In October 2017 BPL had a chance to erase fines during a one-time forgiveness program for youth. That was enough per library policy to prevent them from checking out any new books. In 2017, according to the New York Times, roughly 225,000 youth across New York City had accumulated $15 of library fines. “We did a whole bunch of experiments and took a hard look at data to figure out what worked and what didn’t.”īrooklyn Public Library (BPL) began this work in understanding and shedding light on how library fines disproportionately affect young people from low-income communities. “The idea of this partnership was to strengthen our relationship with our patrons and make sure the people who needed the library most weren’t being deterred from coming if they didn’t bring their books back on time,” says Linda Johnson, president and chief executive of Brooklyn Public Library. In 2017, the library partnered with a University of Virginia behavioral science lab to help people bring their books back on time without shame or financial stigma, as well as increase patron engagement and reduce barriers to accessing the library. This October, New York City’s three public library systems announced they will longer charge late fines on books and other circulating materials, in an effort to eliminate a barrier to access and ensure all New Yorkers have free and open access to city libraries.īut long before the announcement, the Brooklyn Public Library had been considering how to help its patrons return books before they ever become overdue.
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