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Should Libraries Get Rid of Late Fees?

January 16, 2023

In October 2021, the New York Public Library (NYPL) announced that it would no longer charge late fees. It also wiped out any fines that people already owed. In recent years, public libraries in other cities—including Chicago, Illinois, and Dallas, Texas—have done the same.

Library officials say fines prevent people from enjoying the benefits of the library. A borrower who racks up too much in fines isn’t allowed to check out more items. Ending fines may bring people—and books—back to the library. At the NYPL, nearly 500,000 missing items have been returned since late fees were canceled.

“We have seen that eliminating fines doesn’t lead to lost books but an increase in borrowing,” says Shauntee Burns-Simpson of the NYPL.

But other people argue that customers should be held responsible for past-due items. They say late fees are the best way to get people to follow the rules.

Here’s what two of our readers think.

For many people, late fees are just a minor hassle. But some families can’t afford to pay the fines. They might stop going to the library because they owe money. That would keep them from accessing free books and services libraries offer. Ending late fees is a step in the right direction toward encouraging everyone to read.

Studies have shown that charging late fees doesn’t usually result in books being returned on time anyway. So what’s the point?

You borrow a book, and you bring it back on time—that’s the way libraries work. Late fees encourage people to return books, which belong to the library, not to the customer. If you don’t bring a book back to the library, no one else can borrow it. If someone wants to keep a book forever, they should buy it from a bookstore.

Late fees also help raise money for libraries. Those extra funds could be used to replace lost books and start new programs for the community.