By Olivia Condous
Overdue library book fines will no longer apply for Melton residents after the council decided to remove them permanently from July.
In a council meeting on Monday, councillors unanimously voted to abolish all overdue fines with the hope to increase engagement with library facilities.
After many libraries waived overdue book fines during the COVID lockdowns, reports from other local councils have shown that the permanent removal of fines have caused a greater number of books to be returned.
City of Melton general manager of community services Troy Scoble said the council report found that library fines did not encourage meaningful compliance.
“Fines undermine the core principles of public libraries, which is to provide free and universal access to information,” Mr Scoble said.
Cr Sophie Ramsey said it was good to see a positive initiative come out of the pandemic.
“People are going back to libraries, they’re reading for enjoyment after two years in isolation,” Cr Ramsey said.
“I think this is going to get the libraries more activated now.”
Cr Julie Shannon said it would be interesting to see if the libraries would receive an influx of book returns after the fines are waived.
“It’s really encouraging to see the actual statistics from other councils, I’m looking forward to hearing how this affects us and how our library membership increases,” Cr Shannon said.
