Walsh’s fine-free move a winner

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” — Albert Einstein

If you wonder if Einstein actually said that, you can go to a library and find out. And they’re free.

Well, not entirely. Anyone who’s taken advantage of the wonder of a library — at all that knowledge, art, culture, human experience — may have been late to return an item. And because the libraries need to keep those doors open, they charge late fees. Reasonable.

Except in some cases, that’s a hardship. If someone who can’t afford to buy a book instead benefits by using a library — but for whatever reason doesn’t get the book back on time and can’t afford to pay the fine, they keep the book, and that’s it. The library is out the cost of replacing the book, the unpaid fine and the loss of a patron. If the patron is a child, the punishment becomes severe. Society does not benefit from stupid people, and kids are kids.

So Friday’s announcement by Mayor Marty Walsh that effective Nov. 1, the Boston Public Library would wipe the slate clean of overdue fines for youth under the age of 18 who have a Boston Public Library card, is a happy development, no matter the lost revenue — which was almost $250,000. BPL says it collected barely a tenth of that, meaning 90 percent of kids have late fees. It’s good that the city is cutting them a break. More than 150,000 youth have BPL cards.

The BPL Board of Trustees voted unanimously to enact the measure.

“The accrual of fines puts a barrier between youth and the Library that can prevent future use of its materials, programming and resources,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement. “In Boston, we believe that free and open access to the Library is crucial for children’s literacy and education. Going ‘fine free’ is a step to level the playing field and become closer to ensuring that everyone has access to the important resources the Library provides.”

Starting Nov. 1, BPL will remove all pending overdue fines and replacement costs for youth library card holders. Youth card holders will not face monetary penalties for returning books late, although they will still be required to return any overdue books in order to check out additional materials. While youth card holders will no longer incur fines for late returns, they will still be responsible for replacement costs if a book is lost or not returned.

BPL is now among only 5% of public libraries that do not charge late fines for youth materials, according to a recent Library Journal survey. The same survey reported that, on average, only about 14% of borrowed materials are returned late. Previously, at the Boston Public Library, the maximum overdue fine a youth card holder could accrue was $2.50 per book.

Yes, revenue will be lost, but increasing access to the library for Boston’s young people is worth it.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Njgx0x