County eliminates fees for overdue books
Harris County residents no longer will have to pay late fees on overdue library books, formalizing a policy the 26 branches of the county library started during the pandemic.
Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a measure making the elimination of late fees permanent, following Houston City Council’s decision last month to do the same at the Houston Public Library.
“The county will join the city of Houston, New York, San Diego, Nashville, Baltimore, San Francisco, and League City,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.
More than 1.8 million people have library cards with the Harris County Public Library system. The library’s roughly 2 million items were checked out more than 9.5 million times last year.
Late fees make up less than 1 percent of the library’s annual budget, according to Edward Melton, executive director of the Harris County Public Library system.
“During the pandemic, we stopped taking fines,” Melton said. “It’s really a very minor impact that we have on our budget, but we do see that with not having fines, people are more prone to bring back materials and also use the library, because that’s one of the barriers in terms of people not coming back.”
Owing fees tends to make residents reluctant to go to the library, he said.
“And then they stop using the library altogether,” Melton said. “We really see this important value for people in low- to moderate-income populations where fines can be more impactful in terms of being able to pay those fines and fees. Because of that, we want to reduce any barriers that they may have in terms of financial obligations to be able to come back and use the library.”
Before going fine-free, the county library system charged 10 cents per day on overdue items with a maximum of $3 per item.
Residents who already owe late fees will get a clean slate, with the exception of some fees for damaged books. The library has the ability to waive those fees, as well, depending on individual circumstances, Melton said.
“The materials are purchased with taxpayer dollars, so it belongs to the community anyway,” Melton said. “I just want people to utilize it and make the most out of the opportunity in terms of being able to read and access our materials.”