Push to end library fines in Worcester

Here's an exciting article from today's Worcester (MA) Telegram. Many area libraries suspended overdue fines "temporarily" as the pandemic made it impossible to return items, and in some cases furloughed staff were not there to receive them.

This presented an opportunity to re-examine the whole question of fines.

It is wonderful to read Worcester City Manager Augustus's "Public libraries play a vital role in the development of early literacy skills, bridging the digital divide, and providing access to library materials and services to the resident of the city of Worcester."

I can tell you that for a boy growing up in a financially struggling working class family, public libraries were a gift of expanding horizons and unlimited possibilities. (And much later, an incredibly fulfilling career, beginning at - Worcester Public Library!)