[Libs-Or] Library cards for homeless/those without permanent address

[Kyle Banerjee]

 A library is a much happier place to work in and to visit without the
> trouble we have over charging and collecting late fees.


Perhaps. But unless there is something to limit behavior, friendly policies
can have unintended side effects. The benefit of the fines is not the money
they bring in, but rather that they encourage people to return things.

When I was in college, neither faculty nor graduate students had to pay
fines. A practical side effect of that policy was that many of them had
checked out literally hundreds of items which they kept for years on end.
This costs a fortune, does no good, and only lends credence to those who
insist that libraries are irrelevant and that we should turn to the
internet for all our information needs.

kyle
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