Overdue library book? Here’s why it won’t cost Whatcom borrowers starting next year
Starting next year, you won’t have to pay a fine if you don’t return your library book or other borrowed material on time.
The Whatcom County Library System and the Bellingham Public Library are moving to eliminate such fines as of Jan. 2.
They also will erase existing overdue fees.
That’s likely welcome news for the 9,307 Bellingham Public Library cardholders who can’t borrow materials because of overdue fines and the 8,422 cardholders in the Whatcom County system whose accounts are blocked for the same reason.
Library users still would have to pay to replace materials they damage or don’t return.
Although they’re separate library systems — one serves Bellingham, the other the rest of the county — the two share books, movies and other materials.
When the proposal is finalized, the libraries will become the latest to join a growing trend of public libraries eliminating late fees or at least examining the idea of doing so.
Why?
There’s not much evidence that such fees encourage people to return what they borrowed faster and a lot of evidence that it could be a barrier to people who may not have the means to pay overdue fines, said Rebecca Judd, director for Bellingham Public Library.
“We’re looking to improve access for people and to welcome them back to the library,” Judd told The Bellingham Herald. “It’s absolutely an equity issue. We’re eliminating barriers to city services.”
Getting rid of late fines isn’t new for Bellingham or Whatcom County.
In 2013, both library systems ended overdue fees for children and teen materials that were checked out on kids’ library cards and then, three years later, extended that fee forgiveness to such materials that were checked out on adult library cards.
Other libraries that have ended late fees include Seattle Public Library and Chicago Public Library, which, in October, became the largest public library system in the U.S. to stop the practice.
The Chicago Public Library system subsequently saw a 240% increase in the number of books returned, including hundreds of books that were long overdue, according to an Oct. 30 Chicago Sun-Times story.
Sno-Isle Libraries in Marysville said it hasn’t charged late fees in over 35 years. Spokane, San Juan and Port Townsend public libraries also have ended the practice.
Still, most public libraries in the U.S. charge a late fee, according to a 2017 Library Journal survey that found that 92% of those that responded did.
Christine Perkins, executive director for the Whatcom County Library System, pointed to the Chicago return rate as a positive.
“We’re more interested in people using the library successfully and then, ultimately, returning the physical item,” Perkins told The Herald.
A little more than 93% of materials borrowed from both library systems are returned on time, and the library system directors don’t expect to see a significant change in that number.
Last year, Bellingham libraries collected $53,330 in overdue fines, while the Whatcom County system collected about $60,000.
That represented 1.2% and .6% of their revenues respectively.
Judd and Perkins said overdue fines have been declining in recent years for a number of reasons: more people are switching to e-readers, the ending of overdue fines for youth materials and an automatic renewal of materials if others aren’t waiting.
There are no overdue fines for e-books, because e-readers automatically return books.
More affluent library users might be puzzled by the idea of eliminating fines, but others do struggle, according to library officials.
“For some people, 25 cents a day seems very minor and what’s the big deal?” Perkins told The Herald. “For people who are making it paycheck to paycheck, it is a big deal. We have heard on many occasions people say, ‘Well, I guess I just won’t use the library.’ ”
The Whatcom County Library System’s board of trustees already has approved the decision to get rid of overdue fines.
The proposal is still being finalized for Bellingham Public Library, which includes getting the OK from the City Council to have the city absorb an estimated $53,000 in overdue fines. That’s expected to happen Monday, Nov. 18.
The library’s board of trustees will take it up on Tuesday.
The idea has the support of Bellingham leaders, according to Judd and Mayor Kelli Linville.
“I support the elimination of overdue library fines because it reduces barriers to city services,” Linville told The Herald.
“It also addresses our goal of equitable services, because the people who are most impacted by fines are often those who can least afford them. This is how government should work — we focus on where the real problem is rather than penalize everyone,” Linville said.
Perkins said the Whatcom County Library System can get rid of overdue fines without cutting its budget.
“It’s not meant to be a revenue stream. It’s not an income-generating idea to levy fines on people. It was meant to be a disincentive for changing people’s behavior,” Perkins said. “What we found is it hasn’t been particularly effective.”
