Economics and behaviour: what library fines tell us about ourselves

It’s not every day that an institution – public or not – will wave goodbye to a guaranteed income stream in order to try and improve our behaviour. But this is just what libraries across the State have done since the beginning of this year.

Libraries have always been a haven of free books, with the only caveat for the user being that the titles be returned on time. If not, you could expect fines, which started off benign, at about 5 to 10 cent a day, but could ramp up quite quickly if you didn’t bring that book, CD, DVD or video game back.

This approach brought in money. In 2017, for example, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown library generated income of €103,083 from fines, down from €120,166 in the prior year. Not nearly enough to run a library but it offered some relief to the local authority’s coffers.

Now, however, as has been the case in many countries around the world, the fines have been magically wiped from our accounts as part of a new strategy to get more people using our libraries and to attract those who might have previously been deterred because of the risk of a fine.

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From January 1st, late returns no longer mean fines, so that beeping noise that used to greet you (or was I the only one?) when you brought your books back has disappeared. Even if your child loses a book, you won’t have to pay to replace it any more. Our sins of tardiness have been forgiven.

One librarian told me she had seen "books handed back that she hadn't seen in years" since the abolition of fines

Libraries are also operating an amnesty of sorts, encouraging members of the public to return “undamaged, overdue library items” with no risk of a fine as they “reactivate” their memberships – and the embarrassment you might have once felt handing over this box is also a thing of the past, thanks to the automated machines that now handle this task.

Libraries still want you to bring back your books, arguing that “no fines does not mean no responsibility”. If you’re repeatedly late, for example, libraries say you will risk being blocked from taking out or renewing further items.

Are libraries mad in taking this approach? Without fines to threaten us with, what will make us bring our books back on time?

Behavioural economics

If you read Freakonomics, that unexpected hit of some years ago, you might recall a synopsis of an Israeli childcare experiment. Fed up with parents repeatedly coming to collect their children late, the childcare provider decided to hit them where it hurt – in their wallets.

But the imposition of late fines actually had a somewhat contrary outcome; rather than get there on time to avoid the fines, as had been originally envisaged, parents started to turn up late in greater numbers.

The introduction of a fine had in fact the reverse effect on the behaviour of parents – the numbers coming late actually doubled.

“Before long there were 20 late pick-ups per week, more than double the original average. The incentive had plainly backfired,” the authors wrote.

Why was this?

If you showed up late before the introduction of a fine it was obviously an unacceptable thing to do, and you were most likely embarrassed each time you arrived for your child, mumbling excuses under your breath. Once a fine was introduced, this behaviour was legitimate. Being late had a transactional quality to it – if you were late, you paid for it.

In 2013, the UK government imposed a £60 fine (€70) – which jumps to £120 if you don’t pay it within 60 days – on parents who took their children out of school during term time. What has happened since? The numbers taking their children out has increased.

Now Lancashire County Council – home to the highest number of such absences – wants to increase the fine to £1,000 to calm the waters.

Those cutting fines at libraries around the world would suggest that this could be the wrong approach. They would argue that, rather than increase fines, it is the simple existence of the fine that is keeping books at home, under the bed, mired in a school bag, and down the back of the sofa.

We’re late returning our books because we know that there is a cost to keeping them at home, and this is part of the unarticulated contract we have with libraries. We may not be bringing our books back on time, but to make up for this we’ll accept and pay a fine.

Once the money is taken out of the equation, the thinking goes, our behaviour should adapt to the new terms of our “contract” and we will willingly get those books back on time.

While the science behind such a move might be easy to understand, does it actually work? And will it work in Ireland?

Positive signs

A pilot programme in Sydney, Australia, showed that three times as many books were returned to their libraries once the threat of a fine was removed, so there is some evidence to suggest the former.

It’s still early days for the scheme in Ireland but one librarian told me she had seen “books handed back that she hadn’t seen in years” since the abolition of fines, so the early signs are positive.

If it works, perhaps the powers that be could take this behavioural approach to other areas. Anyone for abolishing parking fines?