海角大神

Literacy push: L.A. libraries allow young people to read away their fines

Twelve-year-old Sergio Garay, a sixth grader at Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School, loves going to his local branch library in East Los Angeles. In fact, he loves the library so much he reads and studies there almost every day after school.

But recently, Sergio was in danger of losing his library privileges: He鈥檇 been reading 鈥淒iary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,鈥� a popular page-turner for preteens, 鈥渁nd I forgot it at school one day.鈥�

He鈥檇 stowed the book in its proper place, he says, 鈥渁nd then it disappeared. A lot of people steal other kids' books.鈥�

The cost of replacing that book was more than $10 鈥� and any time a cardholder鈥檚 fines go聽past that amount their borrowing privileges get frozen. Sergio didn鈥檛 have that kind聽of cash, so not only was he unable to find out what happened to the Wimpy Kid, but聽he wasn鈥檛 allowed to check out any other books.

Had Sergio鈥檚 book been stolen a year ago, he would have had to wait until he聽came up with enough money to pay off his library debt. But because the Los Angeles County Library embarked on a campaign to remove impediments that keep聽residents from patronizing their public libraries, Sergio discovered a way to pay off聽his fines without spending a dime 鈥� a program for young readers called the Great聽Read Away.

Whenever anyone age 21 or younger racks up fines, the library invites them to 鈥渞ead聽away鈥� those charges 鈥� at the rate of $5 per hour. Since the program began in June of聽2017, the county鈥檚 87 libraries have logged more than 29,000 reading sessions, and聽lowered fines accordingly. During the program鈥檚 first 11 months, young readers聽logged 1.6 million minutes of reading time, and 10,000 accounts were cleared聽completely of fines.

In the time before the Great Read Away, 鈥渨hen someone lost a borrowed book they聽not only had to pay the cost of the lost book, but the library also added a $10聽processing fee,鈥� explains Darcy Hastings, assistant library administrator for youth聽services. 鈥淣ow, if you鈥檙e a kid, and you lose a $4.95 paperback, and then we tack on聽another $10, what are we saying to you? We鈥檝e taken your $5 mistake and turned it聽into a $15 mistake.

鈥淵ou may not want to tell your mom,鈥� Ms. Hastings says. 鈥淵ou may not want to come聽to us and say, 鈥楬ey, I made a mistake. Can we work something out?鈥� You鈥檙e just going聽to stop using your library card. And that doesn鈥檛 help you, and it doesn鈥檛 help us.鈥�

Increasing library use

The Los Angeles County Library serves nearly 3.5 million residents, and Hastings says a聽search of its records found 13 percent of children鈥檚 library accounts were inactive聽because their fines or fees were above $10, 鈥渟o we know they weren鈥檛 using their聽cards.鈥�

County Library Director Skye Patrick inspired the Great Read Away when she made聽it the library鈥檚 mission to eliminate policies or programs that impeded citizen access聽to services. It was tied to a multi-part initiative approved unanimously by the聽Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Following a no-fine month in May of 2017, the library instituted the Great Read Away program.聽It then partnered with local schools, sending in library staff to help聽students discover the array of services and聽resources available to them.

鈥淲e visit schools and bring special student library cards to issue to kids right there聽in their classrooms,鈥� Hastings explains. 鈥淚n the first six months of the student card聽program we visited over 700 classrooms and issued over 15,500 student library聽cards.鈥�

More recently, in December, the Board of Supervisors voted to end late fees altogether for patrons 21 and younger from that point on. Young people who had fines before that time, and those who lose books, are still candidates for the Great Read Away program.聽

At the East Los Angeles Library, manager Martin Delgado says more than 2,000 people聽from the working-class neighborhood come through the doors on a typical day. 鈥淲e average about聽150 individuals per month doing the Read Away program. It makes my staff and I聽feel really good 鈥� because this really is a literacy program, and everyone鈥檚 reaping聽the benefit.鈥�

Popular with parents

One of those 2,000 users is 10-year-old Dariana Martinez, a fourth grader at Fourth聽Street Elementary School. She had racked up 鈥渁bout $30鈥� in fines and says, in a soft聽voice, 鈥淚 felt pretty sad 鈥� because I had to waste that money, and the money could be聽used for getting food and clothes and better stuff.鈥�

As her mother waited in another room, Dariana explains that she reads away her聽fines 鈥渕ostly every time I come to the library, every week.鈥� Her fine is now聽below $10.

鈥淭he Read Away program helped me, 鈥榗ause a lot of the time I forget my books, and聽my mom has to pay,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o when my mom heard about Read Away, she was聽really happy.鈥�

Which is all part of the library鈥檚 greater literacy plan: 鈥淲e do a short survey with聽some parents and over 80 percent of them tell us that they鈥檙e more willing to bring聽their kids to the library and let them check out materials because we now have the聽Great Read Away,鈥� Hastings says. 鈥淭hey know that if a fine results because of a book聽forgotten at home then their child can read down the fine.鈥�

Sergio calculates he has about two and a half hours remaining before he unblocks聽his library card. 鈥淩ead Away has made me more responsible,鈥� Sergio says. He adds: 鈥淚 know that if I聽forget to turn in a book, I can read away the fines.鈥� And that means he can聽keep reading.

Hastings points to research that looks at a pivotal phase in all children鈥檚 lives, 鈥渞ight聽around the end of the third grade, when their education switches from 鈥榣earning to聽read鈥� to 鈥榬eading to learn.鈥� It鈥檚 like learning to play the trumpet or running the聽quarter mile: You have to practice to become good at it.

鈥淚f reading down a fine can encourage just a little more practice, that鈥檚 great,鈥� she聽says. 鈥淜ids practice reading, their library cards can be used again, they check out聽more books and read more. Everyone wins.鈥�