I was very surprised that the Director did not address the negative press.

http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/
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This negative PR underminds us all.

Front line staff who work in difficult environments at circulation desks often become fearful of bending rules. Sometimes they think it is their job to enforce rules no matter what. Other times they fear reprisals from supervisors (or other staff) if they make exceptions.

They feel caught between a rock and a hard place unless they have been properly trained, encouraged to be flexible and to use their own judgment in making exceptions, and

This example is truly tragic for the particular library user, for that library, but also for all library reputations. Perhaps some good can come of it if supervisors use this example to open a dialog with their staff about when to make exceptions to policies and when to waive fines.

I agree with Pete that library fines are dreadful in terms of public relations and also for those who strive for service excellence. Several years ago when I was a high school librarian I abolished fines and just suspended borrowing priviledges for those who had overdues. It seemed to work very well, at least in the HS environment.

I mean, if you’re going to leave somebody with a bill it might as well be in the millions (okay, now I’m definitely joking).

In a similar situation in an FPOW, where a family suddenly lost a toddler due to one of life’s unexpected tragedies, the staff did just the opposite. They waived the fine and even got a little teary, and then the boss discussed it at our all-library staff meeting and everyone got teary, and all in all it was a good thing.

The reason it was different in our scenario is that the boss of bosses got a few things right. First, the right people were hired. The circ desk may be the only staff our patrons interact with; these employees need to be selected carefully, mentored, and treated as the full professionals they are. Second, policies and procedures were clear and well-disseminated. Third, staff were empowered to bend policies and procedures as they saw fit. It was both written and unwritten policy that the library was about *service.*

Apparently there is at least one library left that hasn’t got the message that we have competition and that except for the poorest of the poor–who are not the ones making decisions about city funding–service is *our product.*

Of course the answer is no, this kind of publicity is not worth the 50 cents. I’m a strong believer that libraries should eliminate fines completely. Fort Vancouver has a
nice model: “The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the prudent use of the taxpayers’ investment. Fort Vancouver Regional Library District has a great deal of trust in its borrowers. Our fine-free system is an expression of that faith.”

Regarding Leo Klein’s comment: It sounds like he greatly values the idea of personal responsibility, and I’m in full agreement that it is a very important value. Without it, organizations and societies fall apart.

But, as in most cases, there are competing values at play. Other values include empathy, compassion and understanding. Any of these values taken too far will become problematic. Compassion taken too far becomes enabling. Empathy taken too far becomes self-denial and leads to a lack of self-awareness and self-respect. Personal responsibility taken too far results in inflexibility and heartlessness.

In this case I think the library employee took the value of personal responsibility too far, and did not balance it with a little bit of understanding that in this specific case what was needed was not the enforcement of the rule, but a bit of empathy and judgment; judgment that in light of the death of the customer’s mother, and the likely emotional state of the person standing before him, the fine should be waived.

Also, given the IRS’s place in the hearts of the people, I don’t think “The IRS does it so we should too” is a very persuasive argument.

Everyone has to pay their bills.