Hackettstown Free Public Library’s Items are Now (Mostly) Fine-Free

Effective November 1, 2026 the Hackettstown Free Public Library will no longer charge extended use fees (fines) for most items returned past their due date. This policy applies only to items checked out from the Hackettstown Free Public Library. In addition, all previously owed extended use fees for items checked out from the Hackettstown Free Public Library returned overdue will be waived. This is thanks to a very generous donation from Man Skirt Brewing, and its owner, Joseph Fisher and Mama’s & Cafe Baci, and its owner, Tom Schiano.

The Hackettstown Free Public Library’s Board of Trustees and staff are dedicated to creating a more equitable and pleasant community library. Eliminating extended use fees for overdue materials ensures that everyone in our community keeps access to the Library’s vital resources and services. Late fees, no matter how small, are a very real and significant burden for low-income families. Library experts have found that charging overdue fines inhibits access to library materials and services. Studies indicate that even modest penalties deter people from registering for a library card or using the library because of the risk of incurring fines. Rather than motivating borrowers to return items on time, fines act as an inequitable barrier to service, disproportionately impacting minors, students, and community members with limited financial resources.

Items after November 1, 2026 that will still accrue overdue fines:

  • Video games
  • Wonderbooks
  • Launchpads
  • “Library of Things” items
  • Museum Passes

Fees for lost/damaged items will still be charged regardless of the item.

Fine-Free FAQs

It helps us fulfill our mission to enrich the lives of all members of our community by providing opportunities for learning and entertainment, cultural enrichment, access to information and the preservation of knowledge for future generations.

Plus, it makes a trip to the library more pleasant for both you and our staff.

Yes! In the U.S., many libraries have adopted fine-free policies, and the number is growing every day. In the Main Library Alliance alone this includes Roxbury, Dover, Morristown-Morris Township, New Providence, Parsippany, and Warren County among others. New York Public, Chicago, and hundreds of other individual libraries and systems all over the country have also eliminated fines.

Studies have shown that small fines are not an effective means of ensuring items are returned on time. Once someone has a late fine, they are less likely to visit the library again. Libraries who have removed late fees report few adverse affects on material return rates. In fact, some libraries experience an increase in these rates after going fine-free. The public library model is based upon a mutual trust between borrowers and a valued community resource. Library staff trusts that borrowers will return items on time so others may use them.

Libraries that have adopted fine-free policies found that:

  • Library card registrations increased
  • Borrowing of materials increased
  • More library items were returned
  • Students returned to the library to use homework resources
  • Staff time was redirected from fines-handling to patron-focused services

Yes, the library still has loan periods for all its materials and we expect items to be returned on time. We ask that all borrowers be respectful of your fellow library users who may be waiting for items to be returned. Please bring back materials when they are due so that everyone has equal access to our collections.

If you have outstanding fines for items accrued on your Hackettstown Free Public Library account, come on in and we will help you clear them. However, we can only waive outstanding fines on items checked out from our library, not other libraries in the Main Library Alliance. Outstanding charges for high-value, lost, or damaged materials are still owed.

Fines are set by the lending library. If an item is borrowed from a library that still imposes fines, you will be assessed that late fine. The Hackettstown Free Public Library is not charging late fines on items we loan from our library.

We will still charge replacement fees for lost/damaged items, and extended use fees for video games, Wonderbooks, Launchpads, “Library of Things” items, and Museum Passes. If the item is out for an extended period of time, it will become “lost” in our system and the replacement cost of the item will be added to the library cardholder’s account. If the replacement cost of the item (or items) is over $10, the cardholder’s account will be suspended. Suspended cardholder accounts cannot use library services, including digital services (Libby, Hoopla, etc.), until the item is returned or fines are paid.

Yes. Video games, Wonderbooks, Launchpads, “Library of Things” items, and Museum Passes will still accrue late fines.

Thanks to a generous donation from Man Skirt Brewing and Mama’s & Cafe Baci, most of the income previously derived from fines will be replaced. While the Library is always carefully watching its bottom line, the tiny loss of overdue fine revenue is insignificant compared with the good this new policy will do for the people in our community. In addition, due to the rise in electronic materials (which do not accrue late fines) and the Main Library Alliance’s auto-renew feature, fines are not a sustainable form of revenue for the Library going forward.

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