End of Overdue Fines for Library Items in 2023
Posted on January 3, 2023 at 8:00 am
Spokane County Library District announces the end of overdue fines as of January 1, 2023. Overdue fines will no longer be charged for borrowed items not returned by the due date.
Customers will still be accountable for the items they borrow. When an item is 4 weeks overdue, SCLD considers it lost and bills the customer for the full price of the item.
Previous fines assessed before January 1, 2023, remain and can be paid at any of SCLD’s libraries or online at www.scld.org.
Our mission is to provide resources that empower people to learn, explore, and succeed. Barriers that prevent people from using the library’s resources conflict with that mission and go against the library’s core values of equitable service, fostering early literacy, and free access to information and services.
Overdue fines disproportionately affect low-income community members as well as community members of color. These fine practices reduce library access and unfairly affect community members who might benefit the most from library engagement and resources.
Return rates and wait times will likely be unaffected, as shown at other public libraries that have eliminated fines and generally have not experienced a deterioration in the return rate or an increase in hold times.
Here’s a reminder of our library card privileges:
Checkout periods
Newly released books and DVDs: 2 weeks
Most other materials: 4 weeks
Borrowing limit
You may check out 50 items at any given time
Item renewals
Most items may be renewed 5 times unless someone else has requested them
Hold requests limit
You may place up to 25 items on hold at a time
Lost item bill
When items are 4 weeks overdue, we consider them lost and send you a bill for the cost of the items. Please return your items.
Notices & reminders
You will receive a holds pickup notice when items you have placed on hold become available at the library you specified.
If you choose to receive your notices via email, a courtesy reminder will be emailed to you three days before checked-out items are due. You will also receive a reminder 30 days before your library card’s annual expiration.
To update your email address for your library account, please submit the Ask About Your Account form or call the library at 509.893.8400.
Tags: account, due date, fees, fines, library card, lost, lost items, my account, overdue fines, payment
