(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by GRRL.)
Great River Regional Library is excited to announce that the library system will go Fines Free in 2022!
With this change, no fines will accrue on overdue materials! All 33 library locations will be free, open, and welcoming to all. With the help of the library’s generous donors, we can remove the financial barrier of fines to allow everyone to explore, learn, and connect in their community.
Starting on January 3rd, 2022, Great River Regional Library (GRRL) will be eliminating overdue fines on checked out library materials. This initiative began back in 2019 with the elimination of overdue fines on children and teen materials. Through research conducted nationwide, along with local research conducted by St. Cloud State University Survey Center and GRRL’s user/non-user surveys, transportation and finances have been identified to be the biggest barriers to the people that need library services the most. For those who rely on transportation by the public or a parent, returning materials in a timely manner can be difficult. Then when fines begin to accrue after the due date, it becomes another expense for a family. Being mindful of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, GRRL staff members are working to eliminate this barrier for families in central Minnesota.
Great River Regional Library is a joint powers organization with six member counties of Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, and Wright. Each county provides representatives for the GRRL Board of Trustees and the Board develops and administers one comprehensive budget for the system. The 2022 budget supports the expansion of the library’s fines free initiatives. These fines are a declining revenue source and make up only 1% of the budget. They are neither guaranteed nor reliable, therefore the Board moved forward with the effort.
The goal of this expansion is to reduce the financial barrier that may prevent patrons from accessing library materials, and to increase the amount of time staff spends assisting library users in a positive way. Library cardholders are responsible for returning or renewing their checked out materials by the due date so other patrons can enjoy them. Libraries across the country that have already done away with overdue fines have not seen a drastic increase in items returned late upon going Fines Free. Chicago Public Library actually saw a 240 percent increase in returned books in the month after they eliminated fines in September of 2019, and Salt Lake City’s Public Library saw late returns drop from nine percent to four percent after fines were eliminated.
For those with no difficulty paying overdue the fines, the library suggests paying it forward. The library’s Year-End Campaign is an opportunity to give back and show support of the library going Fines Free. With the help of generous donors, it’s possible to remove the financial barrier of fines to allow everyone to explore, learn, and connect in their community. Give now in support at GRiver.org/donate/year-end-campaign. It is because of generous donors that the library is able to move forward with fines free efforts.
GRRL would like to welcome back those who have avoided using the library due to overdue fines! For those who do not have a card or need to renew (as it expires every three years), now is a perfect time, so patrons can enjoy all of the benefits the local library has to offer. Visit GRiver.org/card-application to get or renew the card online, or stop in to the local GRRL library today!
Great River Regional Library (GRRL) provides library services at 32 public libraries and one to-go system in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. GRRL2GO is a locker system that allows you to pick up items at the Sartell Community Center. GRRL supplies the residents of Central Minnesota with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming, and information services.
