FINE FREE — A sign in the Main Branch of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County announces that the library system will no longer charge late fines for certain overdue items. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County has eliminated daily late fines on certain overdue items in an effort to tear down financial barriers between the library and potential patrons, officials said.

Approved by PLSJ’s board of directors Feb. 13, the policy took effect March 1, the same day late fines were eliminated in the Belmont and Harrison county library systems.

Under PLSJ’s old system, failing to return an item after its due date — factoring in renewals — would cause patrons to accrue a 10-cent fine per day that they would have to pay upon the item’s return. At $2 in fines, patrons would be prevented from checking out other materials, and after 50 days overdue, the item would be deemed “lost,” resulting in a maximum $5 fine upon return.

From now on, an item is considered “lost” after 30 days, at which point accounts are blocked and a bill is charged based on the “lost” item’s worth. Daily fines do not accrue; instead, once the item is returned, the bill is wiped out, and patrons can check out items again.

It’s a “no harm, no foul,” system, said library director Mike Gray.

“We realize that people make mistakes,” Gray said after the new policy rolled out. “They lose things, they mess up. We’re just trying to get people back in the library, get people using the library, and we don’t want to make finances a barrier to that.”

PLSJ’s fine system had been in place for as long as he can remember, Gray said, preventing patrons from using their library cards after accumulating at least $2 in fines. Those mounting fines “really (were) discouraging people from bringing items back,” Gray said.

Beyond PLSJ, increasing numbers of libraries have begun ditching their fine systems, many seeking to curb perceived instances of social inequity, wherein low-income individuals are barred from library usage through fines they are unable to pay or avoid libraries out of fear of accruing such fines.

A little more than five years ago, the American Library Association passed a resolution deeming fines a “form of social inequity” and urging libraries to assess their own fine policies.

The idea to remove fines locally was contributed by Sandi Thompson, director of the Puskarich Public Library System in Harrison County, Gray said. As co-members of the Serving Every Ohioan service-sharing database system, Puskarich, PLSJ and the Belmont County District Library decided to move forward with eliminating fines together.

PLSJ itself already had a renewal system in place for books, with up to four renewals available without being requested for certain low-demand items. That could give patrons up to 15 weeks of checkout time, Gray said.

With the renewal system, PLSJ’s monetary intake through fines was already severely limited, Gray said, meaning eliminating fines wouldn’t produce much of a financial impact on the library.

Gray added, PLSJ is funded by dedicated allocation from the Ohio Legislature and a property tax levy through the county, so library officials determined that taxpayers “have already paid for these materials, so let’s give them a break.”

Not every item will be fine-free from now on. Charges still will be issued for overdue WiFi hotspots and museum passes, as well as for lost or damaged items. Also retaining late fees will be any items in the library system’s Library of Things, a new program that will offer unique, practical items for checkout like a book, including traffic cones, garden tools and vehicle code readers.

Patrons are still expected to return items in a timely manner, Gray said, noting that the library will contact patrons through mail or e-mail to notify them that an item is over due. Gray said he believes patrons’ library cards becoming blocked after 30 days will act as an impetus for their returning items.

In the event a patron has lost an item, Gray invites the person to contact the library to see about working out a solution. Additionally, any outstanding library fines are still in effect, Gray noted, adding that individuals with those fines should contact him at the library to work out a deal.

“We’re always trying to encourage people to come to the library. … We don’t think just because you made a mistake you should be kept from using the library.”

No public feedback is yet available on the new policy, Gray said, but he hopes the elimination of fines can be a “goodwill gesture” toward patrons to bring them back into the library and experience its growing services.

“It’s an exciting, new time in the library. … We’re doing a lot of real new exciting stuff, and we want people to enjoy it and … come back to the library.”