(no subject)

[darchildre]

A thing that I never understand:

So, I tell a patron she has over $40 in fines. She says, "What?" I go into her account on the computer and show her the items she has fines on - all turned in late, most of them with at least a dollar each.

She says, "And there's nothing we can do to lower the amount?"

I always want to say, "Other than you paying it down? No." I don't, but it's always a near thing.

Comments

[finch]

A lot of the local libraries are doing food-for-fines, where you can bring in canned goods to reduce the amount of your fine (I think it's a dollar per can). Maybe she's used to libraries doing something like that?

[darchildre]

That sounds like a totally awesome program - I wish we did something like that here. But, y'know, we don't, and I'm pretty sure none of the library systems around do either, more's the pity.

And, I mean, I'm more than willing to help people set up a payment plan or work something out if the fines get too onerous. We want people to use the library, after all. But entitled whining, where people want to pay less just because they want to pay less, gets on my nerve.