Anne Arundel Library Waives Most Late Fees, Saves Customers $361K

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Anne Arundel County Public Library is moving away from late charges. The system forgave all current overdue fees and will not charge these fines in the future, officials announced Tuesday outside the Brooklyn Park Library.

The initiative canceled $361,425 worth of fees and helped more than 28,000 customers. Leaders hope this will improve equitable access to the library's resources.

“While everyone must be held accountable for returning what they borrow, fines are an unnecessary form of punishment that falls disproportionately on lower income households,” County Executive Steaurt Pittman said in a press release. “We have a fantastic library system in this county and we want it to be accessible to everyone.”

The library also announced an automatic renewal system. Most materials will automatically renew up to five times if they are past due. Materials from other Maryland library systems will automatically renew twice.

Some items will not automatically renew, however. These exceptions include:

• Historic London Town and Gardens Museum passes
• 7-day express items
• Interlibrary Loan items
• Items that are on hold

Renters are still required to return their materials to the library. Twenty-one days after the last renewal, librarians will assume the items are missing and charge a replacement fine.

Late fees are gone, but replacement and damage charges are not. Fines will also continue for overdue materials that the Anne Arundel library borrows from other systems.

“Fines are a barrier that disproportionately impact people without the means to pay,” library CEO Skip Auld wrote in the release. “As a public institution, we have a responsibility to make our items available to as many people as possible. Removing these fines (while still requiring the items to be returned) will allow more people to enjoy our materials for education, enrichment and inspiration.”

Auld noted that fine revenue has decreased over time. He explained that the fees raised $112,827 in fiscal year 2020, which ran from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.

The system expects half that amount this year. Granted, the coronavirus pandemic has frequently limited the library's offerings.

“At their core, public libraries are about leveling the playing field while fines create obstacles to access,” library Board of Trustees Chair William Shorter said. “The Board of Trustees is proud to support the elimination of fines for all customers and get back to its foundation of breaking down barriers.”

The library also waived fines for children's items in January 2020. Pittman promised to supplement the money that the library loses without late fees.

For more information, head to aacpl.net/finesfaq. The library still has minimal in-person availability during the pandemic. All of its services and policies are posted here.

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