During summer 2019, the Library announced that it would no longer charge late fines on overdue materials as part of an effort to remove more barriers to use and access, particularly for children and families.
I was a member of an internal planning group tasked with reviewing and updating all digital and physical Library materials impacted by the change. In the lead-up to the announcement, I collaborated with Library leadership and other members of the Public Affairs team on crafting a communications strategy and developing talking points. My role included writing promotional copy, designing a suite of print and digital marketing pieces, and writing a blog feature announcing the policy change and informing patrons about what it would mean for them.
The new policy, which we dubbed “Freedom From Fines,” took effect right before the Independence Day holiday, which we used as a framing device in social media posts.
Below: In the days prior to the announcement, we ran a series of teaser messages on social media to pique patrons' interest. Once the Freedom From Fines policy was in place, we continued releasing additional graphics to pair with ongoing information about the fine forgiveness effort.
We very much leaned into the connecting the Freedom From Fines policy launch to the Independence Day holiday with this series of images used for social media posts.
