New Brunswick Free Public Library is a Fine-Free Library!
New Brunswick Free Public Library is no longer charging fines on items that are returned late. Previously existing fines for everything except Lost and Damaged items have been waived.
- Why did New Brunswick Free Public Library go fine-free?
- The New Brunswick Free Public Library and the Board of Trustees want the library to be welcoming to all members of the community. Many libraries, across the U.S., have gone fine-free. The American Library Association resolved in 2019 that “monetary fines ultimately do not serve the core mission of the modern library,” and we agree! Research has found that fines do not motivate library users to return items on time, but that fines do represent a barrier to service that disproportionately impacts children, students, and your neighbors with the most limited resources.
- What happens if someone doesn’t return their items?
- The library has gone fine-free, but we still have due dates. If materials are not renewed or returned, the account the materials were borrowed on is blocked and the cardholder billed. In most cases, returning the materials will clear the account. The cost of lost and damaged items will still be billed to the borrower.
- What about materials from other STELLA Libraries? What about Interlibrary Loan?
- All materials checked out at the New Brunswick Free Public Library will be fine-free. If you pick up or return materials at another STELLA library, those materials may still incur fines, depending on that library’s policies.
- Wait, I considered my fines a donation to the Library!
- The library will still gladly accept monetary donations!
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