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All this is fair, but, at the same time, Chicago is far from the first library system to do this. It's just the largest. And it seems quite likely that it'll wo

All this is fair, but, at the same time, Chicago is far from the first library system to do this. It's just the largest. And it seems quite likely that it'll work out in Chicago the same way it has elsewhere. Other libraries are seeing that the benefits last. You're maybe minimizing what the fines can amount to. As a parent of small children, I can say from experience that a load of books from the children's library, left forgotten for a week, is around $10 in fines, which is a pretty penny for a lot of folks. And if you're a busy parent and the nearest branch isn't too easy to get to - I used to live about 1/2 hour away from the nearest branch (Sulzer) - having a week or two go by before you can reasonably make it to the library is not at all unrealistic.

sircastor 7y ago
My local public library recently eliminated fines for children's books acknowledging that a fine for a large pile of kids books could seem overwhelming.
Moru 7y ago
With us the kids have their own account and they don't pay any late fees, only if the book is completely lost. Offcourse it helps that all public schools have a branch of the state library so they can return books by themselves.
OrangeMango 7y ago
> I used to live about 1/2 hour away from the nearest branch (Sulzer) There are 81 branch libraries and you can return a book to any of them (you also can have your book reservations delivered to any branch as well). Sulzer has something like 5 branches within a 3 miles radius. As you get to the edges of the city, the number of nearby branches decreases (as you would expect). If you have no car and have to pay individually for bus rides, this starts to appear quite burdensome. Actually, having a car might not help so much because few branches have free parking lots. I frequently drop books off for my kids because I work downtown and can head over at lunch (there is a place to get good cubano sandwiches across the street, so big bonus!). I doubt many people on the south and west sides have that luxury.

sircastor 7y ago

My local public library recently eliminated fines for children's books acknowledging that a fine for a large pile of kids books could seem overwhelming.

Moru 7y ago

With us the kids have their own account and they don't pay any late fees, only if the book is completely lost. Offcourse it helps that all public schools have a branch of the state library so they can return books by themselves.

OrangeMango 7y ago

> I used to live about 1/2 hour away from the nearest branch (Sulzer) There are 81 branch libraries and you can return a book to any of them (you also can have your book reservations delivered to any branch as well). Sulzer has something like 5 branches within a 3 miles radius. As you get to the edges of the city, the number of nearby branches decreases (as you would expect). If you have no car and have to pay individually for bus rides, this starts to appear quite burdensome. Actually, having a car might not help so much because few branches have free parking lots. I frequently drop books off for my kids because I work downtown and can head over at lunch (there is a place to get good cubano sandwiches across the street, so big bonus!). I doubt many people on the south and west sides have that luxury.