Northbrook Public Library to Raise Late Fees

As of May 1, patrons will see their library fees double, from 10 cents to 20 cents per day overdue for most materials. 

“It really covers just about anything except for things like DVDs, blu-rays and games,” said assistant director Eric Robbins.

The Northbrook Public Library’s board of trustees approved the increase in fines in part because they hadn’t been raised in decades, but more importantly, because they wanted to encourage patrons to return books on time, Robbins explained.

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“At 10 cents, the detriment to keeping any materials out for any length of time is minimal,” he said.

The increase will bring the Northbrook Public Library’s fees in line with other libraries around the area, Robbins added, where 20 cents per day overdue is about the average fee. It will also be the first time the library has raised its fines in at least 40 years.

“No one can remember when it wasn’t 10 cents,” Robbins said. When the library polled its staff members, even the longest-serving employee, who has been there 42 years, could not remember a lower fee.

While the library stands to collect a little more now if patrons are late, Robbins said the hope is that more people will sign up for library notifications through e-mail and avoid late fees altogether.

“Through that, we give everybody a three-day notice if anything’s overdue,” he said. “Hopefully, they won’t have to pay any fines at all.”

Any library cardholder can sign up for e-mail notifications through the library’s website. Visit www.northbrook.info and click on the words “e-mail notification” at the top right corner.