Plainfield Public Library Eliminates Overdue Fines

The Plainfield Public Library District’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a motion last night for the Library to no longer assess fines on overdue books and other materials.

“We want our books to be available to everyone in the Plainfield community, regardless of their ability to pay overdue fines,” said Director Lisa Pappas. “The threat of accumulating fines keeps people away, and that goes against our mission of connecting our community with the materials they need.”

Items that are checked out from the Library will still have due dates, and patrons are encouraged to return or renew their items on time. However, if books are returned late, the usual 10-cents-per-day fine will no longer be assessed. If an item is more than two weeks late, the user’s account will be placed on hold until the item is returned. If at 30 days an overdue item isn’t returned, the user will be billed for the cost of the item.

The Library experimented with going fine free for the summer of 2020 as a way to assist the Plainfield community during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The response to our Fine Free Summer was incredibly positive. We checked our numbers and realized we could financially make being fine free permanent,” said Pappas.

Fine Free Summer ends August 31. The permanent elimination of fines goes into effect on September 1, which will provide a seamless transition for Plainfield patrons.

In addition to no new fines, the Library will eliminate any outstanding fines that users currently have on their accounts. However, all patrons will still be responsible for the fees from damaged or lost items and the GoGo Gadgets Collection.

There has been a national movement over the past few years for libraries to eliminate overdue fines. Statistics show that library fines disproportionately affect low-income users, especially children, and when fines are eliminated, circulation and cardholder numbers increase. The American Library Association now recommends any library that has the ability to go fine free should do so.

“The Plainfield Library currently receives less than half a percent of our overall revenue from fines. We have a plan to compensate for the minimal loss. The good will of our community far outweighs the few dollars we will lose,” said Pappas. “The Library's Strategic Plan that was passed in January calls for eliminating fines as a barrier to service in 2021. We decided it was time to do that now instead.”