Library system making changes
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
The Hawai'i State Public Library System is revamping its process to apply for a library card with the hope of making it clear that parents and legal guardians are responsible for their children's library fines.
"We've had complaints from parents whose children's accounts go to collection, saying it was the first time they knew the child had an account or that they were financially liable," State Librarian Jo Ann Schindler told a Board of Education committee yesterday.
The library hopes to revise its form, adding a more easily understood statement that parents are financially responsible for their children's fines, fees or other charges.
And they expect to send a duplicate of the application home so people will be more likely to remember.
The library also plans to alter some of its schedule of fines, including:
Other proposed changes include:
Before any changes go into effect, the proposals will go to public hearing, probably some time in the fall, Schindler said.
Schindler told the committee that the library has seen a large number of positive changes since 2003 when libraries throughout the state trimmed their hours and some closed down service for entire days. From a total of 200 hours lost that year, libraries gradually have cut that in half.
The most recent changes include an extra four hours of service that the Pearl City Library provides from 1-5 p.m. Fridays and an extra four hours of service the Wai'anae Library provides by opening from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and closing Friday afternoon.
As the library system gradually has filled vacant positions, and with the support of library staff, these extra hours have become possible, said Schindler. From a high of 135 vacancies in August 2004, the library system has seen a drop to 69 vacancies as of May.
The library system also hopes to move ahead with plans to open six district offices on Maui, Kaua'i, the Big Island and O'ahu, to offer better customer service for library patrons and give more on-site authority and assistance in remote areas. Currently, the outlying libraries are run through one administrator on O'ahu who has responsibility for 47 managers.
"This is something long overdue," said board member Breene Harimoto, applauding the proposed changes.
The Maui office will move forward first, as a pilot, at a cost of about $131,000 to fund three positions. Then next year the library system will go to the Legislature asking for positions and funding for the other offices.
Also at the meeting library personnel told committee members that $4,191.38 has been written off in uncollectible fines because the 71 people who collectively owe that amount have filed for bankruptcy.
While the library has written off that amount as a bad debt, it doesn't prevent those same people from using their library cards again. With the slate wiped clean, they'll be responsible for any new fines.
This is the second round of uncollected debt the library has had to write off in recent months.
In February library officials wrote off $69,035.63 in uncollectible fines over a two-year period because people had died.
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.
