DAVENPORT, IOWA (April 4, 2019) — All juvenile materials go fine-free in the Davenport Public Library.
At the City Council Meeting on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, the announcement was made that all Juvenile Materials in the Davenport Public Library will be deemed fine-free beginning April 8, to kick off National Library Week.
According to many studies, the access to books is a primary indicator of educational success. Libraries are a fantastic resource to families, but in the past, fines have created a barrier between the library and families wanting to access materials. By eliminating fines, the library hopes to knock down those barriers and welcome families to the library.
“We want to remove real or perceived barriers to kids getting access to library materials. Whether it’s the cost of fines or just the extra stress of worrying about getting all those picture books back on time, not having fines on Juvenile items removes that problem," said Library Director Amy Groskopf. "So, parents, feel free to say yes when your child wants to checkout 20 books — if one gets temporarily lost under the bed, just drop it in the return when you find it without worrying about those pesky library fines.”
Beginning April 8, all RiverShare member libraries will be offering their Juvenile Materials as fine-free. These libraries include: Davenport Public Library, Scott County Library System, Musser Public Library, LeClaire Public Library, Clinton Public Library, Bettendorf Public Library, Scott Community College, Muscatine Community College, and Clinton Community. A special thank-you goes out the RiverShare libraries and their communities for approving this wonderful change to better serve our patrons. We are excited to come together as a consortium to make this change in order to better serve our communities.
Juvenile items are materials that are geared towards children 12 years or younger and are identified at Davenport Public Library under the call number prefix “j”. Patrons with juvenile items checked out before April 8 will no longer accrue fines on those juvenile items going forward. Any fines that have been accrued prior to our kick-off date, must be paid to coincide with library policy. This new change only affects overdue fines. Patrons are still responsible for any lost and/or unreturned items and will be subject to the billing process.
Patrons still receive notifications reminding of approaching and missed due dates. Patrons are also still allowed to renew juvenile items online, at a self-check, or over the phone.
It is important to note, Juvenile materials will be the ONLY items going fine-free: Young Adult and Adult materials will remain subject to overdue fines deemed by the lending-library. The library is passionate about evaluating services to better enrich the lives of our patrons and to eliminate as many real or perceived barriers that exist that keep patrons from utilizing our many wonderful services.
Davenport Public Library would like to thank the City of Davenport for their supporting our goal of removing barriers to library services for children and families. Another special thank you goes out to the other RiverShare libraries for delivering the best possible services for our communities.
