Of more than 650,000 cardholders countywide at the beginning of the year, 118,450 (18%) had their cards blocked due to fines. Forty-three percent of youth accounts owed a balance and approximately 21,000 youth cards were blocked at a critical time in their lives. Families were telling us they stopped coming to the library because it was too expensive. Statistics and observations were reinforced by a recent survey of library customers who indicated that their community’s most pressing concern is the high cost of living.

The campaign was branded “Goodbye to Fines” and a video was created to help tell the story using real voices and faces. The video put a personal touch on a sensitive issue facing many families in our community. We interviewed stakeholders from a diverse cross-section of the county including staff, educators, library commissioners and representatives who work with the homeless population. We created a message that went far beyond our print materials and included humor with an easily digestible version of the message.

The library experienced immediate positive results. The number of new library cards issued in January jumped nearly 30% as compared to November 2018 and approximately 40% more people came into a branch to reactivate a card. This positive trend continues. Circulation of materials is on track to increase 7%, representing the first year of growth since 2011. Saying “Goodbye to Fines” has enabled the library to say hello to a growing number of active library customers.