RINGGOLD _ The Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday, to make the Catoosa County Library the newest library in Georgia to become fines-free.
For Catoosa County Library, this policy shift will remove barriers and increase access for community members. On July 1, most users will see their accounts cleared of all fines and will not be charged late fines for most items moving forward.
To help prepare for this transition, the library is working with the Chattanooga Food Bank to accept food donations. During June, patrons can bring in a donation of any value and will have late fines for Catoosa County Library items forgiven, no matter how old they may be. All donations will be dispersed by the Chattanooga Food Bank to those in need in the North Georgia Area.
The library encourages patrons to bring back their overdue books at this time as well. Director Sarah Holmes has emphasized the importance of getting items back into circulation as opposed to collecting the late fines.
“When these long overdue books are brought back to the library, we can get them into the hands of other patrons much faster than if we were to collect the money and purchase them again,” Holmes said. “Additionally, some items not returned may be difficult or impossible to replace.”
Not sure where those lost items are? No fears! Library patrons may still be eligible for a clean slate starting in July. Once the changeover happens, most patrons will see all their old charges dropped. Some charges may remain for some library users though. Charges for lost or damaged items dated between January 1, 2022, and July 1, 2024, will remain on library accounts. Moving forward, library users will still be charged for any items that are lost, damaged, or not returned as usual.
So what does mostly fines-free mean? The Catoosa County Library has eliminated late fines on most of its collections. Books, audiobooks, DVDs, Blu-rays, music CDs, and kits will no longer collect late fines, but there are other collections that will still accrue fines. These collections include video games, cake pans, items owned by other library systems, items made possible through a contractual agreement such as partnership passes, and technology items such as Launchpads and Chromebooks. Any items subject to late fines will be noted on a library patron’s receipt at checkout.
Even though late fines will no longer be applied to a user’s account for most items, users are still responsible for returning everything they borrow. The library encourages patrons to continue to renew or return items in a timely manner so the items are available to other community members. Items not returned 90 days after their due date will be automatically charged to a library user’s account as a lost item.
Director Holmes has no concerns that removing late fines will create an issue of items not being returned. “Most available data on other fines-free libraries show that items are returned at higher rates than before. Removing this barrier has also been shown to increase library usage in general. We have an incredible community here in Catoosa County and I am hopeful that this policy shift will strengthen and grow the trust our community has in us.”
Still have questions or concerns? Reach out to Library Director Sarah Holmes at mailto:[email protected] or call the Catoosa County Library and ask for Sarah at (706) 965-3600.
