ROSSFORD — The Rossford Public Library has joined others in the area by going fine free.
The new policy started Jan. 2.
“This is an effort to bring people back to the library and we want to encourage more people to borrow
materials.” said Director Jeannine Wilbarger. “We recognize that sometimes circumstances prohibit items
from being returned on the due date and we do not want that to be an obstacle.”
This move reflects a shift in the policies of neighboring partner libraries as well as a growing trend
across the country to discontinue charging patrons fines for overdue materials, according to a press
release.
A system already in place allows items that do not have holds on them to be renewed up to four times.
Patrons with lost or damaged items will still be charged and replacement fees will not be waived.
The library will still contract with a collection agency and a $10 fee will be assessed on any account
sent to collection when the amount due is in excess of $9.99.
Another change is that patrons who have three or more items marked as overdue on their library record
will have their borrowing privileges suspended until the time that the materials are returned or paid
for.
Special collections and event items such as tables and chairs that are able to be reserved will continue
to be subject to fines if they are not returned on time.
While the amount collected from fines was not insignificant, it did not make up an insurmountable portion
of revenue.
“With neighboring libraries adopting fine-free policies, it would not have been prudent for us to
continue to impose fines because patrons would just opt to use the other nearby fine free locations and
we would in essence, be cutting off our nose to spite our face,” Wilbarger said. “We hope that the new
policy will make people more relaxed and confident about borrowing from the library and that it will
bring in people that we have not seen in awhile because they had outstanding fines.”