The Houston Public Library recommends the City Council approves an ordinance to discontinue assessing late fees for Library customers who return their items after the due date.
The Houston Public Library (HPL) is proposing to join library systems across the nation by becoming a fine free library. Becoming a fine free library will increase HPL’s ability to support our primary service goals of literacy enhancement and equitable access to materials for the residents of Houston.
Historically, public libraries have assessed late fines to encourage library users to return library materials on time. However, studies have consistently revealed that overdue fines do not encourage library users to return books on time, but rather have the opposite effect.
1.Fines serve as a deterrent to library use especially in low-income communities.
2.Fines often create a financial barrier and cause library users who owe fines to stop using the library
3.Current Fine policies block customers who owe fines from using the library until fines are paid.
In recent years there has been a growing trend in public libraries across the nation as well as in the state of Texas to discontinue assessing fines for late books. Although late fines are no longer assessed in these libraries, library users are still responsible for the cost of any lost or damaged books they borrow. There are three very impressive and consistent outcomes reported by the libraries that have eliminated fines:
The rate of library uses (transactions, interactions, program attendees, etc.) has increased.
The number of library users(visitors) has increased
The number of library books returned has increased.
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Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson