Harris County eliminates late fees for overdue library books, following Houston's lead
Harris County Public Library Fairbanks Branch, photographed Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Houston. Commissioners Court this week voted to eliminate late fees to the county library system.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.
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.
A Harris County Public Library system's heat map shows the concentration of cardholders with accounts that are blocked due to fines over $25.Owing fees tends to make residents reluctant to go to the library, he said. Before going fine-free, the county library system charged 10 cents per day on overdue items with a maximum of $3 per item.
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