No more overdue fines? Wichita Public Library board considers eliminating them

Roughly 44,000 Wichita Public Library card-holders are blocked from checking out books because they owe more than $10 in fees.

The library’s board of directors is considering a proposal that would do away with overdue fines on books and other items in a move aimed at making city libraries more equitable.

Library Director Jaime Prothro said she thinks wiping out library debt, which has become a nationwide trend, would encourage wayward readers to revisit the library collection without stress or shame.

“One could say that checking out a book is free, but checking out a book when a kid is reliant on a parent who’s working three jobs isn’t equitable because they’re likely to return the material late,” said Prothro, who was named director last September.

“Most of the debt owed to the library is ages old. It’s people who accrued the fines, couldn’t see how they would pay for them and just have never come back to see us.”

The Wichita City Council, which appointed the library board, will have the final say on any change to the library’s fee structure.

Prothro said a push several years ago to eliminate overdue fines failed to gain traction at the city level.

“It wasn’t the right time. We’re hoping that this time is,” she said.

“Should the board endorse this and should the City Council approve this as a program option, we’re hoping that the promotion we can give to this would encourage people to return any items that they may have on their bookshelf at home.”

The Wichita Public Library has 29,717 un-returned items valued at $573,849, according to a Wichita State Public Policy and Management Study supporting the fee elimination.

Readers are still responsible for paying replacement costs if they want to check out new books without returning missing materials.

“No substantive research indicates that overdue fees incentivize the use or return of library materials in a timely manner,” the study says. “As an institution that focuses on removing barriers to use and access, removing the stigma and reliance of overdue fines can have a positive and significant impact on the community’s perception of library use and in turn ensure that everyone feels welcome to use the library.”

Prothro said it’s up to public libraries to ensure free and equitable access to programs and services.

“When people return material late, we frequently see staff engagement as something that’s stressful,” she said. “There’s actually a lot of — people carry shame related to overdue fines. They kind of hold their head: ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t come see you because I owe you money.’”

Under her leadership, Wichita Public Library eliminated its 25-cent hold fee for reserving items and having them delivered to a chosen branch.

“That hold fee was eliminated this year, and we see that more people are placing holds, which is awesome, because it means that we can really think about our material collection as a system-wide access rather than individuals who don’t have reliable transportation being limited to the collection on the shelf at their local library branch,” Prothro said.

“The library’s aiming to be the coolest place in town.”

The library board meeting, which will be held Tuesday at noon in the Advanced Learning Library, will include a public comment portion.

This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 3:07 PM.