cities like LA, which serve millions of community members.”
“This morning, I read a book to my 5‑year-old daughter from the Ives Library,” said Elicker. “These resources are wonderful for our community, and people from all walks of life deserve to have them.”
“We want to stay true to our mission of being inclusive,” said City Librarian John Jessenn. “Eliminating fines is an important step in ensuring that we provide opportunities for all.” Jessen led the charge in promoting the new policy, which was passed by the NHFPL Board in the Spring of 2020.
Why fine?
City Librarian Jessen.
“For a long time, it was accepted that fines were an incentive for people to bring their books back,” said Gina Bingham, a librarian at Ives. “That logic, however, is faulty. It’s really the spirit of community — the principle of giving, and in turn, receiving — that keeps the library going.”
Libraries used to collect fees depending on the type of item checked out, and if customers reached $20 in fees, they were banned from checking out more materials. “That’s such an easy line to reach,” said Jessen. “If you took out five DVDs and forgot to return them for a week, that’s $25 right there.”
Repeated charges like these add up.
“If you pay $25 one time, maybe it’s not the biggest deal,” said Jessen. “But paying that multiple times? That’s a significant cost. We never want people to choose between paying for groceries versus their library fines.”
Jessen noticed the effects of fines when he was a branch manager at the Hill Library for five years. “A lot of people had issues with returning physical DVDs, and their bills racked up quickly,” he said. “They’d avoid the library as a result.”
Who Gets Fined
Most people, Jessen noted, don’t have trouble returning their books. But for the ones who don’t return books, negligence is rarely the main issue. “Many people understand the value of a library,” he said. “They just may not physically be able to bring back books.”
Children, for example, make up 33 percent of the people who are fined.
This is because in many libraries, children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. If children have working parents or cannot find an adult to join them, they have no way of returning books.
Additionally, people may not have reliable transportation to the library, or have long work days that overlap with the library’s hours.
“We know lots of people cannot come when we are open, so we’ve made a 24/7 book drop,” said Jessen. “But not everyone knows that exists.”
Under the new system, these barriers would be removed. “If you don’t return an item for a long time, you still may not be allowed to check out other books,” said Jessen. “But now when you come, you just have to return your late books. There’s no fee.” The library still collects fees for replacement items, but these cases are much rarer.
“I’m confident that people will still return books,” said Bingham. “During Covid, we began to waive fees, and we didn’t notice a difference in how many items were returned. It’s not a money issue; fundamentally, it’s an equity issue.”
New sources of revenue?
Bingham, who was also photographing the event.
In 2019, the NHFPL charged over $158,000 in fines.
“We’ve only received $36,000 back,” said Jessen. Although a fraction of the original fines, the money still meaningfully contributes to the yearly budget, funding all library programming.
So how will libraries adjust?
“We’re grateful for the Library Foundation,” said Elicker. “They have agreed to make up for the $36,000 in revenue, so that the city doesn’t have to increase its funding.” Currently, the library accounts for 0.78 percent of the city operating budget. “People are pushing for it to be 1 percent, but unfortunately we’re already struggling with city cuts,” said Elicker.
Michael Morand is the president of the Library Foundation. The foundation provides 5 – 10 percent of the overall library’s budget, he said, and raised over $300,000 last year.
His plan to get the additional $36,000? Soliciting more donations.
“Our individual donors, who compromise the largest source of funding, will appreciate the mission to make the libraries as accessible as possible,” said Morand.
Everyone present expressed hope for a more inclusive library system. “Libraries are the most trusted institution, and a pillar of American democracy,” said Jessen. “We want everyone in New Haven, especially young children, to feel that trust and sense of community.”
Watch the full announcement event below.