No More Late Fees at Saline District Library

The Saline District Library is pleased to announce a new policy for the new year: No more late fees.

SDL users now have a grace period of 7 days after the due date in which to return library materials. Since it's important that the library get items back so that others in the community can use them, fines for damaged, lost, and unreturned items will still be charged. Library users will be billed for replacement costs 21 days after an item is overdue, but this charge will be waived if the item is returned within 30 days of the billing date.

A growing number of libraries across the nation have done away with daily late fees for overdue library materials. Research has found that overdue fees can actually discourage people from returning library materials and act as a barrier to library use. Since late fees for overdue materials comprised less than 0.5% of the Saline District Library’s overall annual budget, their removal will not negatively impact the library’s operating revenue.

Most SDL items automatically renew if no one else is waiting for them, and the library sends email or text reminders both before and after due dates. Under the new policy, once an item is 7 days overdue, library borrowing privileges are temporarily suspended until the item is returned. Library users will get a helpful bookmark with all of the details with their next checkouts, and more information is available on SDL’s website. Feedback from library users has already been overwhelmingly positive to this new approach at SDL.

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