<div dir="ltr">Thank you to all who contributed to my question. It was very, very helpful! The compilation of answers is below.<div><br></div><div><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-362257da-7fff-1243-4bac-30760144b50e"><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We keep all fines/fees on patron accounts until the accounts are deleted from the system -- currently after being expired for 7 years.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We started to clear out old fines/fees about 5 years ago. We typically use 6 years as the guide. Since our patrons are automatically switched over to inactive after 3 years of no use, we decided to double that for removing the fines/fees. What I do is leave the patron's account in the system and make a note that fees in "whatever specific amount for whatever specific reason" were deleted, so if they do return, we're aware of that in case it was a large amount for unreturned items. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We eliminated fines.  If an item has been returned, we remove the fine.  If an item is still checked out and very overdue, we leave the fine until we decide to delete the item.  Then we can decide if we want to leave the cost of the item attached to the patron's record or if we want to forgive it.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ours is retained forever. A patron card won’t expire if there are fines associated with the account. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We went just fine free in April and here is our summary.</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.284;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 8pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We are now officially fine-free in the books. Overdue fines have been deleted and borrowers are no longer charged for overdue fines unless there are lost or damaged items.  We will begin a formal marketing campaign and press releases to coincide with this historic event.  Please keep in mind as you read these numbers, the return on these fees is a 95% probability of never receiving anyway.  Number of borrowers deleted (no use since 3/1/2016): 3278    Total fines and fees deleted: $28,148.2 </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please also keep in mind, that although the number of culled borrowers is large, there has also not been a proper purge of members for some time. These numbers will reflect in the algorithm of State Aid, but the impact will be minimal.  The important thing to remember is we clear up a lot of records that we do pay for each record</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our leadership team decided in 2019, once our library board approved us to go fine-free, to remove all fines ten years or older that had been issued by our library in addition to all existing overdue fines. We continue this practice annually. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I have seen policies on this run the gamut.  Years ago, at Ann Arbor Public (before it was a District) they used to print out patrons with delinquent records and keep them in an MLO (missing, long overdue) binder which needed to be checked before registering a new card.  This allowed them to purge the old data from the database, but still charge someone for old fines if they came to get a new card.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our Shared System recommends the parameters on this file </span><a href="https://cdn.ymaws.com/tln.org/resource/collection/E98CD1C1-6187-4037-B80C-84EAE6A62A89/Database_Cleanup_Requirements.pdf" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://cdn.ymaws.com/tln.org/resource/collection/E98CD1C1-6187-4037-B80C-84EAE6A62A89/Database_Cleanup_Requirements.pdf</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">  Let me know if you can access this.  Our co-op recently revised their web site and I'm not sure what's publicly accessible because I'm always logged on.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">One thing another library director mentioned and it stuck with me was to think about lost/damaged fines in a different way.  If the fine is preventing use of the library and the person is continuing to pay taxes, they are essentially paying off their fine through the inability to use the collection.  It may take a few years, but the question he posed was asking how long you bar someone from borrowing and still collect their tax money?  Just a different perspective.   </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br><br></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We don't have this written in a formal procedure, but typically if the fine/fee is for a lost or significantly damaged item, the fine/fee stays "forever." If I become aware the patron in question has died, I will manually go in and delete the fee and the patron record.</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">If the fine/fee is for materials that were returned late, but not significantly late (i.e., we didn't send a final notice letter or bill), it is purged from the account when the account would be purged for nonuse (currently this is when the account has been inactive for between 4 and 5 years). We have to manually do this before our ILS will let us delete the long-inactive account.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We stopped assessing traditional overdue fines on materials in 2019, so only new-release videos and hotspots still generate daily overdue fees. For all other materials there is a grace period of about 60 days with a fine automatically generating only if the items are returned after that 60-day grace. If the fine on the account is for a significantly past due item that we struggled to get returned to us, but the item was ultimately returned, we retain the fee for approximately 10 years and then purge the balance and inactive account.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">For minors under the age of 14, we retain fines/fees on their account according to these procedures until they become adults, at which point the balance is transferred to the responsible guardian's account and the young adult has a clean record. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This procedure is a work in progress. Patrons can always appeal to me or to the board if there are extenuating or mitigating circumstances.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br><br></span></p><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Here in Superiorland, we remove fines under $5.00 that are over 5 years old for most of our libraries. A few do something a bit different (which we accommodate). One library just had me remove all fines over 2 years, no matter for how much, because they aren't gong to get that money. One library had us remove all fines and bills given to patrons under 18 when the patron turned 18 because their parents were legally responsible, not the underage patron.</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We like to remove old, small fines to keep the database cleaner. No point in keeping a patron record that is 15 years old because they have a 20 cent fine.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I remove fines from children’s cards after awhile.  I also remove late fees, but not fees for unreturned materials. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Here we don't have a set policy, but we have generally been removing fines over two years old. If it is a lost item, we have the librarian in charge of that collection make the decision.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I am deleting patrons whose cards have expired 3 years ago or more. To do a mass deletion, patrons with fines are not automatically deleted.  I'm waiving fines (some quite large) so I can delete these patrons --- some going back 10 or more years ago.  I just feel that our database was getting clogged with people we would never see again.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our Cooperative, Lakeland Cooperative does this annually.  The time limit is seven years and the patrons are removed from the system.  It does clean up the system.</span></p></li></ul></span></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jul 21, 2022 at 2:48 PM Michele Howard <<a href="mailto:mhoward@tadl.org">mhoward@tadl.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Just curious if any libraries remove patron fines/fees/costs after a pre-determined number of years, or if they are retained forever on the patron account.  <div><br></div><div>Thank you for taking the time to respond. </div><div>I will summarize for the list.</div><div><br></div><div>Best regards,</div><div>Michele</div><div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Michele P. Howard, <font color="#202122" face="sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px">MILS</span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Library Director</div><div>Traverse Area District Library</div><div>231-932-8527</div><div><a href="https://odu.edu/safespace/pronouns-and-why-they-matter" target="_blank">she/her</a></div><div><div><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Michele P. Howard, <font color="#202122" face="sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px">MILS</span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Library Director</div><div>Traverse Area District Library</div><div>231-932-8527</div><div><a href="https://odu.edu/safespace/pronouns-and-why-they-matter" target="_blank">she/her</a></div><div><div><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div>