CITY LIBRARY AND SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE
FEBRUARY FINE FORGIVENESS FOR TEENS
Month-long Program Deletes Late Fees to Give Teens Fresh Start at Library
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. –The Springfield City Library and Springfield Public Schools are pleased to announce an initiative for teens that is aimed at getting former patrons back into the library. The February Fine Forgiveness program, which will run from February 1st-28th, grants a clean slate to teen library card holders with accumulated fines.
Currently, there are nearly 5,000 Springfield teens whose ability to borrow books has been blocked due to overdue fines. The Springfield City Library ran a pilot fine forgiveness program in summer of 2017, which brought 70 teens back to the Library. At the time, Library Director Molly Fogarty emphasized removing barriers and making sure that teens have access to library resources. “We were pleased with how many teens were able to start borrowing library materials again last summer,” she stated. “We’ve made it even easier to come back and we hope even more teens will take advantage of forgiveness initiatives this year.”
Teens who would like to participate in the Fine Forgiveness program need only ask at their local Springfield City Library branch during the month of February. As an extra benefit, teens do not have to pay a replacement fee if they need a new library card. The Library Commission voted in favor of the pilot Fine Forgiveness initiative during a meeting on April 5th, 2017, and voted in favor of trying additional initiatives in the future at a September 6th, 2017 meeting.
Springfield Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Lydia Martinez said library resources are an important component of student success and she hopes teenaged students will take advantage of this second opportunity to get back into the public library. “We were really excited to give our teenage students this chance in the summer and excited to do it again now. We are grateful that the library has stepped up to the plate once again in support of students having access to as much educational material as possible.”
Young adults between the ages of 12 and 19 are eligible to participate in the February Fine Forgiveness initiative. Traditionally, the Library has not charged late fines for children under the age of 12. The Springfield City Library also offers a Read Off Your Fines program for teens all year long. While the February Fine Forgiveness initiative erases late fees, it does not erase fees associated with books that are lost or missing.
For more information, interested persons can call or visit their library branch.
Founded in 1857, the Springfield City Library provides over 800,000 free print, physical, and digital resources for public enrichment. To learn more, visit www.springfieldlibrary.org.
