St. Cloud-based library system going fines-free

ST. CLOUD — Library users in central Minnesota are no longer facing fines for overdue books, movies and other checked-out materials at Great River Regional Library branches.

The move to a fines-free model, implemented in early January, follows a growing group of libraries across the state and nation that are eliminating fines to remove barriers. The St. Cloud-based Great River Regional Library system tested the waters by removing fines on children and teen materials in 2019.

"We all share the mission of getting more books into the hands of kids," said Karen Pundsack, executive director of the library system.

Almost immediately, the system saw an uptick in juvenile print circulation — a trend that's continued to increase year-over-year. And libraries saw materials coming back, just without the embarrassment or anxiety over late items.

"There's a lot of people who really carry a lot of shame around library fines," said Brandi Canter, patron services supervisor. "Libraries still are one of the most trusted institutions in the U.S. and people don't want to do wrong by their libraries."

The Great River Regional Library system provides services at 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties, as well as to-go services in Sartell.

The daily fine for late children and teen materials was 10 cents for books and $1 for DVDs; the daily fine for adult resources was 25 cents with a daily cap at $6 per user. While small, the fines could add up quickly, Canter said. A local survey showed transportation and finances to be the biggest barriers to use.

Other organizations that have removed fines include library systems in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as Twin Cities library systems such as St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County and Dakota County. Shortly after eliminating fines, Chicago Public Library reported a 240% increase in book returns.

Pundsack said the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the system's board to move to a fines-free model faster than it might have otherwise.

"Our fines were getting dramatically dropped because of the way the library was being used, in 2020 in particular," she said. "It started to cause us to ask questions about whether that revenue was really an essential part of the budget."

Before being eliminated, fines made up less than 2% of the library's $9.5 million operating budget. But the fines were not guaranteed or a reliable source of income — and there were hidden costs like staff time and credit card processing fees.

"The amount of time and effort spent collecting fines and fees could be better used servicing patrons in a positive way and more focused on getting materials back, which is the ultimate goal of the library," said Amy Anderson, accounting coordinator.

"That's been the biggest pushback we've had — people being really concerned that we're removing personal responsibility," Pundsack said. "And that's not what we're doing at all. We're just putting our energy where it's better used."