Marshall Public Library goes fine-free for youth

Overdue fines for youth are a thing of the past at the Marshall Public Library.

The library stopped charging overdue fines for youth ages 17-years-old and younger on Sept 30.

Any child or teen who has a late fine can now have their fines waived and have a fresh start with the Marshall Public Library.

“Our core mission is to promote reading and anything we can do to encourage more children to pick up a book, the better,” said Eric Suess, Marshall Public Library Director. “Children often do not have the means to return materials themselves and could be excluded from checking out new materials. We want to make sure their visit to the Marshall Public Library is a positive one, which will help instill a lifelong love for reading.”

The fine forgiveness for youth effort does not cover lost or damaged materials.

“Nationwide, libraries have been eliminating fines as a way to increase literacy and access to all citizens, especially young people in their formative years,” Suess said.

KIFI 2019