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Lewis County Libraries Go Fine Free, Becoming First
North Country County to Permanently Eliminate Overdue Fines for Library
Patrons
Published: May 16, 2022 at
09:45 a.m.
By: Media Release from North Country Library System
LEWIS COUNTY LIBRARIES GO FINE FREE
Eliminating fines improves access to knowledge and
resources to the entire community
(WATERTOWN, NEW
YORK) – All 12 libraries in Lewis County have permanently eliminated
overdue fines for late items, becoming the first county in the North
Country Library System to go 100% fine-free for patrons of all ages. This
decision brings the libraries in line with a national movement to eliminate
fines that includes Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and
Queens Public Library.
The Lewis County
libraries are:
Beaver Falls Library
Brantingham-Greig Reading
Center
Constableville Library
Croghan Free Library
Harrisville Free Library
Lowville Free Library
Lyons Falls Library
William H. Bush Memorial Library
(Martinsburg)
Osceola Public Library
Port Leyden Community Library
Town of Lewis Library (West Leyden)
B. Elizabeth Strong Memorial Library
(Turin)
“We’ve found that
overdue fines have little to no impact on people returning items on time,”
says NCLS Executive Director Paulette Roes. “Eliminating fines makes it
easier for everyone to use the library, and that’s what we want to see –
more people using these amazing community resources.”
For patrons with
limited financial resources, fines are not merely an inconvenience, but a
significant barrier to use. With overdue fines in place, patrons in Lewis
County were typically blocked from borrowing items if they had accrued more
than five dollars in fines. Prior to this announcement, 823 cards belonging
to Lewis County residents were blocked. 125 of those belonged to children
or teens. Some Lewis County libraries have cleared existing fines or plan
to do so; patrons should contact their library to check the status of their
account.
“I'm proud to see
Lewis County be the first fine-free county in the North County,” says
Lowville Free Library Director Meghan Harney. “Fine-free libraries have
both research and relationships behind them, and I'm so excited to see how
this is playing out in our communities.”
All North Country
libraries temporarily suspended fines during COVID-related
building closures in 2020. Most of them elected to make the change
permanent when they reopened to the public.
For more
information, contact Angela Newman at anewman@ncls.org
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About the North
Country Library System
The North Country
Library System is a support organization that delivers services to the 65
public libraries located in Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, and St. Lawrence
counties. Through shared library services, cooperative purchasing,
coordinated literacy campaigns, and training, NCLS maximizes sharing,
creativity, and innovation to help improve the lives of North Country
residents at home, at work, at school, and at play.
Visit us online
at ncls.org
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