KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Late fees are officially removed from the Kalamazoo Public Library as of January 1st.
Library officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday Janurary 2nd in order to commemorate the policy change. KPL Board President Lisa Godfrey, KPL Director Ryan Wieber, and others officially cut the ribbon and were joined by Senator Sean McCann and Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson during the ceremony.
According to library officials, the reasoning for the policy change is that late fees discourage lower-income patrons from utilizing library services.
Officials listed the following reasons on the library website:
- It removes a barrier to access: fines for overdue materials disproportionately impacts residents of lower socioeconomic status.
- Late fines are not effective: fines do not impact return rates but do contribute to loss of materials.
- It’s fiscally responsible: revenue attributed to fines has fallen steadily in the last five years and represents less than 0.5% of the library’s operating revenue.
- KPL children’s materials have already been fine-free since 1989!
On Dec. 31st, all outstanding late fees were erased from library records. However, patrons will still be held responsible for returning all books and materials. Replacement costs will still be issued for any items that are damaged or overdue by 30 days.
In addition, accounts owing more than $30 will be sent to collections if the materials are not returned or paid for after 21 days from the billing date. However, this information will not be reported to credit bureaus.
Accounts with materials checked out that are more than 10 days overdue will be blocked until the materials are returned or paid for. However, patrons can still utilize library services regardless of what is owed.
More information can be found online at https://www.kpl.gov/about/news/new-year-no-fines/.
The news of the fee waiver and the ribbon-cutting ceremony comes following a similar announcement from the Galesburg library.
