On World Book Day (Thursday 3 March), Jersey Library will officially become ‘fine free’.
The new policy will mean that any overdue items that are borrowed from the Town, Communicare or mobile libraries will not be charged fines.
In the run-up to World Book Day, Jersey Library will be continuing its current ‘fines amnesty’ for any overdue items. Overdue reminders will still be sent to customers.
Chief Librarian, Ed Jewell, said: ““Libraries across the world have been phasing out overdue fines for a number of years, as it has been shown that in charging fines libraries often find they lose the fine, the book and the customer, which is precisely the opposite of what we want to achieve as a service. We hope that this decision will encourage more people to use this hugely beneficial service and engender a love of reading.”
“This is a significant step in our drive to remove barriers that may put people off using our Libraries. In 2021, we gave all primary school children a free membership to help encourage more reading among young Islanders.
“We know that the worry of accruing fines on borrowed children’s books can put some families off using the library. We hope that these changes will make our libraries more accessible and help play a part in putting children first.”
Government of Jersey News Release.