Fine Idea: Wayland Library Eliminates Late Fees

WAYLAND, MA — Starting this week, the Wayland Free Public Library is a little bit more free.

The Board of Library Trustees approved a new policy eliminating late fees on most common library materials, aligning Wayland with other local libraries ditching the punitive practice. In recent months, the library systems in Worcester, Natick, Hopkinton, Belmont and Boston have ended fines.

That's because fines tend to harm low-income patrons, and may actually keep people away from the library, according to experts.

"Library users with limited income tend to stay away from libraries because they may be afraid of incurring debt," Ramiro Salazar of the American Library Association told NPR in 2019. "It stands to reason these same users will also stay away if they have already incurred a fine simply because they don't have the money to pay the fine."

Wayland's no-fine policy will cover most items, but late fees will remain for items like museum passes, materials from other libraries and objects from the "library of things," which includes musical instruments, tools and science equipment. The library will also still charge to replace lost items.