Discuss and act upon approval of circulation policy changes for the Doris Padgett Public Library, including removal of overdue fines.
Staff recommends approval.
The Doris Padgett Public Library has a number of changes to its circulation policy it would like to enact, which were previously recommended by the Library Board. Under Section 10.03.001(a), the Town Council must approve changes to library policies.
These changes include: establishing institutional cards, which will allow local businesses and non-profits to have library cards issued in the organization's name; allowing patrons to self-renew checked out items more than once (assuming they are not on hold for another patron); changes to the library's renewal policies; lengthening the amount of time most items can be checked out; and reducing the length of time before items are declared lost from six months to one month.
The most noteworthy of these changes, however, is the elimination of overdue fines for items. Currently, the library charges $0.20 per day the library is open for most items returned late, with a $1.00 per day charge for DVDs or Blu-rays returned late. Under this new policy, these charges would no longer accrue on patron accounts.
This change serves a number of purposes beyond being a positive just quality of life improvements for our patrons whose tax dollars support the library. The elimination of overdue fines eases patron concerns arising from being unable to access the library overnight drop box when Vineyard Park's closed hours.
Eliminating overdue fines brings the library's circulation policies in line with the roughly 75% of other public library systems in the Metroplex which have already eliminated overdue fines. No overdue fines also reduces the number of cash transactions, freeing up desperately needed time of our small library staff for other tasks.
Beyond that, however, eliminating overdue fines is an acknowledgement that the library's functions are different now than they were at our creation. The Doris Padgett Public Library is a community space, and wishes to encourage people from Sunnyvale and surrounding communities to utilize the library's programs and resources. Overdue fines can inadvertently create a barrier to this utilization. Studies have shown that owing fines or fees make people are less likely to use the library for any purpose, even to attend programming or be connected to needed social services. This is not a widespread issue for Sunnyvale residents, but is still worth addressing in the interests of encouraging people to utilize public spaces.
It is important to note that this will not eliminate all fines and fees from the library; lost items will incur replacement fees, as well as processing fees to compensate for staff time spent on replacing the item. The library will also continue to charge fees for services such as printing, faxing, and the sale of donated books.
Based upon statistics over the last five years, the Doris Padgett Public Library an average of $1950.00 per year in overdue fines paid, which would lead to a reduction in overall revenue. This amount makes up 0.000023% of total FY2025-26 revenues according to the most recent published estimates.