The East Fishkill Community Library is joining the majority of other public libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System and the countless libraries around the county in ending our system of charging overdue fines.
Why are you doing this?
We believe that good service means removing obstacles whenever possible. We believe that our library system functions best when there’s a smooth transition for the user from one library to another. And we also believe that the staff time spent on monitoring overdue fines and collecting money can be best used for other things that will benefit our patrons.
Without fines why would anyone bring anything back?
Removing overdue fines doesn’t mean that we’re giving our collection away and it doesn’t mean that you can take books home and bring them back years later. Here’s an example of how it will work:
- John takes out a book and returns it on time. No fine. Everyone cheers.
- John takes out a book and returns it late. We get it. Life happens. And yet, we do want the book back, so we send a reminder after one week. No book. After two weeks we send a bill. John brings it back, no fine, we’re all cool and life is good.
- But if John doesn’t bring it back we have to make some decisions; we will most likely replace it and expect John to pay for the loss. We may choose not to replace the exact item, but will still bill John so that we can use the money to buy another item.
- If John is having severe financial or other challenges, we encourage him to contact us and we can work out payments over time or some other satisfactory arrangement.
Are there any materials that will still incur fines?
Yes, we do have certain short loan-items or high-demand items. The following will STILL incur fines – but remember, that fines cap after a certain amount and we are always willing to work with you.
- Museum Passes
- Library of Things
- Vox Books
- Lego Kits
- Hot spots
When will this start?
Any materials checked out on Wednesday, 12/27 will not incur overdue fines. And, of course, every day after that.
What about my current fines?
The Mid-Hudson Library System has already cleared overdue fines on most East Fishkill cardholder accounts. Anything you had checked out when they cleared the back fines wasn’t included, so they’ll run the process again in a couple of weeks. If some fines were missed, we’ll waive them as we see them.
What else should I know?
Well, first, this only applies to OVERDUE fines. Manual fines, such as if we send your account to collections, or if something is returned damaged or missing parts, are still going to be assessed by every library in the system. The other thing to know is that if you take your book out from a library that charges fines, and you bring it back late, there will be overdue fines on your account regardless of where you return it.
It seems a little complicated.
It can feel overwhelming sometimes – we are a five-county system made up of 66 member libraries and we are each governed by our own boards. We share our books freely with each other giving each patron, no matter where they live, more bang for the buck. And that sharing can make the process a little tricky to navigate sometimes. We are all doing our best to make it seamless and easy for you. With all the things in the world to worry about, library fines shouldn’t be on that list. We think that this will help.
As always, if you have any questions, call or email.
