More than 4,000 individuals who each racked up to $49.99 in fines to replace lost or damaged books and other materials for Apache Junction Public Library owe a combined $95,252 that would be forgiven under plans to be discussed in July by a city board.
Forgiving the fines would have two benefits to the library — cleaning up the database and allowing people who are now turned away for nonpayment to return to the library, Library Director Pam Harrison said at a recent meeting of the Apache Junction Library Board.
“My main reason for proposing a onetime courtesy deletion of fines on library (accounts) expired after five years or more is because it’s giving us another important reason to remove barriers from getting people into the library and getting them the access to literature and resources that they need,” she said at the board’s May 11 meeting.
“You’re going to be astounded when you hear the numbers on how many people currently cannot use the library because of our policies,” she said.
Harrison checked the library’s database for individuals who have had up to $49.99 in fines for five to 10 years with expired library cards — or for 10 years and longer — and found 4,024 accounts as follows:
Ten years or more were 1,716 accounts owing a total of $37,492; and
Those five to 10 years were for 2,408 accounts owing a total of $57,759.49.
Harrison said she only checked those who racked up to $49.99 in fines as the library, 1177 N. Idaho Road, has a contract with a collections business that handles those of $50 and higher.
“Anybody who has a collection-agency fee was removed from this list. So there’s a lot more on top of this that owe money. I don’t even know what that number is. It’s probably double this,” she said.
In 2020 the library board forgave all overdue fines for items brought in late on accounts to increase access to materials and resources, Harrison said.
“When we forgave them it was 10 cents per day for books that people were charged and I believe a dollar a day for DVDs,” she said. “So we stopped charging them and all accounts that had overdue fines, those fines were all waived from those accounts. But we did keep in place that patrons are still responsible for the replacement cost for lost items to hold them accountable,” she said.
Whether or not to forgive the fines to replace lost or damaged books and other materials will be discussed at the July meeting of the board, which generally meets the second Thursday of the month. The 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 13, meeting would be in the council chambers, 300 E. Superstition Blvd.
“At the very least it’s a topic that is interesting to discuss as a board and as a library and in what direction we want to go and if we decide that this isn’t a good fit for us at this time I’d totally understand too,” Harrison said. “But it does always bother me that sometimes when people come in and you can tell they’re just very deflated that they can’t participate anymore in checking out whatever and that they don’t have the means to change their account around.”
Six of the seven-member library board on May 11 briefly discussed the issue but opted to table a vote until July. Board member Vivian Rajski was absent.
“That’s a difficult issue. It really is. There’s a morality involved in there that I’d personally have to think more about. What is the message we’re sending?” Vera Walters, board member, asked during the discussion.
“Exactly. And that’s why also why I thought a onetime rather than make this a policy. Because future boards or future thinking about libraries might not be the same. But if we wanted to do it once, we could do that. But yeah, it definitely goes against everything that we’ve set up our policies around,” Harrison said.
Library patrons with overdue fines could be asked to pay a portion to be reinstated, Board member Judy Borey said.
“(T)hey could be forgiven if they paid half of it or something to where they’re still held kind of responsible for it,” she said.
The primary responsibility of the board is to inform and advise the city council on matters of public interest and need in relation to the resources and services of the Apache Junction Public Library. Board members also recommend the policy for governing, control and improvement of the library and promote the public’s awareness of the services available at the library, according to the city’s website.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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