The nation's largest public library system is ending late fees forever

[conuly]

As is customary, the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries are doing this in tandem with the NYPL.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043412502/library-fees-eliminated-new-york

No sooner had I read the email about it - appropriately titled "Exciting news" - then my sister called me to shout the good news at me. I guess she read an email too!

This news is especially exciting for me because we still can't find the last of the pre-pandemic DVDs we took out. Got the case, not the DVDs. A month ago I flagged down a neighbor who was heading to the library (lovely woman, adorable puppy) to ask her to return them, but then she had to give me back the case later because there was no DVD in it, and I don't know where it could be. (It's not in the player, we checked.)

Comments

[elf]

Several weeks ago, I returned a pair of books that I'd checked out in... 2015, I think? And the librarian thanked me and said there's no fees and my account could be active again; yay.

So I did the fill-out-forms thing to get the online account set up, and I've been checking out books through Overdrive where I don't have to worry about leaving them on the shelf and forgetting to return them for a few years.

[conuly]

:D

[kengr]

Overdrive is why I got a library card again.

Now I don't have to worry about forgetting to return things (or just getting motivated to make the trip to the library). I just download them to the Kindle, read and return. Much simpler.

I also use Overdrive to read the .epub version of my many ebooks.

[bibliofile]

Yay! No fines and no fees makes it so much easier for everyone to use the library. (And no one really talks about it, but collecting those quarters also takes time & energy, which the library clerks can now use on something else!)

I'm so happy for you all in general, and for your family in particular.

[conuly]

And no one really talks about it, but collecting those quarters also takes time & energy, which the library clerks can now use on something else!

Plus it puts them in a position to have to deal with other people's unpleasant reactions.

[dine]

maybe the DVD is in the case for another movie? my mom doubled up on several CDs, ending up with empty cases, and then having to hunt through all the others to find the missing CD

[conuly]

That's an idea. TBH, we haven't looked *that* hard for it.

Also - have I seen that icon before? Because it's super cute.

[dine]

it's not one in heavy rotation, but I've probably used it at some point, so you might have seen it before. misbegotten made it (she's made lots of my faves)

[ioplokon]

I'm in a system that's done it & it's really nice. Though note that, if it works the same as other systems, you'll be charged a replacement fee eventually or locked out of library access. It's definitely a huge improvement over the current system, but I know people here were surprised to get warnings about the replacement fee.

[dewline]

Ottawa's dropped late-return fees, but not yet charges for books that go utterly missing.

I can't yet speak to Gatineau's situation.

[hafnia]

Our county library system did that last year, after suspending library service during the pandemic. Such a relief, tbh — I love the library and I was the poor kid who had to be extra-diligent about returning stuff on time because I couldn't afford to pay the late fees. Glad to think that no one is going to be stuck in my position again.

[adafrog]

Yay!

[hamimi_fk]

Holy shoot, this is awesome! I hadn’t heard the good news! It’s been maybe eight years since I’ve been able to take any books out after incurring multiple late fees on my account then doing the same to my siblings’ accounts (they aren’t much of big readers so they didn’t care). As a final idiocy on my behalf, I lost a book in my own book mess for maybe five-ish years before I found it and returned it. I owed $67 in late fees because of that book (down from $100+ when the book was lost).

Also, I’m reminded that it’s been five years since I brought back my son’s first library books... *embarrassed cough* I’m just really bad with due dates.

Dunno if you found your dvd yet but one time I accidentally returned a cd case without realizing the cd wasn’t in it. I found it two years later in another cd case that I swore I had looked in after returning the empty case (I think it was doubled up beneath the cd that did belong in there). Just one of those weird things you do without realizing it sometimes.

[conuly]

Yeah, I haven't really been looking for the DVD. It's "A Dog's Purpose", which both excessively saccharine and also tries too hard to tug those heartstrings. At the end of it, the dog's original owner (many incarnations ago) realizes that he's that same dog he used to have as a kid and starts calling him by his old dog's name. The neighbors are gonna think he's totally snapped if he tells them his theory that his dog reincarnated just to marry him off to his neighbor!

[silveradept]

I'm so glad they got rid of fines and fees. Now everywhere else has the leverage of saying "the libraries of NYC did it, so why haven't we yet?" Fines and fees are such a piddly-ass small part of a budget, generally, that they're more trouble than they're worth collecting. The aggravation and the disprivileging aren't worth the coins, honestly.