CPCL will be Fine Free in 2023!
We are excited to announce, as of January 1, 2023, CPCL will no longer charge fines on overdue materials. In celebration of this historic change in policy, the Library will remove any pre-existing overdue fines for all library patron accounts – so that everyone gets a fresh start! Cardholders will continue to be responsible for returning items and paying for lost or damaged materials. Any cardholder with overdue library materials, whether days or years overdue, may return items without penalty and restore their borrowing privileges going forward.
The CPCL’s Board of Trustees approved the elimination of fines on November 28, 2022, during their regularly scheduled Board of Trustee meeting, on the recommendation from the library’s director, Julie Wendorf. Wendorf shared that the revenue attributed to fines has steadily declined in recent years due to the auto-renewal of materials and the revenue generated by the payment from fines accounted for less than 1% of the library’s operating budget. Going fine free will reduce barriers and increase equity for all library users, which aligns with the library’s guiding principle of ACCESS and also aligns with the 2019 American Library Association resolution encouraging libraries to eliminate overdue fines. CPCL joins a trend of other Indiana libraries going fine free; as of June 2022, 100 out of 236 public libraries in Indiana were fine free.
What does it mean to be fine-free?
Beginning January 1, 2023, all overdue fines will be removed from patron accounts and overdue fines will no longer accrue. Historic fees for lost or damaged items will still remain. Patrons are still responsible for returning library items and accounts will be blocked at $25.00 from the accumulation of lost/damaged fees.
CPCL will continue to send notifications when items are due and again if materials are not returned. After 14 days, unreturned items will be considered lost and the cardholder must either return the item without penalty or pay the replacement cost.
