On Friday, November 4, 2005, at 12:49 PM, wmmarks wrote:
please tell us your position on library fines vis-a-vis the budget.
Other library board candidates, could you weigh in on this?
I'd like to de-couple the discussion from poor people for the moment.
Whether or not the poor should have to pay fines for late books or
materials is a separate question.
Relative to the number of library cards out there for Minneapolis, how
many are dormant because of fines? That's something we need to know
(not that the library does not know this, but I don't have that
information now). Have we moved past the time when fines are an
effective way to keep the maximum number of books and materials in
circulation? That's another question well worth pursuing. And, there is
a relation to the first question. If the number of dormant cards due to
overdue materials is large, say in the youth population, then more has
to be done to get this population back in the libraries and using the
materials and services.That could very well be a change in the fine
structure, or its elimination. It could also be other things we have
not discovered yet.
There are other "borrowing" entities that have done away with fines or
never had them to begin with. These strategies are tied to the overall
marketing plans - note Netflick and now Blockbuster. The goal is
maximum circulation.
For the library system, we need the optimum number of items in
circulation (available for borrowing) and we need the optimum number of
borrowers to be actively using the system. If that can be achieved by
eliminating fines, I would favor it. The cost of collecting has risen,
and with tightened budgets for operating, more dollars spent serving
patrons is a good thing, even if it is a sliver more.
So, vis a vis the budget, if materials loss through failure to return
is less than the cost of time to recover the materials, the budget is
better off with no fines. But it is a big step that requires research
and a pilot study period. In the end, we want more service in the
"front of the store" than back in non-public area doing work that does
not pay off in higher patron satisfaction and greater use of the
library system.
Thanks,
Laura
Southeast - Como Neighborhood
Laura Waterman Wittstock
Candidate for Minneapolis Library Board of Trustees
DFL and Labor endorsed
AFSCME Mn Council 5
AFL-CIO COPE
Minneapolis Building and Trades
Stonewall DFL
Minnesota Women's Political Caucus
www.laurawatermanwittstock.com
http://laurawatermanwittstock.blogspot.com/
Wittstock for Library Committee
913 19th Avenue SE, Mpls, 55414
Minneapolis, MN
612-387-4915
REMINDERS:
1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If
you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL
PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn
E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[email protected]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
