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Bangor Public Library Reduces Fines for Customers

Garrett Fitzgerald
/
Flickr

Returning an overdue book to the Bangor Public Library will no longer cost you.

As of the first of the year, the library is not charging fines for late books, as long as they are not more than one month late.

Library Executive Director Barbara McDade said abolishing fines will get rid of one of the biggest reasons people say they don't use the library.

“In talking to people on why they don't use their public library, the No. 1 reason people don't use it is because they're afraid of overdue charges,” said McDade. “So we want to take that barrier away and make the place more user friendly.”

Getting rid of library fines is part of a growing trend around the country.

The revenue from the fines is about $20,000 a year or one percent of the operating budget. But McDade says the library's board decided the lost revenue is worth it.

“I think almost everyone has found that the books seem to come back at the same rate they did before, and it just makes the public feel much better about using the library,” said McDade.

People who return books late are being encouraged to make a donation.

Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.