We have been working to increase access to our community members, and to reduce barriers that exist in our services. After careful consideration and with feedback from many of our neighboring libraries who are already fine free, we felt the next step is to eliminate overdue fines!
What does being fine free mean?
Fine free means that if you return an item after the due date, we will NOT apply any overdue fines to your account. This only applies to material that you checked out at the Ainsworth Memorial Library.
Does this mean I can keep my checkouts forever?
No, you should return library materials in a timely manner so your neighbors can use them, too! Most items can be renewed once if there are no holds. A fine of $2.00 per day will still be charged for each day that a museum pass is overdue with a maximum fine of $10.00. Library users will lose borrowing privileges when fines/fees reach $5.00. Borrowing privileges will be suspended if the user has five (5) or more overdue items, and will not be restored until such materials are either returned, paid for, or bills have been paid.So think of the Library being fine free as us giving you an extended grace period. We still want you to return items on time, but don’t want you to have to worry about, or be penalized for, returning items a few days late.
Why do I still have a bill on my account? Fines vs. Fees
A FINE is a daily accrual of money owed to the library for items being overdue. A FEE is an amount of money billed to your account for lost, damaged, or unreturned library material. So, we are forgiving all past overdue fines, and removing future overdue fines, but we are NOT waiving fees for lost or damaged items. Therefore, if an item is not returned, is lost, or too damaged to be used by others, the cost of the item will be billed to your account.
I still see overdue fines on my account. Why?
You can still accrue overdue fines on items that you check out at other libraries within NCLS that are not fine free. Our fine free announcement only means that you will not accrue overdue fines on items checked out at Ainsworth Memorial Library (except for museum passes).
How do I pay off any fines or fees?
You can pay off fees at the Library with cash or check. You can also log in to your online account to pay your fees with a credit card.
* A fine of $2.00 per day will still be charged for each day that a museum pass is overdue with a maximum fine of $10.00.