Tag Archives: Overdues

Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Libraries, San Diego

Teacher Stuck with $1,400 Fine from Library System that Killed Fines

San Diego libraries said goodbye to overdue fees. So how did a teacher end up with a $1,400 fine?

By Bella Ross

Julie Ruble / Photo by Adriana Heldiz

The model embraced by most public libraries for retrieving borrowed materials has historically been a simple one: forget to return the item, you pay the price.

The San Diego Public Library became part of a group of trailblazers when it abandoned this system in 2018, joining the less than 10 percent of American libraries around that time that’d done away with daily overdue fees, according to the Library Journal.

But the new policy, advertised on signs across the downtown branch that read, “Wave goodbye to overdue fees,” is not as straightforward as it sounds.

Local public school teacher Julie Ruble, who’s untimely book return resulted in a $1,426 debt to the city of San Diego, can attest. “This was just so much money and I didn’t think there were fines,” she said, “but it turns out the no-fines policy is misnamed.”

Source: Teacher Stuck with $1,400 Fine from Library System that Killed Fines

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Libraries, Politics, Times They Are A-Changing

Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

By Rachel Kramer Bussel, Senior Contributor Media, Jul 30, 2021,07:49am EDT

Numerous libraries across the United States are eliminating fines for overdue books.
Getty Images

Libraries across the United States are eliminating late fees for overdue books.

In Burbank, California, the Burbank Public Library became fine free on July 1, eliminating fees for overdue books and cancelling historical overdue fees.

Of the switch, the library wrote on its website, “This move is part of our efforts to improve equity of access. While fines for overdue items may seem like a small burden, they can create a major barrier to service for those who are struggling financially. Too many people have made the choice to stop using the Library because of inability to pay or fear of accruing fines.”

The library also stated, “Research has shown that fines are not effective in getting materials returned on time, and libraries that have eliminated fines have found that long overdue items come back and patrons who avoided the library for years start visiting again.” Fines won’t be charged for lost library cards, or holds that aren’t picked up, but will still be charged for lost or damaged checked out items.

Source: Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books