End Library Fines Press Release (July 18, 2019)

Interviews

More Libraries are Going Fine Free. Here’s Why (Changing America)
Meg and Andy talk about the movement to eliminate library fines.

Denton, Fort Worth are the Latest Libraries to Get Rid of Late Fines, a Trend Some Say is Overdue (Dallas Morning News)
Andy talks about the national trend to eliminate fines in libraries.

Librarian: Ending Library Fines is a Social Justice Issue (KJZZ)
Andy talks about the evolution of eliminating library fines on KJZZ’s program The Show.

Princh Library Lounge, Episode 2: Library Fines with Meg DePriest and Beth Crist
Meg and Beth talk about the importance of ending library fines within communities and the impact it can make.

Articles

All articles have their state or country (if not within the United States) added in brackets to the headline so as to be found with a webpage search (Ctrl+F). For example, if you wanted to find all articles relating to libraries in New Jersey, you would search for “[NJ]”. Non-US libraries can be found by searching for their country name (e.g. “Canada”, “Australia”, “Ireland”).

For multiple articles about the same library, the most reputable source is chosen for inclusion; therefore, this is not an exhaustive listing of all library fine articles. In addition, websites that use paywalls to limit article access are generally avoided.

All 2019 & Earlier Articles

2020 (Articles are updated on a rolling basis)

Mattoon [IL] Library Goes Fine Free (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)

Lancaster [MA] Library Removes Fines for Children’s, Young Adult Materials (Telegram.com)

Editorial: Eliminating Overdue Book Fines Increases Library Ues for All (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

North Library [IA] Public Library to Eliminate Fines for Overdue Materials (Little Village)

‘Not So Much an Incentive as a Punishment:’ North Library [IA] Library Gets Rid of Fines (Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Removal of Late Fines Brings Surge in Patrons at Sarasota [FL] Libraries (Herald-Tribune)

Williston [ND] Public Library Eliminating Book fees (KXNET)

No More Late Fees – Richmond [VA] Public Library Ends Overdue Fines (WRIC ABC8)

Mason County [MI] District Library is Going Fine Free (9&10 News)

Delta Township [MI] District Library Eliminating Most Fines (WITL)

Some Allegheny County [PA] Libraries Ditching Late Fees in Hopes that Readership Goes Up (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Miles-Maine [IL] Library Going Fine-Free (Journal-Topics)

More Libraries Are Doing Away with Overdue Fines (New York Times)

Sawyer Free Library [MA] to Eliminate Late Fees (Wicked Local Gloucester)

Removal of Late Fines in Sarasota [FL] Libraries Proves Successful

Overdue Fines Eliminated at Many Libraries in Allegheny County [PA] (WTAE Pittsburgh)

Library Late Fines Removed Across Kempsey Shire [Australia] (Macleay Argus)

Louisville [CO] Library Eliminates Late Fees for Kids’, Youth Materials (Colorado Hometown Weekly)

Rowan County [KY] Public Library is Now Fine-Free (WMKY)

Troy [NY] Public Library to go Fine Free (CBS6)

Tolleson [AZ] Public Library Eliminates Late Fees for Overdue Items (KTAR News)

No More Overdue Fines (Bethel Library) [MD] (Sun Journal)

Why Anchorage [AK] Public Library Has Gone Fine-Free (Anchorage Daily News)

Check It Out: Beverly [MA] Public Library Eliminates Overdue Fines (The Salem News)

Big Changes Coming to Pasco [FL] Libraries (Tampa Bay Times)

Brampton [Ontario, Canada] Library Has Been Recognized for its Children’s Fine-Free Materials Initiative (Bramptonist)

Library Prepares to Go Fineless with 5K (Saline County) [AR] (The Saline Courier)

Fine Time to Dump Library Fines [Manitoba, Canada] [OpEd] (Winnipeg Free Press)

100,000 Patrons Return to the Denver [CO] Public Library After Late Fine Elimination (Colorado Politics)

Library System [OK] Does Away with Fines, Fees (Muskogee Phoenix)

Local Libraries [ID] May Eliminate Fines on Overdue Books (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)

Several Regional Libraries [ID] Eliminate Fines for Missed Due Dates (Lewiston Tribune)

Grove [OK] Public Library Eliminates Overdue Fines for DVDs and Equipment (Grand Lake News)

Eliminating Late Fees Didn’t Hurt Library’s Bottom Line [British Columbia, Canada] (The Interior News)

New Braunfels [TX] Library to Go Fine-Free in February (KENS5)

Lake Forest [IL] Library to go ‘Fine Free’ (The Lake Forest Leader Daily)

Boulder [CO] Public Library Says Goodbye to Late Fees (Boulder Colorado Government)

WCLS [WA] Permanently Eliminates Library Late Fees (The Northern Light)

UM’s Mansfield [MT] Library Gets Rid of Overdue Fines (KHQ)

Two Indiana [IN] Counties Become Latest to End Library Late Fees (WFYI)

Montclair [NJ] Library Reports Uptick in Usage After Eliminating Overdue Fines (Montclair Local)

Local Libraries [WA] Will Now BE Fine Free (LC Valley)

Are Library Late Fines a Form of Social Inequity? Sault [Ontario, Canada] Looks at Dropping Them (SooToday)

Monroe County [IN] Public Library Board of Trustees to Vote on Dropping Overdue Fines (Indiana Public Media)

University of Montana’s Mansfield Library [MT] Eliminates Library Fines (KPAX)

Waterford [WI] Public Library Going ‘Fine Free’ in an Effort to Increase Circulation after Road Project (The Journal Times)

Anchorage [AK] Public Library Will No longer Charge Fines for Overdue Materials (KTOO)

Overdue Library Fees Eliminated at (Timberland Regional Libraries) [WA] (The Vidette)

Eugene [OR] Library Eliminates Fines for Children, Teen Items (The Columbian)

[IA] Library Waves Goodbye to Overdue Fines (Ottumwa Courier)

St. Louis [MO] Area Nixes Library Fines, Joining Growing Trend (AP)

Fine-Free Libraries, Zero-Fare Olympia [WA] Buses and Other Changes Coming to the Region in 2020 (The Daily World)

Kaukauna [WI] Library Drops All Fines for Late Returns (WBAY ABC2)