Millburn Library Does Away With Overdue Fines

MILLBURN, NJ —The Millburn Public Library has announced that for the first six months of 2020, they won't charge any overdue fines on materials taken out, with some exceptions. The library will also grant amnesty to people who currently have an overdue item out.

The program will not apply to iPads, Wifi hotspots, or museum passes. Borrowers who keep an item for longer than three months will be billed for its replacement, and those who have more than 10 items overdue will have their library card temporarily suspended.

The move was decided by a unanimous vote of the library's Board of Trustees at their December meeting. They are going to try the initiative for the first six months of 2020.

But they hope patrons will try to return items on time. "Items will still have due dates and they will be printed on your checkout receipt," notes the library website. "Please return any items that you borrow by their due dates so that others will be able to borrow them. "

The library said the matter will have little effect on the library's budget, saying overdue fines only cover 0.4 percent of the operating budget.

Why the change? "Fines are barriers to access, particularly for children and for people with limited means. Eliminating daily overdue fines means users will not lose access to their library and the resources they want and need just because of a late return." Plus, it frees the staff up to focus on other matters.

In other library news, the system is running a program for all ages, a Winter Reading Challenge. They hope that readers will log in and enter the names of books they're reading, with a goal collectively finishing 500 books among all participants. Those who join up will be entered in a raffle for prizes.

The library is located at 200 Glen Ave.

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