Starting Tuesday, the three library systems are doing away with fines and clearing the records of people who accumulated them. Users will still need to pay replacement fees if they lose materials, but "just return the books, no questions asked" says Anthony Marx, the president of the New York Public Library. "If there's a problem, come talk to us." 

"Fines are an antiquated notion; they don't work," he adds. "More often, it's what keep people from bringing books back — especially people who can't afford the fines." 

Listen to the conversation between Morning Edition host Michael Hill and Anthony Marx by clicking the play button.