Work It Off: Fine Reduction Program
Teens ages 14 – 17 with $10.00 or more in fines who otherwise would not be able to check out library materials will be eligible for the program. For every 30 minutes worked, the library will reduce fines by $4.00 (roughly equivalent to minimum wage). Worked time may not be applied to reduce replacement costs for lost or damaged library materials. Fine reduction will be applied to the participating patron’s library account, and no credit will be given. Each qualifying patron may only use this option once; if he or she accrues fines above $10.00 again, they will have to be paid off monetarily.
Participants must fill out an application, have it signed by a parent or guardian, and provide two references (adults age 18 or over who are not family members). Once his or her application is accepted, each participant will sign an agreement detailing how much in fines he or she must work off to have library privileges restored and how many hours this will entail. He or she will then receive training in one or more library tasks. These tasks may include shelf reading, sorting returns, shelving DVDs and other library materials, or any other tasks the library deems applicable. Training time will count toward working off the participant’s fine.
Each participant will be closely supervised until a staff member decides that he or she understands the assigned task and is doing a satisfactory job. Therefore, participants may be limited to scheduling their hours according to staff availability. If the patron’s work is deemed unsatisfactory at any time, his or her participation in the fine reduction program may be suspended. The patron will still be responsible for any remaining fines on his or her library account which were not worked off before the patron’s participation was suspended.
You can download the application here.