FROM Saturday, 1 July, Ballarat Libraries will no longer penalise borrowers with fines for the late return of resources.<\/p>\n
According to the City of Ballarat, about 10,000 people, including 2000 children, stopped attending local libraries in recent years because penalties related to late returns on items.<\/p>\n
Library operations manager Jenny Fink said the previous system was \u201cdraconian,\u201d and staff do not want to punish users of their facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFees can be a barrier to engaging with places like libraries, so once people have a fine, they don\u2019t come back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey might be embarrassed, they can\u2019t pay the fine, and believe that they\u2019re not welcome anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think that taking away that barrier will bring people back into libraries, and give children access to resources when they need it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all children have ready-access to home libraries and this is the only place that offers free resources for zero-to-five-year-olds.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor children to have a really great start in school, they should have been read to at least 1000 times. It\u2019s far more important we focus on that statistic than the fines.\u201d<\/p>\n
City of Ballarat spokesperson Cr Daniel Moloney remembers receiving a $50 fine when he temporarily lost a book while studying at university.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was about how much I was earning every week,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t go back to that library for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you can\u2019t afford a fine, or even if you can, it does have a profound impact, and it can be a big deterrent to come back, and that\u2019s the last thing we want.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want people to enjoy our libraries because they\u2019re some of our busiest assets where people go to meet and do so many more things than just get a book.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a gesture of goodwill, and in lieu of fees, Ballarat Libraries staff are encouraging borrowers to donate non-perishable food and toiletries to the Ballarat Winter Appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll take away the fines, but please donate to a local, worthy cause,\u201d Ms Fink said.<\/p>\n
There are donation tubs at the Sebastopol, Town Hall, and Wendouree libraries. Borrowers will still need to pay a fine if they lose any Ballarat Libraries resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FROM Saturday, 1 July, Ballarat Libraries will no longer penalise borrowers with fines for the late return of resources. According to the City of Ballarat, about 10,000 people, including 2000 children, stopped attending local libraries in recent years because penalties related to late returns on items. Library operations manager Jenny Fink said the previous system […]<\/p>\n