New chapter: Hayward library ends late fees

HAYWARD >> Those who rely on the Hayward Public Library for the latest bestseller or to check out a movie on a DVD have gotten some good news.

As of the new year, the library eliminated all overdue fines on materials. Patrons are still responsible for paying the cost for any lost item, however.

The City Council decided unanimously in November to make the change, noting that revenue generated by late fines has been decreasing over the past several years and that efforts to collect the money — such as notifying patrons, blocking accounts and following up when fines were settled

— cost more in staff time than was received in income.

Put another way, collecting the fines was not worth it.

Before, the late fee for all library materials was 25 cents a day for each item. More than 45,000 patrons — or about 28% of all card holders — had outstanding fines and fees, according to the library.

About 23,000 of those accounts had charges of at least $20, which meant the patron no longer could check out or renew materials until a payment was made.

From 54% to 58% of all late fines accrued were on materials for children and teens, causing the loss of library access at a critical time in children’s development, and, what’s more, at a time when many of them are stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the library.

“We realized that those with the greatest need of our services were being impacted the most,” library Director Jayanti Addleman said in a statement. “Our goal is always to support the community in their education, information and recreation goals. During these difficult times, when so many students have limited access to their schools, and so many in our community are feeling isolated, it was important to remove barriers and make our services easily accessible.”

Checkout periods remain the same. Patrons also still face a replacement charge if materials are not returned within 35 days after the due date.

“We hope that all the overdue items that were being held for fear of the fines will now be returned, no matter how old they are,” Addleman said. “It would be great to get some of these items back into the hands of other library users.”

Libraries that have adopted a similar policy include the Alameda County Library, the Berkeley Public Library, the Contra Costa County Library, the Oakland Public Library and the Richmond and San Francisco public libraries.

The council heard in November that annual revenue from fines and fees dropped from $110,000 to $55,500 from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2018.

Among the reasons was the delayed opening of the downtown main library.

The library was providing curbside service because of the coronavirus pandemic, which was suspended in December, but it was resumed on Monday.

Before the vote, the council also heard that because of the pandemic, revenue from fines was expected to be less than $40,000 by the end of fiscal 2020. That projection helped prompt the decision to drop the fines.

For more information about the library and its services, call 510881-7980, email Library@hayward- ca.gov or go to haywardca.gov/public-library.