The Burlington County Library System is going fine-free starting on July 1.

The Burlington County Commissioners and Burlington County Library Commission announced the new policy this week, saying the change would promote equity and remove a significant barrier that prevents predominantly low-income households from accessing library services and resources.

“Burlington County is the home of New Jersey’s first county library system and for more than a century has delivered essential resources and services for our residents,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. “Eliminating overdue fines is another major step in the library system’s continuing evolution and will ensure our libraries remain accessible to all users, regardless of their financial circumstances. It will promote equity and encourage residents to take advantage of all the excellent resources, programs and services our libraries offer.”

Under the policy change approved by the Library Commission, most overdue fines for late materials will be eliminated and all delinquent accounts will be forgiven of overdue fines.

“As of July 1, everyone will be starting with a clean slate and we will no longer impose overdue fines for late returns from that date forward,” said Burlington County Library System Director Ranjna Das.  

Previously, overdue fines ranged from 15-cents a day for books and $2 a day for late chrome books, tablets and mobile WiFi devices.

The change will take effect July 1 and will apply to books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, movies, video games and technology-on-loan at all 15 of the BCLS branch libraries and member libraries. Overdue fines will remain for museum passes, classroom kits, book club sets and interlibrary loan items.

BCLS cardholders will still need to pay replacement fees for lost or unreturned materials. The library system will also continue to put a freeze on additional borrowing by cardholders with overdue materials.

“Fine-free does not mean cardholders won’t be held responsible for the materials they borrow. They will still be charged for lost or unreturned material,” Das said. “What we’ve learned from other libraries that have already made this change is that material return rates increase, along with material circulations, library card registrations and overall usership. We’re expecting similar results within our library system.”

Burlington County Library Commission Chair Jonathan Chebra said the vote followed more than a year of discussion and research concerning the policy change.

It also followed the library system’s implementation last November of an automatic renewal system. Under the system, most borrowed materials are automatically renewed after their due date unless there is a waiting list for the material.

Under the fine-free policy, there will be a grace period after an item’s due date. After that grace period ends the item will be placed in lost status, and the borrower will be charged a replacement fee.

“We took a very deliberative and thoughtful approach to this at every step,” Chebra said. “Many other library systems have already made this change, including the public libraries in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and neighboring Camden and Ocean counties. While we may not be the first library to do away with overdue fines, we believe it is a big leap forward for equity that will result in more people and families accessing library services and resources.”

The change was also anticipated in the BCLS’s 2024 budget, which was adopted earlier this spring with no increase to the county library tax levy collected from most property owners.

“The revenue loss is very small and equates to less than 1% of the library system’s revenue. Through careful planning, we are able to absorb that without cutting important programs, services or ongoing investments,” said Chebra. “At the same time, ending overdue fines will remove a significant barrier that prevents some individuals and families from joining the library system, borrowing materials or even walking through our library doors. These underserved populations are often the ones who can benefit the most from our libraries and the resources we offer, so we’re excited about the change.”

Overdue fines have also proven to not be an effective method to encourage the timely return of borrowed materials, Das said, adding that they may scare some lower-income individuals and families from joining the library and also cause some library cardholders to stop using the library altogether. 

More than 35,300 BCLS cardholders have been inactive and not borrowed materials for over a year, and 23,900 have not borrowed any materials in over two years.

Eliminating overdue fines will also free up staff to spend more time on library programs and services rather than having to collect outstanding fines.

The move to a fine-free policy coincides with the start of the BCLS Summer Reading program. This year’s theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library” and includes a series of reading lists, activities and special events for all age groups.

“Burlington County’s libraries have long been at the heart of our communities, and we want them to continue to be a welcoming space for all residents,” said Burlington County Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the Burlington County Library System. “Moving to fine free will encourage more residents to join and use our libraries as a resource, so we’re thrilled to see it take effect at the start of the busy summer season.”

For more information about the Burlington County Library System, visit the BCLS website at https://link.edgepilot.com/s/eeff37d2/8TlMIxZQJ0_3J7CyTVLQ3w?u=https://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/ or call 609-267-9660.

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Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson and Commissioner Tom Pullion announced the Burlington County Library System is eliminating most overdue fines for late materials starting on July 1.