[2shortplanks]

The problem with charging a fine is that by providing a mechanism for penance it reduces the pressure for those people who are prepared to pay fines to actually return the books on time.

The more affluent therefore work under different rules than the less well off, and can be "justified" in keeping books longer than they otherwise should. This probably explains why in the article they found a reduction in late returns when they abolished the fines.

[krupan]

It sure seems to me that wealthy people would be smart enough with their money to never pay a fine for a late library book. Unless they really are the type of wealthy people that always pay more for convenience, but then, why would those types be slumming around the library? They'd surely just buy books on Amazon.

[jacobolus]

Libraries can sometimes be much better for book discovery than the web.

You can pick up books and skim through as much as you want on the spot. You can go to a shelf and see many of an author’s books next to each-other, or see many books about the same topic.