Lansdale Library Eliminates Late Fees

On June 15, 2022, the Lansdale Public Library officially put a new fee
schedule into practice, eliminating many fees. Such fees include late
fees on books, movies, and audiobooks, computer guest pass fees, and
the replacement library card fee. A new policy has been put in place:
books that are over 90 days late will be assumed lost, and an invoice
for their replacement will be sent to the borrower.

This change follows the American Library Association's "Resolution on
Monetary Library Fines as a Form of Social Inequity", which resolved
that fees create an economic barrier to library materials and services.
Such a barrier was only exacerbated by the pandemic, a time when the
services offered by public libraries became even more necessary.

Following the examples of libraries such as those in New York, Chicago, and Upper
Merion, Lansdale Library waived late fees at the start of the pandemic.
"It's great that we are eliminating late fees and joining the ranks of
libraries large and small across the country," said Tom Meyer, Director
of the Lansdale Library. Combined with a successful increase in
fundraising, the Lansdale Library is able to make this practice
official, in the new fee schedule outlined above.

This change coincides with the beginning of our Summer Reading Program, with
the theme “Read Beyond the Beaten Path”. Summer is the busiest season for
the library, and as with every summer, we are dedicated to preventing
the dreadful phenomenon of “summer slide”, where students forget things
that they have learned during the extended break from school

By encouraging readers of all ages to venture “Beyond the Beaten Path”, we
hope to inspire those participating in the program’s challenges and
activities to explore the world around them, especially the outdoors.
Exploration backpacks have been made available for borrowing, such as a
birdwatching backpack with binoculars, identification guides,
storybooks, and resources to help engage new birdwatchers in the hobby.
We have also added new museum passes that encourage exploration, such as
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, John Jame's Audubon Center, and Shofuso Japanese House and Garden.

Challenges and activities can be attempted through Beanstack,
and completing them will earn you virtual badges of accomplishment.
Activities include a Bear Hunt Scavenger Hunt, a Found Objects Art
drop-in craft day, and the Little Red Hen Baking Club, plus two StoryWalks
you can visit. Miss Lisa will hold Story Time on Thursday mornings at
White Roads Park, or in the library if the weather is not permissive.

The virtual badges you can earn also come with tickets for the raffles we
will hold at the end of the season, as well as physical stickers to add
to the Stick Together mural in the library. There are also a limited
number of physical badge books for children 12 and under who register
for the program through Beanstack. We encourage readers of all ages to register and begin exploring this summer.

As always, the Lansdale Library is committed to serving its community, and
this new fee schedule is the latest great step in that mission. By
encouraging a more equitable set of policies and practices in the
library, and by launching such initiatives as this year’s “Read Beyond the
Beaten Path” Summer Learning Program, we hope to encourage more people to
engage with our materials and services.