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If We Charge Them, Will They Come? Fostering Positive Relationships with Students by Remaining Fine-Free

In the introduction to their column, co-authors Emma Wood and Jessica Almeida aptly note that libraries and fines have long been synonymous. The notion of librarians as punitive avengers, be it for enforcing silence or demanding payback for overdue items, is commonly held and has been widely caricatured. The image is one that, more and more, many of us don't embody or wish to embrace. Against a backdrop of social theory, and with an emphasis on customer service and relationship building, Wood and Almeida present an appealing, practical alternative in the form of a fine-free framework. While not necessarily adaptable to all library environments, the model--along with its broader impacts--is well worth considering.--Editor Have you ever lent something to a friend with the expectation that they would return it promptly, only to find yourself in the role of repo man? Sometimes the best intentions give rise to counterintuitive behavior, responses that generally muddle the relationship. Such is the plight of libraries. Historically, this dilemma has been addressed by the institution of fines, but this solution is increasingly misaligned with the mission of service. The question of why we charge fines in the first place has already been asked, and the answer is resoundingly: penalty and revenue. (1) The reality of uncertain or diminishing budgets may seem to favor late fees, but what of declining usage and the current instability of libraries? What of fee efficacy? What of the dwindling demand for print material? UMass Dartmouth School of Law Library is a small library in Southeastern Massachusetts that does not attach monetary penalty to overdue materials. Even without the threat of hourly or daily fees, something compels students to turn in their books on time. The conscientiousness of these students may seem miraculous, particularly to those whose experiences, personal or professional, have been with fee-charging institutions. Explanation for this phenomenon can be found in social repercussions. (2) In an environment where everyone is known by name, it is a simple process to determine who has kept a reserve textbook past time. No one wants to be known for monopolizing the Contracts text only hours before the midterm. It is also daunting for students to return a late book and make eye contact with the librarian whom they have come to know or will inevitably come to know over the course of their career at a small school. Despite all the privacy protections that librarians strive to preserve, anonymity is sometimes impossible. Libraries have long been associated with the term "fine." The two are sadly synonymous. This is clear in the expressions of our patrons when they are first informed that we do not charge late fees. Their responses are typically relief or raised-eye-brow skepticism, and are often followed by emphatic offers to just pay anyway. Clearly fines have come to be accepted as a necessary evil by both patrons and librarians. (3) The hard-dying fee policy of our profession may be hindering progress. Negative associations often take generations to correct. The episode of Seinfeld comes to mind where a library cop torments Jerry for a book that was not returned twenty years earlier. (4) The image of a library relentlessly pursuing restitution decades beyond a due date is certainly unbecoming, but it's not too far-fetched. (5) The stereotype of the unfriendly, tightly wound librarian may never fully dissipate, but we might be able to speed up the process by rejecting some of her legacy. The purpose of this article is to explore what we consider the successes of a fine-free policy for a small academic library. This discussion is by no means a recommended model for libraries of all sizes and types. Rather, we hope that our experience, in part or in whole, may have merit for other librarians who are considering a departure from fines. Through this narrative, we consider the social implications of fines for both patrons and librarians. …