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Summer fine-amnesty program tied to more recovered items, staff says
Summary
Staff reported that the summer fine-amnesty (June–August) encouraged returns and correlated with a rise in recovered items and recovered value compared with the prior year, while fines waived declined after initial outreach.
Library staff reviewed the summer fine-amnesty program covering June through August in which late fines and letter fees were forgiven for patrons who came into the library and spoke with staff. Staff described transaction categories (lost/destroyed, recovered, fees paid, fees waived) and said the number of recovered items and recovered value rose compared with the previous reporting period, which staff interpreted as evidence patrons returned items when fines were forgiven.
On the program's intent, staff said the goal is to restore patrons' access to library services: "we were able to just wave those away," Linda said of the fines, and staff added that the amnesty appears to have encouraged people to return items and resume using library services. Staff reported no material increase in permanently lost or destroyed items and noted some month-to-month variability in fee metrics.
