Without the penalty of overdue fines, Burlington County libraries see a sharp increase in usage, cards issued.

Many adults still get tickles in their tummies when they recall a childhood of feasting on library books but making sure each was returned on time to avoid an overdue fine.

A year ago, the Burlington County Library System eliminated the dreaded fines — and the result has been a boom in library usage, the system reported on Tuesday.

"We believed late fees and fines created a barrier that prevented some individuals and families from utilizing the library, so it’s gratifying to see cardholders who were inactive for years are returning to discover all the programs, services, and resources the library offers," Library Commission Chair Jonathan Chebra of Bordentown said in a statement.

Before the lifting of fines on books, DVDs, CDs, magazines and video games, more than 35,300 BCLS cardholders were inactive because they had not borrowed materials for over a year, according to the commission.

The library system between July last year and the end of June this year reported that checkouts were up 36%, digital checkouts increased 19%, 15,334 new library cards were created and 1,600 new users of Libby/Overdrive signed on. Libby is the digital catalog of online books and other material.  

Although users do not have to dig deep for overdue fines any longer, librarians still dispense some discipline for the worst wrongdoing.

If you lose or do not replace materials, you need to pay for them. And if you have overdue materials, you cannot borrow anything else.

"The change to fine-free did not equate to 'responsibility free.' Library customers are still being held responsible for the materials they borrow," said Burlington County Library System Director Ranjna Das. "But what we’re seeing is that cardholders who were inactive for years due to fines or overdue books have returned. These returning customers are also taking advantage of all our enhanced services, including our digital collections and programs."