North Vancouver city library eliminates all overdue fines

The North Vancouver City Library will eliminate fines for overdue materials effective immediately, one of the first in Lower Mainland to adopt the practice.

City library will promote timely returns with email reminders and notifications. If the items become significantly overdue, the system will block additional borrowing and issue bills for replacement.

However, there will be no changes to due dates.

There are no fees to place holds, but the $1 charge for non-pickup of holds will continue to be charged. The $1 fee is currently waived during the closure of the library due to the pandemic.

Revenue from fines has been decreasing steadily due to changing use and improved online services, the library said. The total revenue from fines was less than 1 per cent of the library’s annual operating budget last year.

Meanwhile, the library will continue to charge for lost or damaged library materials as well as services like public printing and copying, faxing and private room bookings.

The Library Board of Trustees said the overwhelming trend and supporting research published in the last few years made the decision easy.

“Naturally we were worried that people would just not return books,” said library board chair Leane Neufeld.

“But research has shown that this is not the case — most libraries that have implemented this practice see materials returned within one week of the due date.”

“Libraries are accessible, welcoming, community hubs where residents of all ages can go to learn, connect and share experiences,” said CNV Mayor Linda Buchanan.

“The library’s decision to reduce financial barriers supports Council’s work to make our City a vibrant, inclusive and connected community for everyone.”

Studies show that overdue fines are a barrier to access and have a disproportionate effect on low-income households, especially those with children, and other vulnerable populations.