Wednesday's Topic: Read Down your Fines and Fees

Do any of you have a program like this at your library? Have any other type of amnesty program? This is a program for kids and teens to read down their fees and fines. Every half an hour they read, they get $1 off their fines and fees. They have been doing it at this library for a few years. It's helpful for many kids because it allows them to reduce fines so they can take out books who couldn't afford to pay them. The only problem I have is some parents abuse the program. They either: make the children read when they obviously could pay, parents take out books for themselves on the children's card so they don't have to pay for late fees and make their children read down the fines, desensitizes the purpose of having fines because parents and children know they could just read them down, so they don't have to pay them or be careful about returning items on time.