Jeremy makes a note in his diary when his books are due back. Photo: RNZ / Tom Taylor
Two years ago Auckland Libraries removed its fines for late returns.
Since then, more than a million items have been returned after their due date, meaning millions of dollars of potential fines going unclaimed.
But despite the loss of revenue, librarians say it has been an overwhelmingly positive change.
Auckland Library members can borrow up to 35 items at any one time. Even for the most voracious of readers, that is a big stack of books to get through.
And until a couple of years ago, it could have resulted in a big stack of fines if returned late.
Jeremy had just returned to Auckland after living in Napier.
He joked that he was chased out of town for the late fees he accrued there.
"I didn't use the library in Napier for quite a long time, not for that reason particularly, but it still certainly weighed on the back of my mind."
He can now breathe a sigh of relief, because since he left, Napier Libraries had also jumped aboard the fine-free bandwagon, removing their overdue fees and wiping members' debts in July 2023.
He was normally a conscientious returner of books, he said.
"I would always enter in my diary when the book's due back. I'd make sure it got it back on time."
Jeremy was not alone.
Although Auckland Library's anti-fine policy has only been in place two years, there were early signs that people were actually returning more books on time than before.
In the five years before fines were removed, an average 3.6 million items were returned late each year.
But in the year to July 2023, just 600,000 items were overdue.
Dany Miller-Kareko says people generally want to take care of community assets, even without the threat of fines. Photo: RNZ / Tom Taylor
Onehunga and Oranga community hub manager Dany Miller-Kareko said it showed the trust model was working.
"When you give people an opportunity to show that they are trustworthy, they live up to it."
After the regular 28-day loan period, fines used to mount up by $1 per item per day.
Before penalties were scrapped, $582,453 was owed in overdue fines.
Auckland Council said this amount was unlikely to ever be collected - some fees would be waived after a discussion with staff, while others were abandoned if the council's collection agency failed to collect them within five years.
Miller-Kareko said wiping the slate clean gave people more of a sense of ownership of their libraries.
"Even without the threat of punishment, people want to take care of the resources and assets in the community. They want to see things available for other people, other families.
"Generally, out of the goodness of their hearts, their sense of duty and civic responsibility to the rest of the community, people do bring their books back."
For librarians, awkward conversations about overdue books used to be part of the job.
But Miller-Kareko said often, all that achieved was making people feel ashamed and perhaps disengaged with the library altogether.
In the five years before late fees were removed, they delivered Auckland Libraries an average $1.2 million a year in revenue -- enough to pay the salaries of 14 senior librarians.
Connected Communities coach Monique Nathu says librarians are now freed up to do their job. Photo: RNZ / Tom Taylor
But Connected Communities coach Monique Nathu said revenue was never the goal, and librarians were now freed up to do the jobs they were trained to do.
"Our team members in our spaces have been able to reach out to other communities, vulnerable communities, that were maybe more reluctant to use our library spaces and services."
Nathu said libraries had been reaching out to migrant and refugee communities, who were often pleasantly surprised about the lack of fines.
"This is something they may not have experienced back home, so for them, it's a really positive experience here in Tāmaki Makaurau."
And a reminder: Just because there were no overdue fees, did not mean people could choose to keep an item forever.
Auckland Libraries would continue to charge members for lost or damaged items, albeit with some lenience for people affected by flooding or cyclone damage.
