To support new and long-time members to access collections and services, to borrow and return resources without the fear of fines and to help both youth and adults in the community experience the Freedom to Discover at the library while the community lives through the pandemic and pivots to the post-pandemic recovery. 

That the Board approve the removal of physical collection related fines and fees from March 15, 2020 until the end of December 2021.

That staff offset lost revenue by savings in operating costs and that staff are also instructed to develop a pay-it-forward donation system to support library efforts to support literacy.

That staff develop a system to ensure that customers with 20 items or more that are overdue, will have their borrowing privileges for physical materials suspended until they can resolve the matter.

That staff are instructed in Q4 2021 to report to the Library Board a report on the impact of this community initiative related to materials lost, overdue, new members and stories from members using the library for the first time or returning to the library after more than two years.

Largely due to the digital shift, fine revenue has been gradually declining as a source of our operating budget. Changes in policy that focus on not creating barriers has also contributed to the reduction in recent years.  In 2010 total fine revenue was $484,332, in 2015 it was $422,246, in 2017 it was $334,417 and in 2019 it was $192,546.  

The estimated operating budget impact of eliminating all fines and fees from March 15, 2020 – until the end of December 31, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic would be approximately $90,000.

The estimated annual operating budget impact of eliminating youth material overdue fines would be approximately $25,600 and eliminating youth material lost charges would be approximately $32,000.

About 80% of fines incurred in 2019 related to overdue fees for materials returned late.  The remaining 20% related to lost charges for materials not returned.  About 20% of fines outstanding relates to youth materials and about 80% relates to adult materials.  These estimates were used to arrive at estimated cost impacts.

At the May Board meeting, staff presented a Fines & Fees Follow-up Report that presented five (5) different options to consider.  At that meeting staff were instructed to focus on the recommendation included in this report and to explore this issue with the Library Board Councillors.  In the discussion with the Board Councillors, the issue of the extremely challenging funding environment was a key focus. 

Aside from the positive impact of reducing barriers, especially during a time of hardship for many, there are two core reasons, why from a strictly financial perspective, the rational for supporting this recommendation now are clear:

• With the restrictions on our operations during the pandemic period, the retirements we have already had in 2020 will fully fund the lost revenue from materials fines and fees.
  
• As a report of the Customer Experience Taskforce on fines and fees in October 2018 stated: 217,278 fine transactions in 2017 generated a total of $206,391 in revenue.  When you factor in the staff time it took to collect those fines, the cost of collecting the fines exceeded the revenue they generated.

The social and economic costs and impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic has created new social and economic realities for many members and eliminating fines for the term of the pandemic would allow members greater opportunity to have the Freedom to Discover at HPL.  Discovery and Inspire card holders borrowing materials would not accrue overdue or lost fees.

Library member accounts will be limited from borrowing additional physical materials if 20 items are overdue beyond 2 months. Also, limiting cash transaction is a good safety measure and the reduction in revenue we receive from material fines and fees is a very modest part of our budget.

Pay-it Forward for Adult Fines/Lost Fees - For adults, we are proposing we turn overdue fines away from a punitive system to a positive one, where fines/fees are a suggestion and we encourage adults to pay what they can to support youth literacy. It is difficult to know the exact impact this would have, so we are recommending we address youth fines first and then report back on the Pay-It Forward System in 2021.  That would give us sometime to assess the impact of removing youth overdue fines.

Previous Barrier Reduction Actions Taken

The library is committed to proactively looking at barriers of HPL and developing long-term, systemic and sustainable changes that will reduce those barriers and help HPL communicate a new message of welcoming to those that do not currently feel welcome at HPL. The summary below provides the background and, in looking forward, we aim to address these areas: 

•  Service Hour Gaps
•  Awareness of Library Collections & Services
•  Other barriers 

As a key institution in the City of Hamilton we have a responsibility to provide effective service for all residents. Since 2017, we’ve increased our open hours by 171 hours a week and created a barrier free library card. Our awareness campaigns have increased our online circulation by more than 30% enabling members to access our diverse collections from home. The library also works with partners in the community to provide a Community Resource Worker, Community Connections Support and Youth Connectors.   

In HPL’s continuing journey to transform member services, attention to other potential barriers to usage requires an ongoing awareness of community needs and a focus on continuous improvement. 

In this Strategic Plan the library has focused on three areas when considering unintentional member service barriers:

• Simplifying the member experience
• Replacing transactional tasks with transformational work
• Enhancing library capacity for programs and services

HPL’s current Strategic Plan includes:

• Reducing barriers for members to access and use the library

• Process improvements related to member service

Barriers addressed prior to 2018

• Account management including managing holds and paying fines online
• Access to DVD/CDs without staff intervention
• Print card fund add-ons
• Reserving computer time
• Self-service check-in and check-out at Extended Access locations
• Study Hall space at Red Hill and Terryberry branches (normally open weekdays 9 pm – 12 midnight)

In response the library started a Customer Experience Task Force June 2018.

Barriers addressed in 2019

• Auto-renewal of library items  
• Language translation services at all service desks
• Early start hours at Saltfleet, Sherwood and Ancaster branches (opening at 9 am) (Valley Park, 2020)
• Expanded bookmobile stops
• Online card registration
• Fresh Start removal of all fines for members every four years
• Restructured Fines Policy including no charge for lost library cards

Barriers that continue to be addressed:

• Service hour gaps to increase consistency of HPL’s open hours across our system
• Improved branch accessibility– Mount Hope feasibility study
• Branch renovations – Valley Park, Greensville and Carlisle
• Community hub partnership – Indwell at Parkdale Landing

Articles on Going Fine Free

“checkouts rose 10% at Salt Lake City Public Library, and the number of new cardholders rose 3.5%. Getting rid of fines brought new people into the library and allowed previous users to return” Imagining A Fine-Free Future https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/imagining-fine-free-future/ 2018

“doing away with fines, more people returned books on time, and others felt more welcome in the library space” Doing Fine(s)? https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=doing-fines-fines-fees 2017

Customer Testimonials for our Survey