Reduced Fees and Fine Reduction Programs Help Remove Barriers to Access
LA County Library is proud to announce Fine Forgiveness Month, taking place in May, as well as a permanent elimination of its processing fee. These two new initiatives—approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors on April 18, 2017—will help remove barriers to access for Library customers.
LA County Library continuously evaluates its programs and services to ensure that they align with patron needs. It has become clear that there are some library policies that impede access to the vital resources and services provided, including the accumulation of late fees and processing fees.
From May 1 to 31, 2017, LA County Library’s Fine Forgiveness Month will offer a one-month “amnesty” period that will allow library customers to return overdue materials without paying the applicable fees, and will also waive accumulated overdue fines on already-returned materials. The last fine forgiveness program was implemented in 2008 and yielded over one hundred thousand returned materials. In addition to fostering goodwill in local communities and removing barriers by allowing patrons to access library services once again, the program has the added benefit of allowing the Library to recover valuable materials which may not otherwise be returned for use by other customers. All materials may be returned with the exception of damaged or un-useable items. Additionally, there will be no reimbursement for previously paid fines/fees.
The LA County Library will also be permanently eliminating its $10 processing fee, which was previously charged to patrons for every lost item in addition to the cost of the item. The fee was intended to recoup library costs associated with re-ordering materials. With the removal of this fee, library customers with lost items will now only be held responsible for the cost of the item itself, to ensure that the library collection is replenished.
About LA County Library
Founded in 1912, LA County Library is one of the largest and most innovative library systems in the US. It offers free public resources including books, music, multimedia materials, computer and internet access, as well as educational and recreational programs to 3.4 million residents through its 87 community libraries. LA County Library is dedicated to providing exceptional services to its customers by reducing any potential barriers and increasing access and equality of public services for the diverse communities it serves. For more information, visit colapublib.org.
