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NewsJanuary 8, 2020

In St. Louis, library overdue fines are going away, but for the Cape Girardeau Public Library and Riverside Regional Library system, overdue fines are here to stay — at least for the time being. According to The Associated Press, St. Louis and St. Louis County public library system directors announced Tuesday they will stop assessing fines for overdue materials. ...

Debra Bader carries a stack of books past a display celebrating the Cape Girardeau Public Library's 10th anniversary May 15 at the library in Cape Girardeau.
Debra Bader carries a stack of books past a display celebrating the Cape Girardeau Public Library's 10th anniversary May 15 at the library in Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file

In St. Louis, library overdue fines are going away, but for the Cape Girardeau Public Library and Riverside Regional Library system, overdue fines are here to stay — at least for the time being.

According to The Associated Press, St. Louis and St. Louis County public library system directors announced Tuesday they will stop assessing fines for overdue materials. They are following guidance from the American Library Association, who cited concerns fines create barriers to library materials and services.

Jeff Trinkle, Riverside Regional Library system director, said Riverside serves a more rural area, which has very different concerns than St. Louis libraries.

Trinkle said Riverside staff members work with patrons to minimize any hardship fines would pose, but the fees are effective in getting materials returned.

“If there’s a legitimate hardship of any kind — illness, poverty, hospital stays — we do waive fines,” Trinkle said.

For replacement costs, Trinkle said, staff members take into account the age of the item and frequency of checkout, and don’t just charge a flat rate, as was the practice in the past.

“We are stewards of public dollars and we do have some responsibility to ensure we retain the items we purchase,” Trinkle said. “That’s where fines have the greatest role.”

That’s not to say the fines are a huge revenue stream, however. Trinkle said revenue from overdue fines accounts for less than 1% of the library system’s budget.

Trinkle said he and the library board continually work together to find ways to make the library a more welcoming environment for patrons. Trinkle said he’s considering an initiative to eliminate overdue fines on children’s materials.

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“Fines can be a real burden to some people,” he said. “The way we look at it, to be good stewards of public dollars, we need items on the shelf and back into patrons’ hands as quickly as possible.”

Riverside Regional Library’s main branch is in Jackson, with other locations in Scott City, Oran and Benton in Scott County and Perryville and Altenburg in Perry County.

Trinkle said working with patrons to forgive overdue fines in cases of hardship helps library staff, as well.

“They want people to check out, too. We want to work with people,” Trinkle said.

Katie Hill, Cape Girardeau Public Library director, said the move toward eliminating overdue fines is on the library’s radar, but it hasn’t been a local issue.

“Overdue materials concern every library,” Hill said. “We check out our materials with the assumption we’ll get everything back, but life happens.”

It’s a concern, Hill said, but not enough to send police knocking on anyone’s doors: “It’s just the nature of our work.”

For the most part, Hill said, library patrons aren’t intentionally taking or misusing materials.

Hill said the library board might discuss the issue in the future.

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