Indianapolis Public Library will no longer charge late fees, waives previous fines
Lawrence AndreaThe Indianapolis Public Library has waived the late-fee fines for more than 87,000 accounts and will no longer impose late fees for overdue items, the city's library system said Monday.
The announcement comes after The IndyPL Board of Trustees approved the discontinuation of charging late fines in April 2020, according to the library's website. The library said the move would ensure it does not "add any financial hardship for patrons."
“If you have been hesitant to use the library for fear of getting late fines or because you owed late fines, those concerns should no longer stand in your way," Indianapolis Public Library CEO Jackie Nytes said in a statement. "We have so much for our community to enjoy.”
In an explanation of the decision posted to its website, the library said the fines "disproportionately affect patrons in lower-income areas."
It added that staff could be used for tasks other than issuing fines and noted that per-day late fines are ineffective for getting patrons to return items on time. Late fees often go unpaid anyway, the library said, and the financial impact of cancelling the fees is manageable.
But the decision to remove late fees does not mean library-goers can simply keep checked-out items forever. Library materials will still need to be either returned or renewed within 21 days of checkout.
"If an item is overdue for too long, The Library will consider it 'lost,' and you, the borrower, will be charged a replacement fee," the library's website says. "Patrons with large unpaid balances for 'lost item' and other fees may have borrowing privileges suspended and could be referred to a debt collection agency."
Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.