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lack of consensus in the profession as to the effectiveness of charging <br />fines. They reported that over 81% of the libraries responding to the survey did <br />not charge fines for children's materials and concluded "it is difficult to reach <br />any definite conclusion as to the impact of fines on library usage and image. <br />There is an urgent need for more research in this field, particularly studies which <br />investigate the opinions of library users and nonusers" (Clayton & Chapman, <br />2009, p. 15). <br />Colorado State Library's (CSL) SPELL research (Zhang, 2013), funded by the <br />Institute of Museum and Library Services, included distribution of surveys in 2013 <br />to caregivers of young children in low-income urban and rural areas of <br />Colorado. In addition to learning about library habits among this group, CSL <br />was interested to learn what barriers prevented low-income families with young <br />children from visiting the library. Along with transportation and scheduling issues, <br />respondents to the survey identified library fines as a one of the "things that get <br />in the way" of their use of the library (Zhang, 2013, p. 17). Further anecdotal <br />stories in focus groups with low-income parents in the study reveal that both <br />fines for late items and fees for lost or damaged books make parents reluctant <br />to check out books and to have their children enjoy library books at all. <br />Neuman and Celano (2004) conducted a study examining the influence <br />of school and public libraries on young children's literacy skills. They found <br />libraries in economically disadvantaged areas of the community had <br />significantly lower circulation rates than middle class neighborhoods. Using <br />8 <br />