Windsor Public Library is eliminating overdue fines. Here's why

It's official: Late return of a library book doesn't cost you anything in the City of Windsor.

Windsor Public Library has moved ahead on eliminating fines for overdue materials, as decided by the library board at a meeting on Tuesday.

The library put a pause on late fees in 2020 during the pandemic. Now the board has voted to continue the policy change indefinitely.

"I hope that this takes away any fear or hesitation to use the library," said Dana Paladino, acting CEO of Windsor Public Library.

"Some people just don't want to walk into a library knowing that they have a late fee. Other people can't afford to pay those late fees."

"As a library, we really want to keep those doors open and be a welcoming space for everybody — to come in, read, learn, discover."

But that doesn't mean library patrons can keep overdue books forever. Paladino notes that the library will still charge users for replacement of lost materials — items that have been overdue for more than 41 days.

"This is only looking at late fees. Not lost or damaged fees," Paladino emphasized. "We still need to collect on that. There still has to be some way to ensure that books are coming back."

Prior to the pause in 2020, Windsor Public Library was charging adult patrons 40 cents a day for an overdue book.

An overdue children's book cost 15 cents a day, and an overdue video item cost $1.15 a day.

According to a report by library administration, eliminating late fees entirely should result in a $65,000 reduction in annual revenue — less than one per cent of Windsor Public Library's yearly budget.

Paladino says revenue from overdue materials was decreasing even before 2020, and many other library boards across Canada and the U.S. have been choosing to go fine-free.

"There are quite a few studies out there in support of the elimination of late fees," Paladino said. "It is definitely the trend throughout Canada. Not all libraries have eliminated late fees, but the majority have."

It should be noted that Tuesday's decision doesn't apply to outstanding fines — meaning that payment is still required for fines that were incurred prior to the pause in 2020.

But Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie, a library board member, said on Thursday that the board is considering forgiving those past fines as well.

"Probably at our next meeting, we'll have that fully spelled out," McKenzie said.

This isn't the first time Windsor Public Library has dropped late fees. There was a 20-year period from the early 1970s to the early 1990s that the library didn't charge for overdue books.

More recently, there was a period starting 2011 when Windsor Public Library dismissed late fines as "old-fashioned."

The fines were reinstated in 2013 due to long waiting lists, missing items, and patrons saying they'd rather pay than have their library privileges revoked.

McKenzie is optimistic that won't be the case now.

"It's interesting when you actually look at the history of the late fees. There have been a number of times when different boards have made the decision to waive the fees or re-implement them," he said.

"It's not as if we've eliminated any type of oversight with respect to the library collection itself. We're going to look at other tools. Prompting people with e-mails and phone calls... At the end of the day, what we want is for people to feel comfortable coming to the library."