Towards a Fine-Free Future: JPB Foundation Tackles a Barrier to Public Library Engagement
Recent coverage of public library giving can be summarized in a single word: access.
Funders including the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Simons Foundation envision U.S. public libraries as open community spaces fostering inclusivity and collaboration, devoid of what economists would call "barriers to entry."
At first, this seems like a strange question. After all, public libraries are free, right? Not so fast, says the New York City-based JPB Foundation. By funding the library system's surprisingly costly amnesty program, JPB calls to light a problematic and age-old obstacle to public library engagement: library fines...