This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/09/trafford-council-library-fines
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Trafford becomes first UK council to abolish all library fines | Trafford becomes first UK council to abolish all library fines |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Greater Manchester borough hopes to ‘send a welcome message to our residents that they will have a completely free library service’ | Greater Manchester borough hopes to ‘send a welcome message to our residents that they will have a completely free library service’ |
| Alison Flood | Alison Flood |
| Fri 9 Feb 2018 12.14 GMT | Fri 9 Feb 2018 12.14 GMT |
| Last modified on Fri 9 Feb 2018 22.00 GMT | |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| View more sharing options | View more sharing options |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Close | Close |
| Library members in Trafford who have mislaid their copies of Harry Potter or Stephen King will no longer have to fear financial punishment after the council announced that it would be abolishing library fines altogether. | Library members in Trafford who have mislaid their copies of Harry Potter or Stephen King will no longer have to fear financial punishment after the council announced that it would be abolishing library fines altogether. |
| In a first for a UK borough, the council said in a statement that fines can be “off-putting for customers”, and it hopes the change, which will see library fines eliminated across Trafford for all ages from April, will lead to “a further increase in usage of libraries across the borough”. | In a first for a UK borough, the council said in a statement that fines can be “off-putting for customers”, and it hopes the change, which will see library fines eliminated across Trafford for all ages from April, will lead to “a further increase in usage of libraries across the borough”. |
| The council said: “This change also aligns with the Vision 2031 ambition of ‘no one held back, no one left behind’ as there would be no barriers, either actual or perceived, of people accessing libraries and all they had to offer.” | The council said: “This change also aligns with the Vision 2031 ambition of ‘no one held back, no one left behind’ as there would be no barriers, either actual or perceived, of people accessing libraries and all they had to offer.” |
| Last year saw Trafford’s first increase in library usage in 17 years, said council leader Sean Anstee. | Last year saw Trafford’s first increase in library usage in 17 years, said council leader Sean Anstee. |
| “It’s another way to encourage usage,” he said. “It will be a permanent change, but we have said to councillors that scrutiny is welcome, to look at the impact of the decision.” | “It’s another way to encourage usage,” he said. “It will be a permanent change, but we have said to councillors that scrutiny is welcome, to look at the impact of the decision.” |
| Some councillors had raised fears that the abolition could lead to more books going unreturned. But Anstee called it “a trust thing”, adding: “We don’t have an issue with people retaining books at the moment and if we didn’t have a book returned, that person’s ability to borrow more books would be removed.” | Some councillors had raised fears that the abolition could lead to more books going unreturned. But Anstee called it “a trust thing”, adding: “We don’t have an issue with people retaining books at the moment and if we didn’t have a book returned, that person’s ability to borrow more books would be removed.” |
| He pointed to “anecdotal evidence from Bolton, which abolished fines for under 16s a couple of years ago and saw usage go up”. Anstee added that the council had only made around £30,000 a year from library fines, which had a maximum of £10. | He pointed to “anecdotal evidence from Bolton, which abolished fines for under 16s a couple of years ago and saw usage go up”. Anstee added that the council had only made around £30,000 a year from library fines, which had a maximum of £10. |
| There are currently 12 libraries in Trafford. Four of them are being rebuilt, with volunteers working alongside librarians in some of the libraries. | There are currently 12 libraries in Trafford. Four of them are being rebuilt, with volunteers working alongside librarians in some of the libraries. |
| The investment in libraries in Trafford sits in stark contrast to cuts in other local authorities: in Northampton, at least 21 of the council’s 36 branches are under threat of closure, while almost half of Somerset’s 34 libraries are currently at risk. | The investment in libraries in Trafford sits in stark contrast to cuts in other local authorities: in Northampton, at least 21 of the council’s 36 branches are under threat of closure, while almost half of Somerset’s 34 libraries are currently at risk. |
| “We are trying to position them as focal points at the heart of the community,” said Anstee. “It hasn’t been easy to keep them, but it is a choice.” | “We are trying to position them as focal points at the heart of the community,” said Anstee. “It hasn’t been easy to keep them, but it is a choice.” |
| Ian Anstice, a librarian who runs the Public Library News website, said the fine abolition had “shocked the UK public library world”. “The big barrier to this in the UK is of course where the money is going to come from if we get rid of fines,” he wrote. “Charging people for late books does bring in some money that will need to be replaced in another way.” | Ian Anstice, a librarian who runs the Public Library News website, said the fine abolition had “shocked the UK public library world”. “The big barrier to this in the UK is of course where the money is going to come from if we get rid of fines,” he wrote. “Charging people for late books does bring in some money that will need to be replaced in another way.” |
| “Fines are a reason people tell me they no longer use libraries. So I really hope this is a successful experiment. And an experiment that produces what a good experiment always does: shareable data on the result.” | “Fines are a reason people tell me they no longer use libraries. So I really hope this is a successful experiment. And an experiment that produces what a good experiment always does: shareable data on the result.” |
| The move was also hailed by library and information association CILIP. “Libraries are unique public spaces providing free access to reading and learning,” said chief executive Nick Poole. “They are there for everyone, and anything that removes barriers to joining and using the library is very welcome. Trafford council’s announcement to abolish library fines for all ages is an exceptional development. As long as sums add up then we would like to see all libraries taking similar steps to encourage more members and more reading.” | The move was also hailed by library and information association CILIP. “Libraries are unique public spaces providing free access to reading and learning,” said chief executive Nick Poole. “They are there for everyone, and anything that removes barriers to joining and using the library is very welcome. Trafford council’s announcement to abolish library fines for all ages is an exceptional development. As long as sums add up then we would like to see all libraries taking similar steps to encourage more members and more reading.” |
| Libraries | Libraries |
| Greater Manchester | Greater Manchester |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |