City to consider getting rid of fines for overdue books at Houston Public Library
Attendees tour the second floor library during ceremonies for the re-opening of the Belle Sherman Kendall Neighborhood Library and Community Center Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 in Houston, TX. The library was water damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and has undergone remodeling.City Council on Wednesday will consider canceling all past fines for users of the Houston Public Library and eliminating future late fees to encourage more residents to borrow books from the system.
The library, with more than 40 locations, allows customers to keep most materials for up to three weeks with the option to extend their loans for an additional three-week period. Those who fail to return their books on time are charged 20 cents per day for each overdue adult or young adult book and 10 cents per day for most childrens’ materials, with the maximum fine capped at $10 per book.
The city, however, is expected to join an increasing number of public libraries across the country that have removed late fees in recent years. Houston Public Library spokeswoman Julie Mintzer said the city will consider the policy in an attempt to remove financial barriers for low-income users and to make the system more equitable.
The proposal, if approved by the City Council on Wednesday, would cost the library system about $60,000 per year in revenue generated by late fines, but Mintzer said library leaders believe the benefits will outweigh the cost. “Fines often create a financial barrier and cause library users to stop using the library,” Mintzer said in an email. “Becoming a ‘fine free’ library will increase HPL’s ability to better support the Houston community … especially for our younger and low-income customers.”
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