The Jonesville District Library paid to have me (library director) to be a notary. We charge $5 per service, with the money going back to the library. We don't get a ton of notary requests, but definitely enough to pay the cost of my license, stamp, and seal embosser. The majority of our notary service comes in the evenings or weekends, when no one else in our small town is open for notary service. I hope this info helps, -Laura Orlowski, Library Director Jonesville District Library 517-849-9701 info@jonesvilledistrictlibrary.org On Thu, May 14, 2026 at 2:47 PM Rebekah Dobski via Michlib-l < michlib-l@liblists.org> wrote:
I should clarify not tips, but to our donations jar! J _____________________________________________ *From:* Rebekah Dobski *Sent:* Thursday, May 14, 2026 2:35 PM *To:* Katrina Rogers <krogers@crawfordcolibrary.org> *Cc:* michlib-l@liblists.org *Subject:* RE: Notaries in libraries
Hello,
I am the sole notary in an almost level 4 library. I do about 100 or so a year. I only charge $1 for residents out of county (I think I have had two), as NP are commissioned for a whole county. We aren’t county funded, but it just seems right. Perhaps it might be bad business to others, but I have worked on cutting down extra costs to our patrons, and don’t find that this service needs to be one where we try to recoup. Printing/copying/laminating means we are out paper, ink, sheets, and equipment use. It seems fair to charge for those services so we can cover/breakeven our supplies. We are not out but pen ink if I notarize. Having it be free distinguishes us from other establishments who charge the state maximum, and has brought SO MANY people in who say “I’ve never been in, this place is lovely” or generous tips and even once, fancy donuts. If people are willing to travel from the far reaches of our county, then they are likely in need of help. Not charging, for us, pays more than just money and the maybe $3-500 if we were to charge. The only distinction I have made is that I will not do real estate, such as closing documents. Again, I am sure some might call that bad business but we aren’t a business.
Best, << OLE Object: Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) >>
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