The Orange County Public Library is the latest local library to move to a fine-free model. The County Commissioners approved the fine-free model at their Tuesday evening meeting to remove barriers to library use.
Orange County library staff said library fines disproportionally affect community members who face economic challenges. Now, as of Wednesday, that’s no longer the case.
“This is going to open up the library even more,” Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Renee Price said.
She said ultimately the benefits of eliminating fines outweighed any downsides.
“[Fines are] not as important as getting people, especially young people, into the library to read and to explore,” Price said. “This way people can still come in and not feel guilty about having that overdue book and not being able to afford it. It breaks down a lot of barriers.”
Although fines are eliminated for overdue items, the library will continue to charge for repair and replacement fees if items are damaged or lost.
The Orange County Public Library had previously offered alternative programs to pay fines. This included the “Food and Toys for Fines” program where patrons could donate non-perishable food and new unwrapped toys to erase their library fines.
Price said those programs will continue despite the move to a fine-free model. She said the importance of the library was highlighted during COVID-19 pandemic, when the library was in high demand, but it wasn’t able to be open.
“We had our library staff doing other tasks and responsibilities in relation to the pandemic,” Price said. “People wanted to go to the library. They missed the library. It really is a community resource.”
The UNC Libraries previously moved to a fine-free system earlier this year with the Chapel Hill Public Library having done so in 2020.
Photo via the Orange County Government
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