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Item No. 13 <br />Memorandum <br />TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro -Tem, & City Council <br />ICM Robert Vine <br />FROM: Connie Lawman, Library Director <br />SUBJECT: Consider and Act on Adopting a Fine Free Policy at the Paris Public Library <br />DATE: January 13, 2025 <br />BACKGROUND: The Paris Public Library (PPL) has a practice of charging daily circulation <br />fines to patrons who are late in returning their items by a provided due date. at a current rate of <br />.20 cents per day for all items in the building. This was industry standard with public libraries for <br />several years. <br />STATUS OF ISSUE: The purpose of the library is to enrich the community and to provide a <br />stress -free and open access collection to our patrons and the charging of fines can create an <br />economic barrier to our collection of books, music, and films. The goal of adopting a fine -free <br />policy regarding checkout materials is to attract more patrons and reduce said barriers to our <br />collection. Many public libraries across the state and the nation have opted to move to a Fine Free <br />Policy with positive results. The library will still charge patrons for lost or damaged materials. <br />BUDGET: Adopting a fine free library policy collection items returned late will have minimal <br />impact on the budget. <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Option: 1. Adopt a fine free policy <br />2. Maintain fines for collection material returned past the designated due date. <br />Staff recommends adopting a fine free policy, which is retroactive, where all patrons can enjoy <br />reading without limits (fines). <br />