Fine Free: Ames Public Library finds success with 'no late fee' initiative
Eliminating barriers is a top priority at the Ames Public Library.
It's one of the many reasons why the state-of-the-art facility has become a melting pot of acceptance and community, thriving education and events.
A hidden secret to that sustained success is the facility's decision to eliminate late fees in 2020. The library belives the decision to stop charging for overdue books has increased family traffic.
Tracy Briseño, the library’s customer account services manager, believes the policy has especially benefitted busy families involved in several activities or for those bogged down by work and chores.
"In the past, a few days of fines on stack of picture books might have added up to a point where a family’s account was blocked, and they could no longer check out material," Briseño said. "Now busy families have some grace time and aren’t penalized if they return their items a little bit late and can keep using the library together."
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Inspired by a nation in pause
The library stopped overdue fines in March of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Library Board of Trustees, inspired by regulations that they believed harmed low-income families, approved the fine-free policy in October 2020.
Stopping late fees was originally introduced to the library board by a trustee just before 2016, according to Briseño. Several community members had asked if the library would consider going fine free since many libraries across the country were doing the same.
The library researched the idea extensively. Staff attended training from other libraries and listened to the community on how fines impacted their library use.
"We regularly saw customers who were struggling to continue using library resources when they were experiencing challenges in their lives, be that financial, transportation, or unexpected life events," Briseño said. "We increasingly saw that library fines created an equity issue. They were a more significant barrier to use for some community members."
Briseño said some customers limited their children so they wouldn't be fined. Many other kids and adults couldn't check out books because of overdue fines.
Since the library's mission is to provide access to resources for all community members, it was clear a change needed to be made.
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Rules and regulations of a fine-free policy
The stigma of forgetting to return a book is over, which the library says has motivated many guests to return.
"Going fine free has been wonderful as far as simplifying the library's message and keeping community members engaged and involved with the library," Briseño said. "We are removing the shame that customers can feel about returning an item late. We are able to focus on the importance of returning overdue or lost items without adding in confusing messaging about additional charges once an item is returned."
The general checkout period for library materials is three weeks at a time. If no one else is waiting for an item, it can be renewed up to two times, with each renewal taking an additional three weeks.
To prevent items from being stolen, the library has security gates to keep people from taking items that are not checked out from the library. If a customer does check out an item and keeps it more than 30 days, they are charged the cost of the item.
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Library continues to be a community hub in 2024
The Ames Public Library drew in 317,020 visitors last year while almost 995,000 items were checked out for an average of more than 2,700 items a day.
The library is more than books, as reflected by the annual numbers. The facility offers classes, provides opportunities for community gatherings and of course, free access to the internet. Monthly programs connect neighbors with one another, including conversation circles in five languages, book clubs, and programs for babies, toddlers, school-age kids, and teens.
The library also partners with local social service providers such as the Bridge Home, ACCESS, and Community and Family Resources. Adult programming includes presentations by the Ames History Museum, Ames Outdoor Alliance, and Sensiil Studios.
"Community members use the library to gather reputable information, get access to technology, including checking out hotspots for extended internet access at home, and attend programming that is educational and community building," Briseño said. "Additionally, as a space we see a lot of different kinds of uses by community members; using it as a study room to meet with a tutor, video chat with a family member, using a meeting room, meeting up in an informal parents group while kids play in the youth area.
The library remains king of information but through a variety of different avenues.
"(It is) a third space in our community where all are welcome," Briseño said.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How the Ames Public Library became a community hub
