PARMA, Ohio — How many times have you checked out a book at the library, only to forget to return it on time and be stuck with a fine?
The Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) has decided to make your life a little easier. To kick off its 100th anniversary celebration, the CCPL has announced that its Board of Trustees has approved a new policy of no more daily overdue fines as of January 26.
For good measure, Cuyahoga County Public Library says it will also forgive every cardholder any fines or fees currently on their account. "It's a fresh start for everyone," CCPL said in its release announcing the new policy.
So why is Cuyahoga County Library going fine free? "We understand that life happens, and most of us have found ourselves late at some point returning a library item. For our most vulnerable customers, those overdue fines can sometimes mean the difference between accessing important library materials or having to go without. We don’t want anyone to face a financial barrier to using the library," CCPL explained.
The CCPL says fines historically represent less than 1% of their annual revenue. The library says "the value of eliminating fines and opening access far exceeds the cost."
And if you're wondering what the incentive is to return overdue materials to the library if there's no fine, CCPL says any items that are not returned more than 21 days after their due date will be considered “lost.” When an item is lost, borrowers are charged a replacement fee. When a lost item is returned, the replacement fee is cleared.
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