Assistant Director Joni Brookins addresses the Warsaw Community Public Library Board of Trustees.

WARSAW — The Warsaw Community Public Library is getting closer to eliminating overdue book fines.

Assistant Director Joni Brookins told the library’s board of trustees on Monday, Aug. 13 that going “fine-free” is a trend that will help the facility boost its public relations.

“When we figured it out, this only accounted for about 1.7 percent of our revenue,” Brookins told the board. She added that revenue from late fees isn’t even considered when it comes time to crunch budget numbers.

“By going fine-free, we do make our interactions with the public less confrontational,” she said. “There will still be some, because we still are going to charge if you lose a book.”

Brookins told the board that fees will be charged for lost or damage materials but added that overdue fines were traditionally used as a punitive measure to get materials back into the library. She said studies proved that materials were returned or not returned regardless of the threat of fines.

“If it’s not really getting your material back faster, why do it?” she said. “There are more libraries going fine-free in our area.”

Brookins also said that for people with fines already on the books, the library would consider forgiving the fines if the materials are returned and if the patrons make a personal appearance to deal with the matter.

“If they come in personally, it gets the person back in the building and hopefully, once that’s done, they will take a look around,” she said. “I think it’s the wave of the future, I really do.” If approved by the board, staff members are proposing the new policy take effect Oct. 1.

Brookins added that Director Ann Zydek had been looking for ways to boost the library’s relationship with the public. “That’s what Ann has been looking at in recent years is what barriers can we eliminate for people to be able to use the library and this is a big one,” she said.

In other news, the board:

• Agreed to hire SRKM Architecture to design specifications for state approval for a construction project inside the library to upgrade the facilities Limited Liability, Limited Access elevator.
• Approved the joining of the Indiana State Library Consortium for Public Library Internet Access, which is a consent item annually.
• Approved a resolution to establish a non-resident fee for a local library card.
• Heard a report from Zydek that 1,210 children attended the library’s Summer Reading Program.