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Tompkins County Public Library is very proud to announce all fines on late items have been eliminated in order to ensure all people have free and unfettered access to library books and materials. The initiative began with a quiet roll-out on January 14, 2019.

"Libraries have learned that fines aren't effective for encouraging the timely return of materials; they allow people who can afford them to keep materials as long as they want, and prevent those that can't from using the library at all," according to Library Director Annette Birdsall. "Libraries need to remove this social inequity and encourage access. Stewardship is ensured because people will still need to pay for lost or damaged materials. We respect our readers and libraries so we are confident that sharing our resources will continue in the same manner that libraries have always celebrated."

Studies have shown that small fines have no impact on return rates. According to "Removing Barriers to Access," a Colorado State Library whitepaper: "The scant research on the impact of library fines and fees does not indicate a clear benefit to administering these policies and may be costly to enforce." Due to the rise in electronic materials (which do not accrue late fines) and other factors, fines are not a sustainable form of revenue for the library. Money collected from fines and fees has decreased steadily for the past ten years, especially with the advent of autorenew.

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