That’s funny. Just yesterday I was there looking up books on Utopia. They were all checked out. With Due date: Never.

Thank you, MV Resident, for the great Boomer wisdom. Truly the smartest generation. Did you post it on your Facebook wall too?

The city is sending mixed messages. It's getting rid of late fees, but "If an item isn't returned in two weeks, patrons will get a bill for the full cost to replace it." Sounds like a late fee...?

It's not a late fee, its a two week free trial. If not returned after 2 weeks you've bought it. You're not checking it out, you're trying it for free prior to buying in full with the option to return it prior to two weeks at no charge.

Lots of libraries are going this way. Santa Clara County doesn't charge late fines on children's materials and for senior citizens.

Web Link

What they say: “they end up reducing public usage of a library, especially among low-income households.”

What they really mean: “collecting overdue fines to be the worst part of the job.”

What they’re really doing: “If an item isn't returned in two weeks, patrons will get a bill for the full cost to replace it.”

So.. they want to eliminate the worst part of their job, virtue signal about it being about the less fortunate, and then they’re going to slap a huge replacement bill (i.e. fine) anyway.

There's that lovable Boomer slang: "virtue-signal," when a sociopath doesn't have an argument but wants to pretend everyone else cares as little about others as they do. Show those librarians you're on to their games!

I think this is a great move. My first job was working at a library - I saw the fines and fees not working back then. With the goal being to encourage patronage and learning, let people have access to our library's resources.

The new policy is here: Web Link

They remove the replacement fee if the item is returned later, which has been the case for as long as I can remember, so they are not replacing one fee with another as earlier commenters have suggested.

I feel a suggested late fee may be a more effective option? Some residents may voluntarily be willing to pay it leading to some accumulation in funds for future use, those who can't afford it are not burdened and the cost of debt collecting goes away?

We fund our public library so that people will use it. A well-read public benefits us all. And the library is an especially valuable resource for families who otherwise couldn't afford to access thousands of books and other media.

Now we learn that the threat of late fees actually deters some members of the public from using the library. People not using the library we pay for -- that's bad! We're not getting the full value of our investment in the library!

So this move makes perfect sense.

The $10 processing fee per late item is not rescinded. It’s still a fine. Still hurts low income people more than high income people.

The kind of person who would pay a voluntary late fee is the kind of person who returns items on time.

But I like the idea in general. Let’s try it for parking tickets.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the comments. Here are the key points from the policy: Web Link

You are billed for replacement cost two weeks after the due date (not two weeks after the checkout date). It is completely waived if you just return the item (no matter how late).

I really don't think they have sinister intentions with this policy ...

A few days grace period would be nice.

Why not return the item on time? It’s especially a problem with high demand books & DVDs. Let’s be considerate of others.

Thank you, Library Patron, for considering the other users of these services.

The article mentions one facet of a late-fee situation ("Gray remembers having to deal with parents in tears because they couldn't afford $20 in late fees on their children's books"), but not its other dimensions. Like individual responsibility (the library didn't cause those books to be late), or the other families who couldn't get the books when they were perpetually checked out.

It’s simple: be responsible. Enjoy our wonderful public libraries, check out items and return them. Not that hard. Teach your children to be responsible citizens, too. We all live in this region together.

Should we eliminate fines if one is seen littering (throwing trash from a vehicle on the highway!?)
This has nothing to do with being “rich” or “poor.” Most of us are in the middle, anyway.

Participate in community benefits and services as a responsible participant.
- a librarian

Libraries are very antiquated institutions. I yearn for the day that there are no more libraries and people do their reading, at home, on the internet, like God intended it to be.

People are going to find that they hate this new policy if they are getting charged for full replacement cost of the item after two weeks. That's worse than a late fee! Two weeks is not a lot of time.