To Fine or Not To Fine
Recently I was asked my opinion on students paying fines and being denied from checking out materials because they owed fines or had yet to return books. What is your opinion on this?
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January 30th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
I know lots of folks totally believe in fines. Personally, I do not. Our books are paid for through our school board funds for the express purpose of providing reading materials for students. I do not think we should punish them for keeping them past an arbitary due date. Some check out periods were established when that public school was started and no one has changed it since then.
January 30th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
We charge fines as a way to get the students to return the books back to the library. We just finished a big push to “Can Those Fine” by offering to clear their fine with a can of soup during the month of January. The soup collected will go to our local food pantry. They can also pay off fines with “Boxtops for Education” or cash. Many students choose to pay in cash. At the end of this semster, all homerooms without any library obligations will get doughnuts. It is taking outside presure for some students to clean out their locker and to return their library books. We do let the students renew books as many times as they need so they can finish reading them. I think we are making an effort to teach responsibility and real life skills afterall public libraries and video rental places charge overdue fines. I use the fine money that is collected to provide programs and rewards to our patrons that I wouldn’t be able to provide otherwise.
January 30th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
At the elementary level, if we charged fines for every overdue book, we’d spend all our time trying to keep track. That’s not what I’m interested in doing. I want children to check out books, and I always encourage them to return books on time. I work in a school where over 80% of our students are on free or reduced lunch. Charging fines would have a terribly negative effect on circulation!! No fines for this librarian!
January 31st, 2006 at 1:32 am
No fines, just pester them to return and at the end of the year ask them to pay for it. I figure that by the end of the year they really like the book or it is totally lost and they should take responsibility for either action. If they don’t pay… next year they don’t get a locker. I’d rearlly rather have them reading. Failure to return a book ontime is not the part that irks me, it’s the sneaking it out of the library WITHOUT checking the book
January 31st, 2006 at 12:30 pm
No fines, no withholding library privileges. There are many ways when we are working with children/students to build the idea of the lending library and the responsisbility without punitive responses. If the student is able to pay for a lost/damaged book, that is expected. If there are circumstances where the payment cannot be made, other arrangements for “paying off” a library debt can be made. At times I had the cleanest library tables, shelved books, equipment delivered and other tasks completed that resulted in a good library environment and a young person who had fulfilled an obligation. It seemed to be a good resolution and ended with a future library patron.
February 1st, 2006 at 12:37 am
This is the first year we have not charged fines. I think fines might even stop a student from returning a book! I know we have lots of overdue books and I hope we get them back at the end of the year. I do lots of “pestering.” So much of our job involves reading, and I don’t think, as teachers, we should tell a child they can’t checkout a book. I wish our administration would withhold lockers or report cards, but they will not.
February 1st, 2006 at 2:10 pm
We have never charged fines — too much trouble making change and keeping track. We do have a policy that if an item is 1 month overdue, no more check outs. Many of the books checked out and kept are popular and if a student keeps it, then others can’t check it out. We had 10 copies of one book that stayed checked out all the time and two were 3 months overdue. Also, while we encourage students to read and want to provide resources, we should also encourage them to be responsible. Letting them continue to check out books when they can’t seem to remember to return or renew old ones encourages irresponsibility. It is also not good stewardship on our part of the monies entrusted to us to run the library.
February 1st, 2006 at 2:30 pm
I do not charge fines at the elementary level. I do not let students check out any books while they have an overdue book. I used to let students, grades 2 through 5, check out a book if they only had one overdue since I let them check out two books at a time. I have stopped allowing anyu check-outs as long as any book is overdue. I get better results! Books are returned sooner.
February 2nd, 2006 at 3:31 pm
In our high school,we don’t charge late fees but we do stop library priveleges after the 3rd overdue notice (that means no checking the sports page, horoscope, crossword puzzle, access to magazines, ect. – the student is not allowed into the library unless he comes in with a class). With lost books, we hold the student responsible for the replacement cost. This usually brings the book back home. It is the school’s policy that grades and comments cannot be released unless student’s library account is clear. It is our way of holding the student accountable! We explain to parents and students this is the policy they will encounter in college.
February 6th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
I am in a middle school with approx. 775 students. I believe one of the many fu8nctions of a school library is to encourage responsibility. I do not let students with overdue material check out until the overdue is returned. That said, I am flexible. Most of the time the item is in a locker or a classroom. If the student cannot find the item, but is making some effort to look or it, they can continue to check out. Renewals are permitted according to the length of the book. Most students can finish a 64 page book in six weeks! Lost books must be paid for. Fines for overdues – no.
February 16th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Those of you keeping up with this discussion might enjoy reading the article in the November/December Library Media Connection. It is called “Don’t Overdo Worryingg about Overdues”.
March 9th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
When I first became a librarian, I inherited a school that charged fines, and I kept the policy. After about 5-7 years, I asked myself, “Do I really want to go on hounding kids for their lunch money because they were late returning books?” And the answer was “No. I’ve got the books back, why hound them for money?”
Dropped the policy and never looked back.
Lost books, on the other hand, MUST be payed for before another book is checked out.
March 28th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
I do not charge for late books. As long as they are reading, I don’t care how long it takes. I only charge lost or damaged fines to cover the cost of replacing the material (usually at a loss to the school).