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New York City's public libraries abolish fines on overdue materials

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK. If, hypothetically, you had late fees at the library, if you hadn't brought back your library books for some reason and you live in New York City, you're in luck because the public libraries there are going fine free.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Dennis Walcott is the president of Queens Public Library, one of New York City's three public library systems.

DENNIS WALCOTT: We want you in our libraries, and we want you using our resources that are available to you for free.

INSKEEP: OK, that's good. But without any fines, would people take books and run?

MARTIN: Actually, Walcott doesn't think so. Neither does Tony Marx, the president of the New York Public Library system.

TONY MARX: It turns out late fees for books don't work. They don't bring the books back. Almost all the books come back anyway because people respect that if they are treated with respect and trust, they respond in kind. I know that seems like a very non-New York way of thinking, but we see it.

MARTIN: Plus, if you just totally lose a book, you'll still have to pay the library back for it. But you won't owe any late fees on top of that.

INSKEEP: Now, this is meaningful because New York City is such a big place. There are 400,000 New Yorkers with blocked accounts because they owe more than $15 in late fees.

MARX: Those are vastly disproportionately in the poorest neighborhoods. And that's exactly where we need people using the library.

MARTIN: In Queens, 65% of blocked accounts belong to people who are 17 years old or younger, and that's exactly who libraries want to get in the doors.

WALCOTT: That's the goal, to have our children participate in the American Dream. And the American Dream is through our libraries.

(SOUNDBITE OF UNWED SAILOR'S "AJO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.