Facing Up to Those Library Fines

One of the top reasons I hear people list for not going to the library is an ugly, five-letter word.  Fines.  They owe so much money on late or lost items that they’re convinced they will never be welcomed in a library again.  If you are one of those people, then read on!

If you have ever avoided the library because those books or CDs you checked out became so overdue that you’re embarrassed to bring them back, there is hope.  First of all, if you still have those items, just bring them back!  That will put those books or movies back into circulation for others to enjoy. It will also stop fines from accumulating. We have handy drop-boxes outside of the library, so if you’re too embarrassed to face a staff member, you can sneak them into the box in the dead of night. 

If you return your items and they were overdue, there will be fines.  Jefferson County Library charges 10 cents a day, or 25 cents if it’s something in demand, like a movie. After all, that book you’ve been waiting to read for months -- whether it’s the newest Sookie Stackhouse or Vince Flynn -- it might have more than 20 other people on a list who also have been waiting for it.  Every day it is kept overdue is a day that they are prevented from having their turn.

Fines are not a punishment, or a way to prevent people from using the library and its resources.  They’re just an incentive to return the library’s stuff and to encourage fairness.  Fines happen to the best of people -- a book wind up under the passenger seat and no one can find it, or your vacation gets extended -- there are endless possibilities.  But if you return the items, fines don’t have to be a stumbling block to using the library. 

If you have overdue fines, you are not restricted from coming to the library -- just from checking out items or using computers.  But fines don’t have to be permanent.  Jefferson County Library offers a totally awesome service on the last Friday of the month -- it’s called Food for Fines.  Basically, let’s say you had those books out for the duration of a summer vacation and you somehow racked up a $30 fine.  Yikes, right?  Well, bring in 30 non-perishable food items- whatever cans you might have scored a good deal on at the store- and your fine is gone. Just make sure that the food is not expired and the packaging is intact!

Now let’s say you lose an item, or damage it.  That is a different story.  When you borrow something from the library, the understanding is that you will return it in the same condition you borrowed it.  When it is not returned, or is brought back with pages missing or smells like a litter box, it is not in the same condition and future patrons will not be able to enjoy it in the same way.  It’s not fair to them.  In which case, the user will be charged for the cost of replacing that item.

And you know what?  No one’s perfect.  I just paid for a book that I spilled a cup of tea onto.  I told everyone that my cat did it, hoping for sympathy.  But ultimately, it really doesn’t matter to the library how it happened or who did it -- it was on my card, it was ruined and it wasn’t mine -- so I paid for it. 

These items aren’t covered by Food for Fines, but we’ll still work with you if you have lost or damaged items.  Fines are not meant to keep you from using and enjoying the library.  If you have a lost fine of $24.95, you can make payments on it -- a dollar here, five dollars there, whenever you have it.

And while I really hated writing that check (no credit or debit accepted) to the library for my tea-stained book, I reasoned with myself that the number of books, movies, magazines and CDs that I have checked out from the library instead of buying has probably saved me more money.  Every movie I waited for, and then watched at home -- the library saved me money.  The CD that only had one song worth hearing?  The library saved me from buying the whole album.  Or the rare book that I couldn’t find anywhere, but the library located at an obscure college library and inter-library loaned for me -- well you get the idea.  Over time, using the library wisely will save you more than you would ever pay in fines ... and that’s fine with me.