Libraries Ditch Late Fees in the Name of Social Inequity

American libraries are doing away with all fees for late or unreturned books. Why, then, should they be returned at all? As a metaphor for the revved-up chaos being unleashed upon American society in the past few years, it works quite well.

“Our local government library ended late fees in the last year, so I quickly stopped returning books on time,” author Joy Pullman writes in an entertaining Feb. 19 article at The Federalist. “The lack of fees was especially helpful in recently allowing me to keep for an extra month the book Albion’s Seed. I couldn’t manage to finish that magnificent tome in the usual three-week checkout period. So I just kept ignoring the ‘overdue book’ notifications the library frantically sent. If there’s no penalty, why should I care?”

Libraries -- Fines a ‘Form of Social Inequity’

As with so much of the instigated anarchy today, a once-respected credentialed organization is behind this folly.

“The American Library Association [ALA] … formally supported ending all library fees in 2019,” Pullman explained. “Not surprisingly, the policy cited essentially Marxist justifications for urging all libraries to end late penalties and book replacement fees.”

Pullman quoted an ALA resolution denouncing “monetary library fines as a form of social inequity.” Don’t bother arguing that there is no monetary fine if the diligent user returns the book by the due date. This isn’t about logic or the best way to run a public service.

Meet the One in Charge

As Liberty Nation documented last June, the American Library Association, which dates back to 1876, has been fully taken over by social warriors. Its members have defended pornography in school libraries and mulled over ways to keep parents in the dark about the contents of such offerings. They have also discussed ways to promote the LGBT agenda to youngsters while avoiding “resistance” in “small, rural, conservative” communities.

Last September, ALA President Emily Drabinski spoke at a Socialism 2023 Conference in Chicago. She urged libraries to be part of the leftist propaganda operation occurring in public schools. “[Reflecting on] your point that public education needs to be a site of socialist organizing,” Drabinski declared, “I think libraries really do too ... I haven’t seen that working in libraries. But I think there’s real opportunity here to both connect with [what is] happening in public education, what’s happening in libraries, but also we need some help in the libraries. We need to be on the agenda of socialist organizing.”

Drabinski is extremely active on X. On Feb. 23, she tellingly reposted a statement by the Library Association of Alberta (Canada) staunchly opposing parental rights legislation in regard to sexually explicit and “gender identity” materials aimed at children. Excerpts from the missive:

“The Library Association of Alberta upholds the universal principles of intellectual freedom as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As library professionals, we are committed to free and equitable access to information for all Albertans, including children, and we oppose any efforts to suppress knowledge.

“On February 1, 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government will introduce legislation to restrict gender-affirming healthcare for youth and to require government approval of all third-party teaching materials on gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexuality in Alberta schools ...

“This legislation would deny Alberta’s youth access to information and knowledge crucial to their understanding of their world, their peers, and themselves ... Additional review and approval by the government is unnecessary, inefficient, and in violation of the principles of intellectual freedom that ensure our children have access to rich and diverse materials that offer them a full range of knowledge, ideas and opinions.”

A Canadian library organization cited UN “universal principles” to assert that children have a right to be exposed to sexually charged books, no matter how their parents may feel about it, and the head of the leading librarian association in America publicly expressed her approval.

If you are seeking an explanation for the planned societal disarray exhibited in small ways by the elimination of library late fees, this is it. Social agitation functions best in an atmosphere of unrest. Properly run institutions that uphold basic standards do not make fertile ground for social revolution.