No More Late Fees At Southington Public Library

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Forgetting to return a library book on time will no longer mean accumulating daily fines for Southington Public Library patrons.

Effective Wednesday, Sept. 9, the library has eliminated overdue fines on most materials, including books, DVDs, music CDs and audiobooks.

The change makes Southington part of a broader movement among public libraries to remove financial barriers that can discourage people from using library services, according to the library.

Library officials said fines can particularly affect children and low-income families, while small fines have little or no effect on whether materials are returned. Overdue fines also are not a significant source of revenue for the library, officials said.

The new policy does not mean due dates are going away.

Patrons are still expected to return materials on time so other borrowers can use them.

The library will automatically generate a bill for the replacement cost of an overdue item.

If the item is returned, however, the bill will be canceled, and no overdue fine will remain.

Patrons with more than $25 in billed items on their accounts will be prevented from checking out additional materials until the items are returned or paid for.

The library will continue charging replacement costs for lost or damaged materials.

Some materials also remain subject to overdue fines.

Those include special items such as electronic equipment, physical museum passes, cake pans and video games.

As part of the change, the library is clearing previously accumulated late fees from patrons' accounts, except charges associated with lost or damaged items.

Library officials said eliminating fines is intended to make library resources available to more people, allow staff to spend more time assisting patrons instead of collecting fees, and encourage greater use of library services.

There is another important exception for Southington borrowers: The fine-free policy applies only to materials belonging to Southington Public Library.

Items owned by another library, including those obtained through a library system hold, may still carry overdue fines based on the lending library's policies.

Southington Public Library is located at 255 Main St. More information is available by calling 860-628-0947.