Dartmouth libraries will no longer have late fees on most items, Library Director Dina St. Pierre announced at the Monday, Oct. 7 Select Board meeting.

“Over the years, it’s just been determined that fines are not the answer they once were and instead they’ve become a barrier” as well as something patrons fear.

St. Pierre clarified that people will still be held accountable. Items will still have due dates, but after an item has been overdue for 35 days it will be considered “lost.” At that point, the borrower will be asked to either return it or replace it.

Dues will still be collected on hotspots, museum passes and special collection books, she added.

“We believe this is going to generate a lot of good will from the community,” St. Pierre said. “We hope to see an increase in usage as a result.”

The dismissal of late fees is just one of the few action items St. Pierre presented as a part of the libraries’ new strategic plan, which must be updated in order to qualify for grants.

The two other “actionable” goals St. Pierre highlighted for the remainder of the year are to acquire more hotspots and 21 new computers. 

With some of the computers being 15 years old, St. Pierre said it was time for an upgrade to both public and staff devices. Funding for the computers comes in part from the Friends of the Dartmouth Libraries and state aid.

Prior to writing the new plan, St. Pierre said the library reviewed previous plans, hired a consultant as well as collected feedback from the community, trustees and staff through a survey and focus groups.

Based on this feedback, she said the library's main goals will be to develop the staff to meet patron needs, optimize the space of the two facilities, enhance marketing and branding, embrace emerging technology, including plans to work with DCTV, and provide more programming that is community centered.

Additionally, the library will conduct a diversity audit of its collections “to ensure there’s no bias [and] to ensure the collection is meeting the needs of any and all community members,” St. Pierre said.

Specifically in regard to North Dartmouth, St. Pierre said the library had a challenging opening due to the timing of the Covid pandemic, which began only a few weeks later.

She said expectations have been adjusted and focus has been shifted to accommodate the reality of the facility and provide the best service possible to patrons. 

As an example, she mentioned increasing the staffing as well as the relationship between the library and the schools. 

Though students get a library card at the start of the school year they never had the opportunity to visit through school. However, that changed this past June when the library hosted its first few classes to teach and introduce them to its services and get them ready for summer reading.

St. Pierre said this is something the library wants to continue to do going into the next academic year and already has visits scheduled with some classes.

The presented strategic plan has been approved by both the Library Trustees and the state and will be available on the library’s website.

Select Board member David Tatelbaum said, “I think Dartmouth libraries are the best kept secret.”

Similar to the attitude he held when managing a retail business, Tatelbaum encouraged the library to maintain this mindset and actively introduce the library to the public as often as possible.

“I think you have so much to tell, so much to offer, and most people don’t even know it’s there,” he said.