Librarians say fines are incentive, but results are positive where payments have disappeared

A wave of libraries across the nation stopped charging late fees in the 1990s, but the trend never found a foothold in the Capital Region. Two tiny libraries — Poestenkill is the other one — are the only public libraries in the area without fines.

Several local librarians dream of dropping fines, but have not.

Here's the truth about late fines: They raise money for libraries, and they motivate procrastinators to return their books.

Those dimes and quarters add up.

Late fines generated $720,000 for Capital Region libraries in 2013, according to figures libraries provided to the Times Union.

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